Kelseyville beats league champions in North Central League I finale, playoffs next stop
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KELSEYVILLE >> Kelseyville handed Technology its first North Central League I loss, beating the Titans 25-22, 28-30, 25-16, 25-20 in varsity boys volleyball action Thursday night in Kelseyville.
The victory secures second place in the league standings for the Knights (10-2 league, 14-16 overall), who were swept by the league championship in early March at Rohnert Park.
“What a night for my seniors,” Kelseyville head coach Kc White said. “Each one of them contributed in a big way tonight to pull off this win against the league champions. I only played seven tonight and they worked extremely hard against a really good team.”
Andon Beall, one of the five Kelseyville seniors honored during the final home match of the regular season, powered the Knights with 17 kills, 23 digs, five blocks and one ace. The team’s other four seniors — Diego Rico (30 assists, four digs, two blocks, one ace), Miguel Corona (eight kills, four digs, one ace, one block), Kolby Medina (four kills, two digs, one block) and Sebastian Cacho (six kills, 13 digs, one ace) – also contributed during the win.
“You could tell my team wanted this one,” White said. “We had this date circled on the calendar since we lost to Tech way back in the beginning of March. I especially was interested in seeing how much we have improved since then. I’m so extremely proud and grateful to be a part of this team. I love these guys and the commitment they have shown all season to get better. We had a great crowd tonight to watch the finished product on display.”
George Cline (17 digs) and Jose Mejia (10 digs, two blocks, one ace), part of the foundation for next year’s squad, also pitched in during the win.
“The seniors have put their blood, sweat, and tears into this season,” White said. “Andon and Kolby started at the very beginning of this program. They have built something special here and, hopefully, they will be proud of their accomplishments whenever they come back. Diego, Sebastian, and Miguel all were four-year soccer players, and I’m so blessed and honored to have been able to coach them in both soccer for those four years and volleyball this season. They didn’t know a lick about volleyball, but each has taken great strides to get better and better each and every day. Each of them played all-around tonight, showing their versatility.”
Added White, “While we are losing all of that talent in those seniors, Jose Mejia, George Cline and the rest of the team will hopefully be back next season. That’s where we can really start to build a program. It starts with cohesion and consistency, especially in a sport in which not a lot of young teenagers are playing.”
Kelseyville is applying for an at-large berth in the North Coast Section playoffs, which begin Tuesday. The at-large and seeding meeting takes place Sunday.