Tag Archives: Conner Ludlum

Burroughs Boys Volleyball Makes Incredible Rally Past Newbury Park

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(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

Being on the brink of elimination is not an easy spot to be in.
The Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team never took that into consideration Tuesday night when the Indians hosted Newbury Park in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Burroughs rallied from being one point away from the end of its season seven times to come back and defeat the visiting Panthers 25-21, 26-28, 23-25, 31-29, 15-13.
“We don’t want to stress it being a stressful situation. We played it just like normal volleyball knowing that we have to play perfect,” said junior Cole Kaitz, who had a team-high 23 kills.
Burroughs (18-13) will move on to the second round Thursday at Huntington Beach, which defeated Canyon of Anaheim Hills 25-21, 26-24, 25-21.
Huntington Beach (24-10) is clearly not as strong as in recent years. A year ago, the Oilers saw their national-record winning streak end at 121 matches.
The Indians earned the right to play the Oilers after rallying from a 24-20 deficit in the fourth game to force a fifth game, where Burroughs won 15-13.
“The guys showed a lot of heart tonight. It was awesome, awesome to see,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. ” That’s a really good team (Newbury Park).”
Kaitz agreed.
“They’re definitely one of the high-level teams we’ve played this year,” Kaitz said of Newbury Park. “We knew if we battled with them we’d pull it out. We needed to play how we know how to play.”
Senior Conner Ludlum helped ignite the rally as he had back-to-back kills to make 24-22 in the fourth game.
Junior Diego Rosal also came up with a big with one of his four blocks during the rally. Ludlum finished with 18 kills and 21 digs. Jarrett Malone had 21 kills for Burroughs.
Senior libero Skyler Bercini finished with 29 digs, a school record. Setter Levi Benitez had 58 assists.
Burroughs won the first game by breaking away following a 21-21 tie thanks to kills from Ludlum, Malone and Everett Kanoho.
In the fifth and final game, Burroughs broke a tie at 13 with a block by Billy Singleton. A Newbury Park error decided the final point of the match.

Burroughs Boys Volleyball Sweeps Burbank To Remain Perfect

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By Rick Assad

 

Despite the Pacific League banner already having been secured, the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team still wanted to play with tenacity and determination in Tuesday night’s match with rival Burbank, and it showed after sweeping, 25-18, 25-18, 25-8.

Though the Bulldogs lost both league meetings to the Indians, each team qualified for the upcoming CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Burbank’s Adrian Rivera shown during Tuesday’s three-set loss against Burroughs. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

After taking the first two sets, the host Indians trailed 2-1 in the third game, but then scored the next 12 points and led 13-2 when Burbank senior setter Jonathan Tapan’s attempt sailed out of bounds.

“It’s an avalanche,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said of the run. “They had to be praying for a service error.”

In quick order, the Indians (16-13 and 10-0 in league) waltzed ahead 18-3 on a tapper from junior middle blocker Cole Kaitz, who tossed in six kills.

From this point, Burroughs outscored Burbank, which finished in third place, 7-5, including two winners from senior middle blocker Jarrett Malone (seven kills with seven digs and four blocks) and the match-clincher on senior opposite hitter Kurt Miller’s dagger.

Defense is the name of the game for the Indians. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

“I was really impressed with the third game,” Brinton said. “The guys stayed hungry during every point.”

Brinton went on: “Our goal was to be laser focused for the whole match,” he said. “That’s the best focus we’ve had in a match.”

The first set saw the Indians burst in front 5-1 on junior middle blocker William Singleton’s tip.

Burroughs then moved in front 9-4 when Burbank junior outside hitter Jonathan Ragheb’s shot missed the target.

Slowly but surely, the Indians led 14-9 on a kill from Kaitz, 17-10 on an ace from senior outside hitter Conner Ludlum (nine kills) and 18-10 on Ludlum’s tapper.

The Bulldogs (22-13 and 6-4 in league) were able to get within 21-14 on a service winner from Ragheb, but the Indians were still in control as they moved ahead 23-16 on Ludlum’s smash.

Burbank senior opposite hitter Adrian Rivera played with immense skill, passion and poise, but his effort simply wasn’t enough.

“The first two sets we couldn’t make our serves,” Rivera said. “We all tried really hard and we gave 100 percent on the court.”

The Bulldogs made it close in the first two sets but faltered in the third versus the Indians. (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

Knowing that he’s one of the leaders, Rivera wanted to show the way.

“It starts with one person,” he said. “I give 130 percent on the court, but everyone gave everything they had.”

