Boys’ Volleyball: Costa Mesa is playoff bound
In one boys’ volleyball season, Costa Mesa High has matched its overall win total from the past four years.
The Mustangs earned their 11th win of the year on Tuesday and they are bound for the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time in six years.
Costa Mesa locked up one of the Orange Coast League’s three automatic postseason berths with a 16-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23 win against Godinez at home. The result kept the Mustangs in second place and dropped the Grizzlies to third.
Barring a meltdown in the final two league matches, Costa Mesa (11-4, 6-2 in league) expects to finish runner-up, behind Laguna Beach (16-4, 8-0), which has won the Orange Coast League every year since its inception eight years ago. Finishing strong is critical for the Mustangs, who are at Saddleback on Thursday and at home against Calvary Chapel next Tuesday.
“It has been so long since we’ve even made the playoffs, but let alone taken anything other than a third-place spot,” Costa Mesa Coach Todd Hanson said. “This is second for us and that makes a first-round matchup a possible home game, whereas as third place you’re guaranteed away.”
Opening the Division 2 playoffs at home is what Costa Mesa prefers. The last time it played host to a playoff match was in 2009, in the second round and it beat Arroyo Grande to advance to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal appearance at Westlake marked the Mustangs’ last playoff match.
They are guaranteed at least one round this season, thanks to the performances turned in by opposite Mason Tufuga (30 kills, four service aces and three blocks) and libero Andres Ramirez (22 digs).
The Mustangs and Grizzlies entered the day tied for second place, and after the first set, the visitors looked like the better team. Alfredo Garcia and Alex Serrano led Godinez, recording five and four kills, respectively, in Game 1.
It took a set for Tufuga to get going. He responded in the next three sets, closing things out down the stretch every time, as setter Coby Pham (39 assists) fed the 6-foot-5 junior. Tufuga not only blasted shots with his left arm, but he also took some velocity off his shots and found open spots.
In the fourth set, after Godinez rallied from a five-point deficit to tie it at 17-17 on a Serrano kill, the Mustangs went right back to Tufuga. They needed him and he delivered.
Tufuga pounded three balls out of the back row, before fooling the Grizzlies (13-9, 5-3) with his soft touch from the right side. He then dropped in an ace to give Costa Mesa a 22-21 lead. Godinez Coach James Koeler called a timeout, but Tufuga recorded another kill and Steven Vu produced an ace to put the Mustangs at match point.
After Nikolas Escobedo and Garcia teamed up to stuff Tufuga, Pham went to Tufuga one more time. Tufuga put the match away without having to hammer the ball.
“We really want to win out,” Tufuga said. “It’s all about [playoff] seeding, but it’s also about getting into a rhythm. We still want to improve from now until the playoffs.”
Costa Mesa has come a long ways since Hanson took over the program last season, when it placed fifth in league at 3-7. The Mustangs have twice as many league wins as they had last season. They are also one win away from doubling last year’s overall win total.
“Most of these guys didn’t play volleyball before, or Coby took a year off to focus on grades,” said Hanson, who only has two players, Tufuga and middle blocker Joseph Saucedo, starting for him for the second straight year. “Adam JeyaRajah took a year off because he tore his ACL, so he’s still a bit slow coming back [with his] big knee brace out there.”