2010 Match Stories
By Dave Loveton, sports information
Saturday, Jan. 30 -- Long Beach Tournament.
Vaqueros claim consolation crown
Evans has 49 kills at Long Beach tourney
Sophomore opposite Miles Evans pounded 49 kills in six matches on Saturday and Jon Newton added 23 kills and a .536 hitting percentage as SBCC rallied to beat Grossmont 31-29 for the consolation title of the Long Beach men's volleyball tournament.
Justin Hertlein, a 6-4 freshman from Castro Valley, collected 33 kills in 11 sets for the Vaqueros, who beat Utah Valley 30-22, Golden West 30-26 and Grossmont in the playoffs after going 0-3 in pool play. SBCC opened the day with a 30-18, 31-29 loss to Irvine Valley, then dropped a pair of tight matches to defending state champion Long Beach (30-28, 23-30, 15-12) and Santa Monica (23-30, 30-27, 16-14).
"We got better as the day went on," said coach Melody Parker, whose team rallied from an 11-3 deficit in the consolation final. "Our middles did really well and I was pleased to see our hitting percentage go up from last week (in a scrimmage tournament at Palomar)."
Cody Zoesch, a 6-8 freshman from Dos Pueblos High, added 16 kills and a .323 hitting percentage. Parker praised the play of libero Andrew Thomason (43 digs) and setter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo (94 assists).
SBCC will play two best-of-five matches on Saturday at Santa Monica.
Saturday, Feb. 6 -- At Santa Monica College: SBCC vs. San Diego Mesa, 11:30 a.m.; SBCC vs. Grossmont, 4 p.m. SBCC def. San Diego Mesa 3-0; SBCC def. Grossmont 3-2 Record: 2-0
Thomason, Hertlein spark Vaqueros
SBCC sweeps Mesa, rallies past Grossmont in five
SBCC won a pair of nonconference matches in opposite fashion on Saturday at Santa Monica College, sweeping past San Diego Mesa 30-24, 30-22, 30-25, then storming back to top Grossmont 25-30, 30-25, 25-30, 30-26, 16-14.
Libero Andrew Thomason had a stellar performance with 18 digs in the first match and 30 against Grossmont. "He kept us in the second match," said coach Melody Parker.
Pete Aronchick hit .333 and Jonathan Newton finished at .285 against Mesa. Miles Evans and Justin Hertlein led the Vaqueros (2-0) in kills with 10 and eight, respectively. Setter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had 71 assists on the day, including 53 in the nightcap.
Hertlein, a 6-5 freshman opposite, had 26 kills in the five-game win. Evans added 18 and hit .340 while Aronchik had 14 putaways.
The Vaqueros trailed 11-7 in the decisive fifth game before Thomason served an ace to put the visitors ahead and Hertlein got hot. "Justin pounded some balls and helped on some key blocks, then they (Grossmont) made some errors and it was over," said Parker.
It was their second win over Grossmont in a week. On Jan. 30, the Vaqueros overcame an 11-3 deficit in a one-game consolation final and beat the Griffins 31-29 at the Long Beach Tournament.
SBCC makes its home debut on Tuesday against Golden West at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 9 -- Golden West at SBCC, 7 p.m. SBCC 3, Golden West 0 (35-33, 30-28, 30-28) Record: 3-0
Evans fuels Vaquero sweep
Sophomore pounds 23 kills in home opener
SBCC won a marathon first set on Tuesday night and went on to sweep Golden West 35-33, 30-28, 30-28 in its home opener.
Miles Evans, a 6-5 sophomore from Dos Pueblos High, led the Vaqueros (3-0) with 23 kills and a .309 hitting percentage. Justin Hertlein added 13 kills and six blocks while 6-8 Cody Zoesch hit .428 with seven kills and seven blocks.
"We played really well but we could have played a little better," said Evans. "We sided out when we needed to and we had a lot of team chemisty at key times."
Santa Barbara jumped ahead 9-4 in the first two sets but both turned into nailbiters. There were 14 ties in the first set and the Vaqueros had four match points before Pete Aronchick ended it with a stuff block. In the second set, the home team led most of the way but never by more than two after 14-11. Hertlein capped the 30-28 win with a putaway.
