The Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team didn’t get the easiest of draws in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.
But the Indians didn’t get rattled by the fact that they were playing Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, a private school that draws many students from Burbank.
Burroughs fought off a tough challenge by the visiting Knights and came away 25-21, 27-25, 25-23 winners.
“We’ve worked really hard up to this point and it is paying off as we can see in these games. We’re just happy to keep it going. We’re all striving to prolong our season and we’re going hard at it,” said Burroughs sophomore star outside hitter Kade McGovern, who had 10 kills.
Burroughs will host Mission Viejo Thursday in a second round match at 6 p.m.
Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said his team, which improved to 20-12, accomplished what it set out to do.
“The guys played well. We executed some things that we wanted to. I think our middles did a really good job to start and set the tone at the beginning of the match. When any team is able to do that, it’s going to pretty good,” Brinton said.
With a young team, Brinton, who has coached the Indians to 10 consecutive Pacific League titles, said preparation for postseason isn’t easy.
“I keep talking to them – it’s the playoffs. When it is on the line, they’re (opponents are) going to play harder and harder. We need to find a way to play crisper and crisper,” he said.
The match was tight throughout.
Burroughs got a big point in the first game when Jagger Green put down a kill to make it 15-11, which was enough for Notre Dame to call a timeout. Green finished with nine kills.
Notre Dame led 6-4 in the second game, but Burroughs came right back. Although the Indians were never in total command, they clearly had more confidence.
The Knights had a chance to tie things up late by taking a 25-24 lead. But Burroughs got a kill from Green to tie things up again. Following a Notre Dame error, McGovern served up an ace to give Burroughs a 2-0 cushion.
Burroughs carried the momentum into the third game, as Connor Burroughs who finished with a team-high 11 kills, got things started.
Notre Dame (23-12-1) fought back and tied things up at 14. But Burroughs would not be denied.
“They fought hard and brought energy on every play,” said Notre Dame sophomore Nicholas Tidik, who lives in Burbank and is committed to Pepperdine.
Tidik’s father, Michael, is in the Burroughs Athletic Hall of Fame.
Burroughs got 25 assists from Carter Cottrell and 22 digs from Sam Tipton.
