The Hilltop High School boys volleyball team captured its second consecutive Metro-Pacific League championship by sweeping host Sweetwater Friday afternoon 25-13, 25-15, 25-21.
The Lancers won last year’s title outright and share it with Chula Vista this season after the Spartans captured a five-game thriller at Castle Park also on Friday.
Hilltop and Chula Visa finish with identical 5-1 league records. Each team lost to the other during league play.
Lancer coach Tyler Reeves is hoping his team will fare better in postseason play this season.
Last year Hilltop forged a remarkable 28-5 regular season record en route to earning the No. 5 seed in the Division II playoffs only to be swept by 12th-seeded El Camino in the opening round.
The Lancers take a 21-8 record into next week’s Division II playoffs.
“I think we could seeded anywhere from fourth through seventh, but I really think it’s up for grabs in Division II because all the top team are beating each other,” Reeves said. “It’s going to come down to whoever is peaking at the right time, which team is playing its best, and we’re playing great right now.”
Three Metro Conference teams look to be in contention to land berths in this year’s Division II playoffs. Bonita Vista (13-8) dropped to No. 2 (behind No. 1 El Camino) in the division power rankings following Friday’s Metro-Mesa League loss to Olympian while Metro-South Bay League champion Montgomery (21-13) is ranked ninth and Hilltop ranked 10th.
The section seeding meeting is Saturday, May 9. The division playoffs start Tuesday, May 12.
Hilltop junior middle block Luis Hernandez ranks second on the Lancers in total kills to teammate Ryan Wessel. Hernandez feels the team’s strength revolves around blocking, hitting and overall competition, including team chemistry.
“We’ve all been playing together a couple of years now, we’re a young team but we’ve got it,” he said.
Hernandez led Hilltop with 11 kills in Friday’s regular season finale while Joseph Valadez recorded six aces to go with 30 assists. Ryan Wessel contributed nine kills while Roman Vazquez contributed 16 digs.
The Lancers built early leads in all three games before being challenged by the hosts each time. However, whenever the Red Devils drew dangerously close on the scoreboard, the Lancers managed to finish them off with a spirited run.
Reeves applauded this year’s league championship.
“It feels great, it feels just like it did back in the old days when I played,” said Reaves, a 2006 HHS graduate. “I think we have the potential to go deep in the playoffs.”
The Lancer coach also applauded the competition level this season in the four-team Metro-Pacific League.
“From last year to this year the competition level has increased a lot,” Reeves noted. “We were pushed in a lot of games and it’s going to help us when we start playing tougher teams in the playoffs.”
Chula Vista extended its season to the limit in turning back host Castle Park. The Trojans, a top pick in Division IV, won the opening game 25-23 before the Spartans won the next two games 25-17 and 25-19 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-three match.
However, Castle Park won the fourth game 25-12 to force a deciding fifth game that the visitors claimed 15-12 to cement their league co-championship.
Demitrious Gibbs led Chula Vista (19-4) with 15 kills while Greg Fernandez added 12 kills and Andrew Raffe tacked on 10 kills. Fernandez also contributed 10 blocks while Omar Morales racked up 50 assists.
The Spartans are ranked No. 2 among Division III teams, with Sweetwater (9-18) ranked ninth and Mater Dei Catholic (1-16) ranked 11th as other teams contending for playoff berths in the division.
Castle Park (11-7) ranks first among Division IV teams, followed by fourth-ranked Chula Vista Learning Community Center (9-2) and 12th-ranked San Ysidro (3-8).
Castle Park finished 2-4 in Metro-Pacific League play while Sweetwater finished 0-6.
Otay Ranch captured this year’s Metro-Mesa League title after winning a five-game thriller from visiting Eastlake on Friday. The Mustangs (30-8) won the opening two games 25-11 and 25-21. However, the Titans (16-10) rallied to capture the next two games by scores of 25-22 to even the teams at two victories apiece.
Otay Ranch won the deciding (and exceptionally hard-fought) fifth game 15-13.
The Mustangs finished 8-0 in league play while Eastlake finished 6-2, with both losses to the Mustangs in five games.
Eddie Rosenfeld led Otay Ranch with 15 kills while teammate Ahsan Murtaza had 11 kills. Eastlake’s Patrick Sohacki and Otay’s Efrain Sharkey each had 10 kills while Eastlake’s Josh House collected nine kills. Otay’s Derek Gascon racked up 44 assists.
Metro Conference Boys Volleyball Standings
Metro-Mesa League
Otay Ranch Mustangs 8-0, 30-8
Eastlake Titans 6-2, 16-10
Olympian Eagles 4-4, 15-12
Bonita Vista Barons 2-6, 13-8
Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders 0-8, 1-16
Metro-Pacific League
Chula Vista Spartans 5-1, 19-4
Hilltop Lancers 5-1, 21-8
Castle Park Trojans 2-4, 11-7
Sweetwater Red Devils 0-6, 9-18
Metro-South Bay League
Montgomery Aztecs 5-1, 21-13
Mar Vista Mariners 4-2, 5-15
San Ysidro Cougars 3-3, 4-7
Southwest Raiders 1-5, 1-11
San Diego Section Playoffs
Open Division
Quarterfinals May 16
(3) Mt. Carmel at (6) Otay Ranch, 5 p.m.
(7) Eastlake at (2) La Jolla, 5 p.m.
Division II
First Round May 12
(9) Montgomery vs. (8) Patrick Henry, 7 p.m.
(7) Olympian vs. (10) Santa Fe Christian, 7 p.m.
(3) Bonita Vista bye
(4) Hilltop bye
Division III
First Round May 13
(9) Sweetwater vs. (8) San Dieguito Academy, 7 p.m.
(12) Mater Dei Catholic vs. Escondido Charter, 7 p.m.
(2) Chula Vista bye
Division IV
First Round May 13
(12) Chula Vista High Tech vs. (5) Chula Vista Learning Community Center, 7 p.m.
(1) Castle Park bye