"In rally scoring, the teams that come out on top are the best defensive teams," said coach Melody Parker.
The Vaqueros had 57 digs, led by Andrew Thomason (17), Aronchick (13), setter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo (12) and Evans (8).
"Dewey (Thomason's nickname) really keeps us in rallies like no libero I've ever seen," Parker added. "And he has good ball control, which is inspirational to our players. He sets a great example and everybody wants to be like him."
The Vaqueros built a 23-15 lead in the third set before the Rustlers got within one at 29-28. Hertlein ended the match by pounding a ball off the block.
"We worked a lot on our blocking and it was excellent tonight with 21 team blocks," said Parker.
Saturday, Feb. 13 -- At Palomar: SBCC vs. Palomar, 9 a.m.; SBCC vs. San Diego City, 2 p.m. SBCC def. Palomar 3-1; SBCC def. San Diego City 3-1 Record: 5-0
Reserves don't miss a beat
SBCC improves to 5-0 with three starters out
Miles Evans racked up 41 kills Saturday and the SBCC men's volleyball team stayed perfect with a pair of four-set wins at Palomar. The Vaqueros (5-0) topped Palomar 30-26, 20-30, 30-21, 30-23 and San Diego City 27-30, 30-27, 30-27, 30-24 in a pair of nonconference matches.
Three starters missed the second match with minor injuries but the reserves were up to the task as San Diego City suffered its first loss in five matches.
Evans had 22 kills in the first match and 19 in the second while Justin Hertlein contributed 11 and 20 kills. Mark Hebda did a good job of filling in for Jonathan Newton at middle blocker with 14 kills in the second match. Scott Livesay set the last six sets after starter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo went out with a leg injury.
"Mark did a great job and Scott ran a nice offense," said coach Melody Parker. "We have great depth. We used several different lineups and still played strong."
Pete Aronchick had eight kills in the Palomar match before being replaced by Nick Alexander, who had three kills with several blocks and solid defense in the nightcap.
Libero Andrew Thomason had 27 digs, including 16 in the second match.
It was a long day for SBCC, which left at 4:30 a.m. for the three-hour-plus trip to San Marcos in San Diego County.
"I was so proud of our players," said Parker. "They showed up on time and with a great attitude. We went to a little quicker offense against San Diego City and had nice passing and great chemistry."
Wednesday, Feb. 17 -- SBCC at Orange Coast, 6 p.m. Orange Coast def. SBCC 3-1 Record: 5-1
SBCC suffers first loss
Unbeaten Orange Coast wins 3-1
Miles Evans had 24 kills on Wednesday but SBCC's passing and blocking weren't up to par in a 30-24, 29-31, 30-21, 30-22 nonconference loss to Orange Coast in Costa Mesa.
Cody Zoesch, a 6-8 freshman, added 11 kills for the Vaqueros (5-1), who overcame a 23-19 deficit to win the second set. The Pirates (4-0) jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the third set and a 16-12 advantage in the fourth.
"Our passing broke down a little," said coach Melody Parker. "They ran a quick outside and our blocking wasn't as sterling as it has been."
Friday, Feb. 19 -- Irvine Valley at SBCC, 7 p.m. Irvine Valley def. SBCC 3-0 Record: 5-2
SBCC drops second straight
Irvine Valley sweeps Vaqueros
SBCC suffered its second men's volleyball loss in three days on Friday night as Irvine Valley topped the Vaqueros 30-26, 30-23, 30-25 in a nonconference match at the Sports Pavilion.
The visiting Lasers improved to 5-0 while the Vaqueros fell to 5-2. Santa Barbara didn't have the services of 6-6 Pete Aronchick, who has shoulder and calf injuries.
"Our passing and blocking were better (than Wednesday's match at Orange Coast) but our hitting wasn't good," said coach Melody Parker. "We ran our outside sets a little faster to try to beat their block but they were really fast."
Miles Evans led the Vaqueros with 14 kills, Andrew Thomason had 14 digs and Kaahukane Leite-AhYo dished out 29 assists. SBCC led for much of the third set before Irvine Valley took the lead at 23-22.
