First published in the March 3 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
The La Cañada High School varsity boys’ volleyball team snapped a two-match losing streak with a four-set nonleague victory at Claremont, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-16, on Tuesday.
After sweeping the Claremont Webb Schools Invitational, the Spartans (5-2 overall record) dropped two nonleague matches. La Cañada lost to visiting Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 25-22, 17-25, 18-25, 24-26, last Wednesday, Feb. 23. The day before, the Spartans lost a five-set battle at Burbank Burroughs High, 28-26, 26-24, 14-25, 11-25, 7-15, on Tuesday, Feb. 22. No individual statistics were reported to the Outlook Valley Sun.
La Cañada is scheduled to host Hacienda Heights Los Altos in a nonleague match on Thursday, March 3, at 5 p.m.
FLINTRIDGE PREP
The Wolves are off to a fine start after sweeping their nonleague matches to open the season. Most recently, Flintridge Prep crushed visiting St. Genevieve of Panorama City, 25-16, 25-12, 25-11, on Tuesday. Last week, the Wolves visited Temple City and won in three sets, 26-24, 25-14, 25-16. No individual statistics were reported to the Outlook Valley Sun.
Flintridge Prep (2-0 overall) is scheduled to compete in the Burbank Providence Tournament, with Woodland Hills Taft set as its opening opponent on Thursday, March 3, at 3:30 p.m.
ST. FRANCIS
The Golden Knights recently competed in the Redondo Union Tournament in Redondo Beach, winning four of the six matches over a two-day span.
St. Francis concluded tournament play on Saturday after sweeping San Marcos High of Santa Barbara, 25-16, 25-22. Senior outside hitter Robert Nardoni led with a team-high 11 kills and three digs, while junior setter Gabe Metcalf registered 24 assists. Junior middle blocker James Clapp collected five kills, four digs, one ace and one block, while junior middle blocker Blake Welsh and sophomore opposite hitter Will Martinez finished with four and three kills, respectively. Senior opposite hitter Vince Ciampa and freshman outside hitter Ryan Bender each tallied two kills, while junior libero Trevor Shackleton recorded a team-high five digs.
In the second of three matches, the Golden Knights swept Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 25-15, 25-19, on Saturday, Feb, 26. Nardoni racked up 10 kills, 10 digs and two aces, while Metcalf recorded 24 assists and two digs. Martinez tallied five kills, Bender collected four kills, four digs, four blocks and three aces, and Clapp had four kills, three digs, two blocks and one ace. Senior middle hitter Ben Furgurson and Welsh each finished with one kill.
To open the second day of tournament play, St. Francis was swept by Newport Harbor of Newport Beach, 10-25, 21-25, on Saturday. Nardoni and Bender registered six and four kills, respectively, while Metcalf had 14 assists, 14 digs and two aces. Clapp collected three kills, Welsh and Martinez each added two kills, and Ciampa finished with one kill.
The Golden Knights concluded the first day of tournament play by falling to Carlsbad Sage Creek, 15-25, 18-25, on Friday. The loss came on the heels of a sweep over Woodland Hills El Camino Real, 25-10, 25-20, earlier on that day. Nardoni had eight kills, five digs and two blocks, while Bender and Clapp each collected five kills and two blocks. Furgurson registered four kills, Welsh and Martinez each finished with two kills and Ciampa had one kill.
St. Francis defeated Long Beach Millikan in a three-set match to open tournament action, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9. Martinez led with a team-high six kills, while Nardoni added five kills and 11 digs. Clapp posted five kills and five digs, while Bender and Welsh finished with three and two kills, respectively. Shackleton did well serving, tallying a team-high three aces.
The Golden Knights (5-2 overall) are scheduled to host Los Angeles Cathedral in a nonleague match on Thursday, March 3, at 6 p.m.