Rivera’s winners closed the gap to 6-3, 7-4, 13-9 and 18-11 in the first set and 18-4, 18-5 and 21-8 in the third set.

Burroughs took the opening frame by taking two of the last three points including a kill from Ludlum that made it 24-17 and senior libero Everett Kanoho’s bullet for the clincher.

Early in the second set it was a back-and-forth affair with Burbank taking a 6-4 lead on junior middle blocker Jonathan Valmonte’s kill.

The tide then shifted in favor of the Indians, who forged ahead 15-9 on Malone’s tapper.

The Bulldogs closed to within 18-13 on Ragheb’s smash, but the Indians righted the ship and moved in front 20-14 on a combined block from Singleton and Kaitz.

The Indians then took five of the next nine points including the game-winner on Malone’s service ace.

Burroughs junior outside hitter Diego Rosal finished with six kills and three aces while junior setter Jose Levi Benitez contributed 25 assists.

Burroughs Boys Volleyball Needs Four Sets To Down Crescenta Valley

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By Rick Assad

 

Mental toughness isn’t easy to quantify, but it’s an important ingredient when it comes to winning.

On Tuesday night, the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball squad was clearly tested and countered that with skill and mental sturdiness, capturing the last two games and disposing of host Crescenta Valley, 25-16, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, in a Pacific League showdown.

Burroughs, shown in a CIF Southern Section playoff match from last season, took out host Crescenta Valley in four sets on Tuesday. (Photo by © Ross A Benson)

For now, the Indians, who own a 51-match league winning streak and a potential eighth straight banner, can win the title with a victory over Hoover on Thursday.

“We maintained our poise,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. “The first time we met this season, some weird things happened. But tonight we won the side-out battle and our passing was really good.”

The score of the initial meeting between these two powerhouses was 25-19, 21-25, 17-25, 25-12, 15-12.

Four players had double-digit kills and was led by Burroughs senior outside hitter Conner Ludlum with a match-best 20, followed by senior middle blocker Jarrett Malone with 15.

Junior middle blocker Cole Kaitz tossed in 12 winners and three blocks, junior outside hitter Diego Rosal contributed 11 kills, junior setter Jose Levi Benitez had 56 assists and senior libero Skyler Bercini finished with 16 digs.

“I know that this is a different team, but I’m really proud of these guys,” Brinton said. “They’ve really put in the work since August and it’s paying off.”

The match-clincher was knotted at 2-2, but the Indians (12-8 and 8-0 in league) then pulled ahead 7-3 on Malone’s winner.

Burroughs eased in front 13-9 on Rosal’s block and it became 17-12 on another Malone smash.

The Falcons (17-4-1 and 6-2 in league) then came within 19-18 on a dagger from senior middle hitter Brett Dunkin and led 22-21 when Malone’s attempt found the net.

Remaining calm and cool, the Indians then cruised ahead 23-22 on Malone’s dagger and closed the set with a 2-1 spurt including Kaitz’s kill for the win.

In the third game, Burroughs controlled the early action and forged an 8-2 advantage on a kill from Malone and led 10-6 on Ludlum’s rocket.

In fact, at this point, Ludlum tallied four consecutive winners that made it 13-6 and when Malone contributed a kill it became 14-6.

At tapper from Ludlum pushed the advantage to 21-12 and it swelled to 24-16 on Rosal’s winner.

The early portion of the first game saw Burroughs lead 5-2 on Malone’s kill and 12-7 and 19-12 on Ludlum winners.

Malone’s ace made it 22-13 and later 24-16 on Ludlum’s smash. Rosal’s stuff gave the Indians the set.

The second game was deadlocked at 5-5 on Ludlum’s kill, but the Falcons moved in front 13-9 on Dunkin’s ace.

Crescenta Valley continued to play well and led 17-13 on junior outside hitter Garo Barsemian’s service ace.

Dunkin’s winner made it 21-16, however, the Indians outscored the Falcons 7-2 and evened it at 23-23.

Crescenta Valley then scored the final two points on a kill and a block from senior middle hitter Anders Johnson (nine kills).

The Falcons were paced by Jonathan Lee’s 11 kills while senior outside hitter Ben Allen added 10 and senior setter Gene Kim finished with 35 assists.