"We have a bye next week and we'll spend the time getting ready for our conference opener," said Parker.
The Vaqueros start WSC play on March 3 at home against L.A. Pierce.
Wednesday, March 3 (WSC opener) -- L.A. Pierce at SBCC, 6 p.m. Pierce 3, SBCC 1 Records: 5-3, 0-1
Vaqueros fall in WSC opener
Short-handed squad loses to Pierce 3-1
With two starters sidelined on Wednesday night, SBCC dropped its Western State Conference men's volleyball opener to L.A. Pierce. The Brahmas prevailed in four games (33-35, 30-22, 30-27, 30-17) at the Sports Pavilion.
Pete Aronchick, a 6-6 middle blocker, and Justin Hertlein, a 6-5 opposite, missed the match due to illness and a jammed thumb, respectively.
Miles Evans, the state leader in kills, topped the Vaqueros (5-3, 0-1) with 18 kills, Mark Hebda had 13 and Cody Zoesch collected eight.
"They outplayed us in every area," said coach Melody Parker. "They outblocked us, passed better and had a better hitting percentage. They deserved to win."
Friday, March 5 -- SBCC at El Camino, 6 p.m. SBCC 3, El Camino 0 Records: 6-3, 1-1
Vaqueros post road sweep
Balanced attack produces first WSC win
Four players reached double figures in kills on Friday night in Torrance, leading SBCC to a 31-29, 30-27, 30-23 WSC sweep over El Camino.
Miles Evans had 14 kills, followed by Justin Hertlein (11), Pete Aronchick (10) and 6-8 Cody Zoesch (10). Hertlein and Aronchick returned from injuries to help the Vaqueros (6-3, 1-1) snap a three-game losing streak.
Jonathan Newton had five blocks, Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had 43 assists and Andrew Thomason made 15 digs.
"We played much better tonight," said coach Melody Parker. "We had more confidence and a better rhythm."
Wednesday, March 10 -- SBCC at Long Beach, 6 p.m. Long Beach 3, SBCC 0 Records: 6-4, 1-2
Vaqueros fall to 1st-place Vikings
Aronchick has season-high 22 kills
SBCC extended first-place Long Beach to overtime in the first set Wednesday before dropping a 35-33, 30-22, 30-27 decision to the Vikings.
Pete Aronchick, a 6-6 freshman from Santa Barbara High, had a season-high 22 kills for the visiting Vaqueros (6-4, 1-2). Long Beach is 9-1 and 3-0 in the WSC.
In the opening set, the Vaqueros led 16-12 and had three set points.
"We were right there with them," said coach Melody Parker. "The difference was they had a better hitting percentage."
Jonathan Newton hit .333 and Andrew Thomason had 11 digs. Justin Hertlein produced 10 kills and Miles Evans added nine.
Wednesday, March 17 -- Santa Monica at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC 3, Santa Monica 0 Records: 7-4, 2-2
Vaqueros sweep Corsairs
Evans has 13 kills, 7 digs in home victory
After trailing for roughly half of each set on Wednesday night, SBCC got its offense in gear in a 30-23, 30-27, 30-27 men's volleyball sweep of Santa Monica at the Sports Pavilion.
The Vaqueros (7-4, 2-2 WSC) didn't gain the lead until 15-14 in the first set, 19-18 in the second (with the exception of 1-0) and 17-16 in the third. The Corsairs fell to 3-7 and 1-3.
Miles Evans had 13 kills and seven digs, Pete Aronchick pounded 10 kills and Justin Hertlein had seven. Jonathan Newton and Cody Zoesch collected five blocks apiece and setter Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had four.
"They were pretty scrappy, we just wanted to stay calm," said Aronchick, a 6-6 freshman from Santa Barbara High who ended the match with a kill from the left side. "We knew if we kept the ball in, got some blocks and some stops, we'd be able to pull away."
The Vaqueros overcame deficits of 12-6 in the second set and 12-8 in the third.
"Our strength is our middles and they blocked great tonight," said coach Melody Parker. "We're building a lot of confidence. We've had a few really great practices and the preparation is paying off. We're playing much more disciplined and our team chemistry is excellent.
"I'm very pleased with their progress."
