Loma Linda Academy Ready for CIF Boys Volleyball Playoffs

Loma Linda Academy's boy's volleyball team will travel to Pasadena Poly High for the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 playoffs, according to playoff pairings announced today by the CIF.

The Roadrunners will play Tuesday, March 8 at 3 p.m. LLA qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the Ambassador League with a 7-3 record in the league and a 12-5 record overall.
 
The Roadrunners are ranked ninth in the CIF Division 5 weekly coaches poll. The Poly Panthers have defeated both San Gabriel and Ontario Christian and are currently ranked 5th in Division 5, so the Roadrunners will be a decided underdog.
 
LLA seems to be playing its best volleyball over the past two weeks.  The Roadrunners are led by two seniors who have been on the varsity squad all four years.

Matt Loh has been the starting setter for each season and has steadily gained experience and skills. Tim Giang has been an outside hitter for the past three seasons and leads the team in kills and service receives.

Senior defensive specialists Ben Mondel (team leader in aces) and Kyle Basical plus senior opposite hitter Jon Lee give the team experience and depth.

Junior middle blocker Chris Lawrence, playing organized volleyball for the first time this season, has quickly learned blocking (where he leads the team) and hitting this season. Sophomore outside hitters Cam Peterson and Evan Basical and sophomore Libero Ty Hasse round out the starters.

In recent weeks, Lawrence has gained enough experience to make his presence felt on the front line in both offense and defense while Hasse has stepped into anchoring the back row with or without Giang.
 
In the past two weeks, LLA played Ontario Christian almost even as the visiting team; extended San Gabriel to 5 games and handily defeated crosstown rivals Arrowhead Christian.

Finally, on Senior Night, May 6, the Roadrunners faced Vasquez High which had thrashed them 3-0 on April 12. At the rematch, Loh varied the LLA offense including attacking himself on the second hit and unveiling a quick set play. He finished with 48 assists. Lee had the game of his career with 9 kills and 11 blocks. Lawrence added 10 kills and 9 blocks.

The Roadrunners took the first two games 25-20 and 25-19. Vasquez came back to win the next two games 18-25 and 23-25 as LLA had trouble getting out of one of its rotations. In the decisive fifth game, LLA fell behind by up to 5 points. With defeat looming, the Roadrunners fought back to tie the game 12-12 on a Giang kill from Loh.

After losing a serve and regaining it back at 13-13, Hasse served for the decisive points. Everyone knew the attack would come from Giang at the outside. Twice in a row, Loh set the ball and twice in a row, Giang got the attack down with point 14 going through the double block and the match winner going across court.  Giang finished with his best game, posting 27 kills and 8 blocks. 
 
Coach Jon Frederico did not call time outs during the last two games when Vasquez went on runs. “I wanted the guys to realize they could pull out of it themselves without a time out,” he explained.
 
LLA has never won a CIF playoff match in boys volleyball over the five years it has played spring volleyball in CIF-SS.  However, the sports world has featured quite a few upsets of late and if the Roadrunners can match the intensity of their play during the past week, the should be competitive on Tuesday.