Burroughs Boys Volleyball Muscles Way Past Burbank

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Being prepared for pressure situations is something the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team is used to.
Senior Conner Ludlum experienced many tough situations a year ago when the Indians won the CIF Southern California Division 2 Regional title.
Ludlum took that experience to help lift his team Friday as the Indians defeated host Burbank High 25-23, 25-15, 27-25 in a Pacific League contest.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

“This game was really a focus on our ability to go re-set throughout the match,” Ludlum said. “I know there were a couple of times we were down eight or nine points. We found a way to come together as a team, to re-set and take one point at a time.”
Ludlum, who finished with a match-high 15 kills, helped Burroughs rally back from significant deficits in both the first and third games.
“It helps out a ton,” Ludlum said of last season’s playoff experience. “I’m one of the five seniors on the team. Knowing that I’ve been there and I know what to experience that helps me to lead the younger guys. Props to a lot of the younger guys. I think a lot of them stepped up. I know a lot of people on the bench came in and they had really crucial serves. It was a big team effort.”

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Burroughs (9-6, 5-0) trailed 15-8 at one point in the first game before climbing back to tie things at 19 on a kill by Ludlum.
“Sometimes I think we get carried away trying to do too much,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. “We’re trying to get them to understand it’s a point, whether it is a tip or off a block. It doesn’t have to be a crush.”
Burbank (15-9, 3-2) gave Burroughs all it could handle, led by Adrian Rivera, who finished with 11 kills.
“We were definitely prepared,” Burbank coach Gaby Gallardo said. “We came out with good intensity and were fired up. Sometimes when we make a few mistakes we let the momentum go down. We just need to go back and work harder. I’m happy with how we fought. I’m happy with how they gave everything. That’s all I ever want from them.”

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Burroughs finished off the first game with a kill from Ludlum followed by a block by Billy Singleton.
The Indians had little trouble in the second game by building a big lead early and never looking back.
Burbank jumped out a big lead in the third game, going up 10-3 at one point. Burroughs also suffered the loss of Jarrett Malone, who went out with a hand injury.
Burroughs came close, but did not actually catch the Bulldogs until the teams were tied at 24.
An ace by Ludlum helped put the Indians up 26-25 with just one point needed to clinch the match.
Levi Benitez had 28 assists and five aces for Burroughs. Cole Kaitz had nine kills and Jarrett had eight. Skyler Bercini and Everett Kanoho each had 10 digs.
Burbank’s Jonathan Tapan had 20 assists. Rory Rickey had five kills for the Bulldogs.

 

Burroughs Boys Volleyball Rallies Past CV

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With seven consecutive Pacific League titles, the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team doesn’t get pushed to the limit too often.
Friday night the Indians had to fight their way back from a deficit before holding off visiting Crescenta Valley 25-19, 21-25, 17-25, 25-12, 15-12.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

“I’m discovering as you get those, it keeps getting harder and harder to get the next one,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. “I don’t know how Alabama (football) does it.”

Burroughs (7-6, 3-0 in league) started the match on fire, opening up a 7-0 lead. The Indians, which have won 46 consecutive league matches, cruised to a 25-19 win.

 

For as well as Burroughs played in the first game, the Indians were equally as bad in the second and third.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

“We’ve been stressing that we need to do our job. In game two and game three we were not doing our job,” Brinton said. “We kind of took deep breaths.”

In a close second game, Burroughs made a few errors down the stetch that ended up being costly. CV continued the momentum in the third game, rolling to a 25-17 win.

“I feel like we got away from playing Burroughs volleyball and we got away from the basics,” Burroughs’ Jarrett Malone said. “We panicked a little bit. As soon as we re-set, we all said we’re winning this in five.”
Burroughs was re-focused in the fourth and played like it did in the first game, breezing to a 25-12 win.

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

That momentum carried over to the fifth and decided game. CV took an early 2-0 lead, but Burroughs fought back. Malone’s kill to make it 11-8 put the Falcons in a tough position. He finished with 17 kills to lead Burroughs.
CV fought hard to make things close, but Burroughs won the match when the Falcons inadvertently hit the ball out of play.
“It was the fastest five-set match I’ve ever been a part of,” Brinton said. “I think there was inconsistent play on both sides. They deserve credit for making us play poorly. I hope we deserve credit for affecting them. I hope next time it’s cleaner on both sides.”

Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

Conner Ludlum had 13 kills and five aces for Burroughs. Cole Kaitz had nine kills and Levi Benitez had 40 assists. Skyler Bercini had 19 digs.

Burroughs, Burbank Boys Volleyball Look to Continue Winning Ways

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By Nareg Atteukenian

Success in volleyball isn’t something new to Burroughs and Burbank highs.