The Vaqueros will complete the first round of WSC play on Friday at Moorpark.
Friday, March 19 -- SBCC at Moorpark, 6 p.m. Moorpark 3, SBCC 1 Records: 7-5, 2-3
Moorpark rallies past Vaqueros
Thomason has 21 digs in WSC setback
Miles Evans recorded 21 kills and Pete Aronchick added 18 for SBCC on Friday night but it wasn't enough to prevent a 26-30, 30-26, 30-26, 30-24 WSC loss at Moorpark.
Andrew Thomason made 21 digs while Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had 54 assists for the Vaqueros (7-5, 2-3 WSC).
"We had a good rhythm in the first game," noted coach Melody Parker. "In the fourth game, we let a 12-6 lead slip away on unforced errors. They're not as big as us but they're quick and they put up a good block."
Leite-AhYo, Aronchick and Justin Hertlein had two aces apiece.
SBCC opens the second round of WSC play on Wednesday at L.A. Pierce.
Wednesday, March 24 -- SBCC at L.A. Pierce, 7 p.m. Pierce 3, SBCC 1 Records: 7-6, 2-4
Pierce tops Vaqueros 3-1
Hebda has huge night with 17 kills, 8 blocks
Mark Hebda had a career match but SBCC still came up short on Wednesday night in a 3-1 loss to L.A. Pierce in Woodland Hills. The scores were 37-35, 24-30, 30-28, 30-20.
The Vaqueros (7-6, 2-4) had four set points in the opening set, which was their longest of the season.
Hebda, a sophomore from Bishop Diego High, had 17 kills, eight blocks and hit a sizzling .538. Miles Evans had 15 kills, Andrew Thomason had 11 digs and Cody Zoesch blocked eight balls.
"We blocked really well," said coach Melody Parker. "We did a lot of things well. Those first three games could have gone either way. That was some of the best volleyball I've seen all year -- by both teams."
The Vaqueros will play three of their last four matches at home, starting Friday at 6 p.m. against El Camino.
Friday, March 26 -- El Camino at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC 3, El Camino 0 Records: 8-6, 3-4
Vaqueros sweep Warriors
Evans has 17 kills, hits .609 in 3-0 win
Miles Evans pounded 17 kills, blocked five balls and hit an impressive .609 on Friday night in the Sports Pavilion, leading SBCC to a 3-0 WSC sweep of El Camino.
"We practiced really hard this week and figured out what they run," said Evans, a 6-4 sophomore from Dos Pueblos High. "Our block was really nice. We closed the holes when we needed to and we penetrated over the net really well."
Justin Hertlein added 13 kills and a .450 hitting percentage while middle blocker Mark Hebda had 10 kills and a .571 percentage for the Vaqueros (8-6, 3-4 WSC). Kaahukane Leite-AhYo registered 42 assists.
"Mark Hebda has been on fire for us," said coach Melody Parker. "He's got a quick arm swing and gets up in the air fast. And it helps having (6-6) Pete Aronchick in the front row.
"We've got to give a lot of credit to the guys who came in off the bench in a time of need when we had some injuries. Setter Scott Livesay and Tyler Anderson did a great job and then we had Juan (Reyes), one of the hardest workers on the team, came in and his star shined."
SBCC trailed 19-16 in the first set before taking control with a 10-3 run that gave the Vaqueros a 26-22 lead. Evans ended the set with a blast from the back row. They led 15-10 and 23-16 in the second set and took a 26-20 lead in the third on an ace serve by Hebda.
Jonathan Newton ended the match with a crushing spike after a one-arm dig by Andrew Thomason.
The Vaqueros, battling for a playoff spot with three matches left, play host to first-place Long Beach on Friday at 6 p.m.
Friday, April 2 -- Long Beach at SBCC, 6 p.m. Long Beach 3, SBCC 1 Records: 8-7, 3-5 WSC
Vaqueros give Vikings a tough battle
Hertlein has 19 kills in 3-1 loss to first-place Long Beach
SBCC started fast with a 30-19 win over first-place Long Beach on Friday night but the Vikings won a marathon second set and went on to post a 19-30, 35-33, 30-27, 30-26 men's volleyball win at the Sports Pavilion.
