CCS DII volleyball playoffs: Monterey falls to Harbor in semifinals
SANTA CRUZ — Rebuilding the foundation at Monterey started with players walking into the gym having never touched a volleyball before.
“We had some lean years,” Monterey coach Dave Swartz said. “Guys that walk in the door are athletes that have never tried it, but want to play volleyball. We have athletes on campus. We encourage them to bring friends.”
Yet, as rewarding as a third straight trip to the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals was for the Toreadores, it also left them feeling numb Thursday.
The Gabilan Division champions attempt at playing for a section title for the first time since 1999 fell a match short as Monterey was beaten 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 25-12 to No. 2 seed Harbor.
“Harbor is athletic and big and brought it,” Swartz said. “Give them some credit. We got some bad matchups and they adjusted well to us.”
The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League runner-up Pirates (28-4) will be playing for their first section title when they face top seed Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco on Saturday at Harker High in Sunnyvale.
Harbor only setbacks all season were two matches to SCCAL champion Santa Cruz and to two teams outside the CCS. It went 6-0 this spring against teams from the Pacific Coast Athletic League.
The Toreadores, whose 24 wins were the third most in school history, played the match without their leading hitter, who suffered a shoulder injury in Monday’s playoff win over Pioneer.
“We felt having Dustin (LeMaster) would have evened the playing field,” Swartz said. “That team is pretty smart and exposed our weaknesses. We played with a lot of heart through injury and illness. It wasn’t for a lack of will.”
Over the last three years, the Toreadores have won 20 or more matches, improving in the win column each season, capturing their second straight Gabilan Division title.
The Toreadores opened the playoffs with a pair of four-set wins over Pioneer and Carmel in a span of 48 hours, earning a rematch with Harbor, whom they fell to in five sets in a preseason match on March 6.
“Harbor has improved a lot,” Swartz said. “But so have we. Sometimes at this time of the year, it boils down to nutrition.”
Rather than dwell on the season-ending defeat, Swartz preferred to talk about the third set, where Monterey was staring at a 19-12 deficit.
“We just said one point at a time,” Swartz said. “We’ve been here before.”
Behind the defense of PW Swartz and Andres Espinoza and the hitting of Ryan Gallagher, Monterey battled back, outscoring Harbor 13-4 to keep its season alive.
“I’m super proud of them for believing in themselves and each other,” Swartz said. “We felt we had some momentum.”
With their season in the balance and staring at a 24-18 deficit in the fourth set, the Toreadores ran off three straight points before the Pirates got the final point.
Gallagher, who is just a sophomore, finished with 11 kills for Monterey, while Noah Bigelow and Nathan Uchida each contributed nine. Espinzoa and Jon Companion combined for 33 digs and 36 assists, with PK Swartz finishing with 17 digs.
“I think we have got something going here again,” Swartz said. “There will be a little rebuilding next year. But the cupboard isn’t bare.”