Last season Burroughs accomplished the greatest feat in program history when it advanced to the CIF Southern Section championship match.

Although the Indians fell short against Oak Park, Burroughs got revenge by beating the same team to win the CIF Southern California Regional title.

But much of that 31-6 Burroughs team has graduated as stars Ryan Van Loo, Andrew D’Almada and  Cameron Capili graduated.

Burbank has a new coach in Gaby Gallardo, who previously coached  league rival Hoover High. She replaces Patrick McMenamin, who is now a full-time athletic director.

The Bulldogs finished second league a year ago, going 20-13. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to Lakewood.

Burroughs

The Indians graduated five seniors last year, but also have some returning talent. With starters Conner Ludlum and Skyler Bercini returning to the scene and coach Joel Britton at the helm, Burroughs seems to be in shape to make a run at an eighth straight Pacific League title.

“I feel like the pressure shouldn’t be on the guys, the pressure should on the coaching staff. It’s our job to teach them,” Britton said.

But Burroughs also has a returning group, and one that will help push the team further.

“They kind of naturally have that leadership, the returning starters from last year,” said coach Britton about the starters returning to varsity. “We had sophomores on the court that found ways to contribute and play and now they’re juniors and they’re major contributors and they’re going to do a great job.”

Juniors Jose Solano and Levi Benitez, both of which are 5-foot-10, will try to fill the void left by Van Loo, who is now playing for Lewis University, at setter.

Bercini (5-8) will be backed up at libero by senior Everett Kanoho (5-9), who could also see time as a setter, and sophomore Sam Tipton (5-8) .

At middle blocker, Burroughs has a number of candidates led by juniors Diego Rosal (6-4), Billy Singleton (6-4) and senior Andrew Abrahamian (6-2).

Playing in the opposite role will be junior Cole Kaitz (6-5), junior Drew Gorsuch (6-0), and sophomore Sammy Solis (5-10).

Along with Ludlum, senior Jarrett Malone (6-4), senior Anton Prather (6-1), and sophomore Michael Rumfola (6-1) could see time.  Defensive specialist Khalil Johnson (5-11), who is a junior, could also see time as an outside hitter.

Burbank

With a new head coach and three seniors, Burbank will look to dethrone the Indians as Pacific League Champions.

“We’ve been doing a lot of hard work, and they’ve made adjustments to what I expect from them,” said Gallardo said.

Gallardo said her group has put in the effort and is hoping it will lead to success.

“Working hard is going to help us in playing against Burroughs,” Gallardo said. “They’re always a dominating team, they’re always a good program. All I can have them do is give me the best, and we train as hard as we can so that when we do play them it will be a good game.”

With several returning seniors, the Burbank team seems to have some role models to help the younger players on the team.

Senior setter Jonathan Tapan (5-7) returns as the starter. Junior Brian Valmonte (5-10) will serve as his backup.

Juniors Jonathan Ragheb (6-0) and  Eugene Uvarov (5-11) have been impressive early on in their roles as outside hitters.

Senior Adrian Rivera (6-1) and junior Jonthan Valmonte will hold down the opposite role.

Junior Edward Curren (5-8) and senior Pierre Simonian (5-8) will see time at libero.
Junior Rory Rickey (6-2) and sophomore Luca Bily (5-11) will compete for playing time at middle blocker.
Gallardo added that the seniors on the team expect the younger players to step up their level of play.
“You’re playing on varsity and you need to play at a varsity level,” Gallardo said of her young team.

 

Burroughs Volleyball Wins CIF Southern California Regional Title

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Five players already had their high school diplomas in hand. Still feeling a need to leave their mark, the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team came out motivated and focused and put together one of the greatest performances any team in school history has achieved.

Facing a team they had lost to just a week earlier, the Indians defeated Oak Park 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21 to win the CIF Southern California Division 2 Regional championship at Edison High in Huntington Beach.

“This is the best feeling going out,” said Cameron Capili, one of the five graduating seniors. “It did hurt losing CIF, but winning (Southern California) is much more meaningful and it means more because we played the same team again.”

Andrew Dalmada, who had a match-high 19 kills, said losing the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship a week earlier, was something that the Indians struggled with at times.

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“This entire week we’ve had it in the back of our minds,” Dalmada said. “With Chatsworth and Sanger we knew we had to focus on that, but we worked for the end goal. You want to win both, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Last Saturday was a great game. Coming back, this is so satisfying.”

The win was a huge accomplishment for coach Joel Brinton, who started the program 10 years and has gone on to win seven consecutive league championships.