"In the first two games, that's the best volleyball I've seen from any team in either league (the WSC or Pacific Coast Conference)," said coach Melody Parker. "Our guys played perfect volleyball and it shows what we can do."
Justin Hertlein had 19 kills and hit .515 for the Vaqueros (8-7, 3-5) while Miles Evans had 16 kills, a .444 hitting percentage and eight digs. Evans leads the state in kills at 4.8 per game.
Andrew Thomason collected 10 digs, Jonathan Newton had five blocks and Kaahukane Leite-AhYo had 55 assists.
Long Beach (15-1, 9-0), the defending state champion, was led by 6-9 Kris Johnson and 6-6 Randy Preval.
SBCC used an 11-4 run in the first set and built a 24-15 lead on a block by Hertlein. The second set was close from start to finish. The Vaqueros had set point at 32-31 but couldn't close it out. Santa Barbara led 24-22 in the third set before the visitors ended with an 8-3 run.
"We worked hard all week," said Parker. "We had a former player come in, Armen Zakarian, who was all-conference and Athlete of the Year here about six years ago. He was always a great team leader and I put him with the starting lineup in practice. He showed the team how to have more energy and team chemistry and we came out and did that."
"We came within six points of beating the top team in our league. This team has to get the most improved award. I'm pleased with our progress and our effort."
The Vaqueros need to win their final two regular-season matches to have a chance at finishing third in the WSC and earning a playoff berth. They travel to Santa Monica on Wednesday and play host to second-place Moorpark on Friday.
Wednesday, April 7 -- SBCC at Santa Monica, 6 p.m. Santa Monica 3, SBCC 1 Records: 8-8, 3-6
Vaqueros fall to Corsairs 3-1
Playoff bid comes up short; season finale on Friday at home
Freshman Pete Aronchick collected 17 kills on Wednesday night and Miles Evans had 16 but SBCC still came up short in a 3-1 WSC men's volleyball loss at Santa Monica. The 28-30, 30-26, 30-26, 30-26 setback ended the Vaqueros' hopes of making the playoffs.
Jonathan Newton had six blocks and Andrew Thomason and Aronchick had eight digs apiece for Santa Barbara (8-8, 3-6), which has dropped four of its last five matches. Kaahukane Leite-AhYo dished out 53 assists for the Vaqueros, who swept the Corsairs (5-9, 3-5) in the first meeting on March 17 in Santa Barbara.
"They played a lot better than they did the first time," said coach Melody Parker. "They dug a lot of balls and just outplayed us tonight. Our passing broke down a little and we would have liked to set the middle a little more."
SBCC will host second-place Moorpark in the season finale on Friday at 6 p.m.
Friday, April 9 -- Moorpark at SBCC, 6 p.m. Moorpark 3, SBCC 1 Final records: 8-9, 3-7
Vaqueros drop season finale
Evans has 23 kills, Thomason 28 digs in 3-1 loss to Moorpark
SBCC won the first set for the third straight match in Friday's season finale but couldn't maintain the momentum in a 30-32, 30-26, 30-27, 30-19 WSC men's volleyball loss to second-place Moorpark at the Sports Pavilion.
Miles Evans, the state leader in kills per set, led the Vaqueros (8-9, 3-7) with 23 kills while 6-6 Pete Aronchick had 11 kills and 10 digs. Middle blocker Jonathan Newton had 12 kills and a .471 hitting percentage to go along with seven blocks.
"You can't take away anything from these other teams," said coach Melody Parker. "Moorpark, when they're under pressure, they're not hitting balls out. They're pretty consistent. We go really well for so long, then we might make four or five errors in a row.
"I have to go back to the fact that we're all freshmen and one sophomore (Evans). That's inexperience but I'm not going to use that as an excuse."
Andrew Thomason had 28 digs for the Vaqueros, who won the first set 32-30 when a Moorpark spike sailed wide.
SBCC dropped five of its last six matches, all by 3-1 scores.
"Our team has played some of the greatest volleyball I've ever seen and then, not so good," Parker added. "The inconsistency comes from the discipline you have to have as an athlete on technique and the small details of the game.
"Next year, if this team stays together, they're going to do very, very well."
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