Boys’ Volleyball: Costa Mesa rallies for big win over Estancia
To end the second set, Estancia High freshman Josh Griffith stuffed Costa Mesa junior Mason Tufuga’s hit at the net and wasn’t shy about celebrating a 2-0 lead.
Tufuga said he definitely saw Griffith’s animated reaction that would be something similar to what a fighter does after connecting for a knockout.
But Tufuga and the Costa Mesa High boys’ volleyball team got right back up again, and swung back.
Tufuga recorded a match-high 44 kills to lead the Mustangs past their rivals Tuesday in a thrilling Orange Coast League match, 20-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-12, at Estancia.
“My experiences in club is staying calm is the best thing you can do,” Tufuga said of his reaction to seeing Griffith celebrate to end the second set. “There are times you can get elevated, but you never want to be down. Once you stay positive you do really well … I knew I was going to get mine and he was going to get his.”
Tufuga definitely got his, especially in the fifth set. With the Mustangs trailing, 8-6, Tufuga reeled off five straight kills, slamming four of Coby Pham’s sets and tipping one for a point. Tufuga had 11 kills in the fifth set. Pham amassed 56 assists.
“He’s a stud,” Costa Mesa Coach Todd Hanson said of Tufuga, who also plays on the CMHS golf team during this season. “I’ve coached some really good players over the years. I’ve sent some really good kids to UCLA. I’ve send some kids to Long Beach, BYU. He’s one of the most coachable guys. He listens. He does a really good job of being an extension on the court, unlike some other players who might get a big head because they know that they’re good. He listens to me and then he turns around and translates to the other players on the court. He does a really good job of being my coach on the court.”
Estancia (6-9, 1-1 in league) matched up well with Costa Mesa (6-3, 1-1) during the first two sets, as the Eagles served well and had Griffith leading them with his standout play and high energy.
Griffith finished with 10 kills.
“He’s getting smarter,” Estancia Coach Nick Singleton said of Griffith. “His skills are improving. He’s still young. He still has a lot of room to grow. But I was overall happy with him. I love it when he’s animated. I need a lot more players like that.”
Kaena McReynolds, who had 12 assists and five kills, was also a key player for the Eagles.
Estancia led, 20-14, in the first set, but the Mustangs showed some fight early on and got back within, 21-20, however the Eagles pulled away.
Estancia also played well in the second set and scored some key blocks on a few of Tufuga’s hits, including Griffith’s game-winner.
“It just dwindled from there,” Singleton said. “Costa Mesa played fairly consistent throughout the five sets. Unfortunately it was us who was letting it go. I think we gave away too many points. Our attitude just kind of fell, the energy fell. So we anticipated a loss and that’s what we got.”
Hanson did his best to continually challenge his players, telling them they needed to win not just because of the rivalry but because of league standings that will eventually determine a better placement in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
“We mentally cut down on our unforced errors,” Hanson said. “We put ourselves in a better position. Our middles started listening to me … We started to clean up our play. In the first two games, our passes were lousy, our sets were really sloppy. We had been missing our setter [Pham] for two weeks because he split his finger and got stitches. He’s only been back for less than a week.”
Pham came back just in time to help the Mustangs earn a big comeback victory.