“It’s a joy for the kids and the program,” Brinton said. “This has been a lot of hard work for 10 years. This has been a lot of hard work for myself. It has been a lot of hard work for these kids over the past three or four years.  They did a great job following the game plan and executing it.”

Burroughs (31-6) appeared to be more relaxed coming out compared to the CIF Southern Section championship.

“We didn’t do a lot of things we needed to last Saturday that we did today and the difference was shown,” Brinton said. “Our middles were way better, our blocking was way better. Our serving was way better. I think that experience of playing in a championship game. Last week they had never done it before so I think this time it was a little more low key because we’ve already been through this.”

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Setter Ryan Van Loo, a four-year varsity player who has signed with Lewis University, had a match-high 47 assists.

“The loss in CIF lit a fire under us and we carried that throughout the week. It feels great to get another chance with them a win a (Southern California) championship,” Van Loo said.” I can’t put it into words. It feels so great to win a championship, especially against these guys. They are so good. We knew all week we needed to work harder and better to get to Saturday and we did. We completed our journey.”

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Burroughs rallied to win the first game 25-23. A kill by Conner Ludlum made it 24-23 and a block by Bailey Carter sealed it.

Oak Park (36-4-2) came back and won the second game as Burroughs fell behind after leading 15-14 at one point.

The third game was also tight with Burroughs going down 23-22. But Dalmada, Van Loo and Carter all had kills to turn things around.

In the fourth and final game, Burroughs jumped out a 19-12 lead. Oak Park rallied to make it interested at 19-17 and 22-20, but the Indians matched every challenge in winning 25-21.

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“Right now it’s a little bittersweet because we have a great group of guys,” Dalmada said.” This is one of the best groups of guys I’ve ever been associated with and the fact that it’s ending is sad. At least we end on a high note.”

Van Loo also reflected on his time at Burroughs.

“Out of my four years on varsity this moment is the greatest moment I’ll ever have of Burroughs volleyball,” he said. “I’m lucky to be on this team. I’m lucky to have this coaching staff and all these fans that came out. It’s just a great experience and I’m never going to forget it.”

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Capili finished 14 kills and 12 digs. Conner Ludlum had nine kills. Skyler Bercini had 13 digs.

 

 

 

Burroughs Volleyball Falls Just Short of CIF Title

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Momentum was the key and at times the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team had it and at times it didn’t.

In the end, the momentum shifted away from the Indians as they fell 25-20, 18-25, 25-16, 24-26, 15-8 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship against Oak Park High at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

“In the fifth game, whoever comes out stronger and has the momentum is really in control of the game,” said Burroughs senior Andrew Dalmada, who finished with a match-high 27 kills.

Top-seeded Oak Park (31-4) jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth and final game before Burroughs called a timeout. The Eagles went on and was in control from there.

“It has been our goal for four years of varsity. I’m really proud that we finally made it,” Burroughs setter Ryan Van Loo said.  “We just didn’t finish. We had the momentum going into the fifth set, but I’d like to have that one back.”

Third-seeded Burroughs (29-6) stayed tough with Oak Park for much of the first game. A kill by Dalmada tied things at 16, but Oak Park came back strong by the trio of Alex Parks, Grigory Manyak and Sean Fitzpatrick.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

A different Burroughs team showed up in game two. The Indians jumped out to a 10-5 lead before Oak Park called a timeout. But that didn’t fix the Eagles problems as Burroughs continued to roll.

Oak Park got as close as 22-18, before Burroughs closed the game out thanks to two Oak Park mistakes.

“When you look at the stats they were pretty consistent and we were up and down and that turned out to be the difference,’ Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said.

The momentum shifted back to Oak Park in the third game.

Burroughs fell behind 10-6 and called a timeout. The Indians cut things to within two points on four occasions before Oak Park opened things up and could not be caught.

The fourth game saw a close battle. Burroughs went up 18-14 before Oak Park stormed back to tie things at 21.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

A kill by Cameron Capili, one 19 he had in the match, gave Burroughs a 22-21 lead.

Oak Park came back to tie things at 24, before kills by Dalmada and Bailey Carter pushed the match to a fifth and deciding game.

Burroughs will now move on to the CIF Regional Tournament.

“These guys don’t want to go out on this note,” Brinton said. “It will be nice to come back out there and put their stamp out.”

Van Loo finished with 55 assists, four kills and 10 digs. Junior Conner Ludlum had eight kills. Carter finished with six kills.

Capili had 11 digs and Skyler Bercini had 10.

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A Benson)

 

 

Burroughs Volleyball to Play for CIF Title

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Playing in big matches is something that has become the norm for the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team.

A four-time CIF semifinalist over the past six years, the Indians showed Wednesday night how they were prepared as they defeated host South Pasadena  25-22, 25-23, 25-11 in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

Burroughs, the No.3 seed, will play top-seeded Oak Park of Agoura Saturday in the CIF championship at Cerritos College.

“This proves how much we’ve improved in the last year,” Burroughs setter Ryan Van Loo said. “We kind of didn’t show up against Valencia (in last year’s semifinals). We knew we had to come here and it give it our all and we did.”

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Burroughs last appeared in a final in 2011, when it lost to the Division 3 title match to Cerritos Valley Christian.

“I’m really proud of the guys for battling and doing what they were asked to do,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. “We finished the job like they were supposed.”

Burroughs was actually down 13-9 in the first game before calling a timeout. Led by senior outside hitter Greg Luck, South Pasadena went up by as much as 15-10 before the Indians mounted a comeback and tied things up at 17 on a kill by Cameron Capili.

Andrew Dalmada, who had a team-high 16 kills, broke a tie at 22 with one of his kills to push Burroughs ahead. The Indians clinched the first game as South Pasadena hit the ball out.

The second game was also close and intense. With both teams tied at 23, South Pasadena served the ball out of bounds. Burroughs then clinched the game with a block from Van Loo.

Burroughs took command early in the third and final game and never looked back.

Capili had 12 kills for Burroughs and Conner Ludlum had 10 kills. Van Loo had 37 assists and three blocks. Skyler Bercini had nine digs.

Brinton said he knows beating Oak Park will not be easy, but remains confident. Burroughs defeated Oak Park last season.

“They’ve got great athletes all over the place,” Brinton said. “We’ll sit down with our coaches and come up with some sort of plan. We know we can do it.”

If Burroughs wins against Oak Park it would be just the second team CIF title in school history. The 2014 boys’ cross country team became the first team in school history to win a CIF title when it won the Division 1 crown.

 

 

 

Burroughs Volleyball Passes First Playoff Test

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At times the Burroughs High boys’ volleyball team looked ready for the start of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

There were also times when the Indians didn’t look ready when they hosted Roosevelt High of Eastvale in a Division 2 match Tuesday.

Burroughs won 25-12, 25-18, 25-16, but was not clicking on all cylinders throughout the match.

“We’re used to going to these big tournaments and stepping up our level of play,” Burroughs coach Joel Brinton said. “It’s hard for 17 and 18-year-olds to remember that. I think this served as a good reminder.”

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

 

Burroughs (24-5), the No. 3 seed, moves on to the second round Thursday at Long Beach Poly.

The Indians defeated the Jackrabbits 25-15, 25-18, 25-13 in March, also at Long Beach Poly.

Burroughs looked itself in the first game Tuesday, easily winning 25-12.

But that fire did not continue in the second and third games.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burroughs had six serving errors in the second game and had four more in the third.

“There was no need for 10 service errors,” Brinton said. “That’s something you can fix and learn from it.”

Burroughs allowed Roosevelt to keep it close at 11-10 before a kill from junior Conner Ludlum, one of 10 he had for the match.

“I think Roosevelt deserves credit. They stepped up from game one,” Brinton said. “It wasn’t the best technical volleyball, but they were working hard. They were working harder than we were.”

The visiting Mustangs (16-7) fought back on the next point with a kill from Seth Davis.

But Bailey Carter and Ludlum had back-to-back kills as the Indians began to break away.

Burroughs trailed 9-7 in the third game, before a pair of back-to-back kills from Carter made it 17-13.

Andrew Dalmada, who finished with eight kills, had three kills late in the match.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Dalmada said his team will be more focused when faced with going against tougher opponents. He noted that Burroughs played well in a tournament loss to national power Manhattan Beach Mira Costa earlier in the season.

“Having that experience is really nice to have. We know if we play our game we can hang with them,” Dalmada said of top teams. “With the high-level teams the high energy will come with it. There were so many runs (tonight) that I felt made up for the service errors. Still it was more than what we would like.”

Cameron Capili, who had 10 kills and six aces said he expects a tough match Thursday.

“We beat them the first time. I expect them to come out with a lot of fire and passion,” Capili said. “Knowing my team, I’m confident and feel we can take it.

Setter Ryan Van Loo had 34 assists.