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El Toro boys volleyball completes hard climb by winning Division 6 title – Orange County Register

Published

8 months ago

May 18, 2025

NORWALK — Just two years removed from a 1-23 season, the El Toro boys volleyball team reached the summit and made school history in the process.

The Chargers capped a sensational turnaround Saturday with a victory over Quartz Hill in four sets, 17-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-19, in the Division 6 final at Cerritos College.

It is the first CIF-SS boys volleyball championship for El Toro.

El Toro coach Sean Dixon, in his third-year at the helm, reflected on the journey that saw his team go from nearly worst to first.

““To be the first program to do it at El Toro and really to be a program that started at the bottom and made it to the top,” Dixon said, “obviously we have state next week, but, you know, they’re going to remember this for the rest of their lives. And it’s going to be such a good experience that they look back on fondly.”

Senior outside hitter Ryan Lim collected a match-high 24 kills and 14 digs for El Toro (18-15), which was the No. 2 seed in Division 6.

Senior Jeremy Gould finished with 12 kills,12 digs and three aces and Ziyuan Liu added 10 kills. Senior setter Moses Kim had 52 assists while controlling the action while Ben Earnsahw and Colin Fletcher provided key plays in crucial moments.

The Royals (27-13) took the opening set thanks to their middle blocker, Joseph Bonner, who had four kills in the set. Quartz Hill also tallied six total blocks at the net.

“I think we were all a little bit nervous and to be fair, I think that is a good thing,” Dixon said. “But it was really nothing new for us. This is, I want to say, the fourth match in a row where we’ve been down a set at a certain point.”

Lim shared his thoughts on the pregame and opening-set jitters as well.

“I was feeling it myself, the entire bus ride here, to be honest,” Lim said. “Yeah, I was walking here, and my hands were shaking and everything. First set, my chest was tight and everything, and I guarantee you, the other guys were feeling it too. But, you know, once we get in our rhythm, we ball out.”

“I give credit to our two captains, Moses Kim and Ben Earnshaw, for really just keeping the guys calm on the court,” Dixon said. “Li bringing everyone in after every point. I think that was just the biggest difference.”

The Chargers fought off a set-point opportunity for the Royals in the second set, on a swing by Earnshaw, then after a service error , found themselves in danger of going down 2-0 in the match once again.

Lim’s kill and Fletcher’s ace gave El Toro a chance at their own set point, which Gould helped win, 28-26, after a long rally and a tough swing at the pin.

“We just kind of got fired up after that (first set),” Gould said. “We’re like, ‘We can’t let this be our last play, you know? We gotta just bring all we have.”

Dixon praised Lim’s play, especially as the match progressed. Lim had eight kills in the second set, five in the third and six in the fourth.

“He’s just one of those guys that gets stronger as the game goes on,” Dixon said.

Dixon took one final introspective glance at his team’s journey and described the joy it brought him.

“I’m more happy for the guys because it’s really tough to win only one match (in 2023) and really just to stay positive after you’re basically losing every game,” he said. “I’m just so happy for them. You know, they really worked hard. I just remember them being young sophomores who really just got their first taste of varsity. A lot of them didn’t play JV, it’s just incredible.”

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Huntington’s Sebek makes Class 3A all-state volleyball third team | Sports

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6 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

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Blue Bell/TSWA Class 2A All-State Volleyball – The Gilmer Mirror

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22 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

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Iola’s McKown player of the year

LONGVIEW – Iola outside hitter Shaylee McKown, who led the Lady Bulldogs to a state championship, was the Class 2A player of the year on the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 2A all-state volleyball team.
McKown had 17 kills and seven digs in leading Iola (48-5) to a 25-23, 25-16, 25-12 victory over Crawford in the Division II state title match.

FIRST TEAM
Middle Blockers: Kellen Weaver, Beckville, sr.; Camryn Powers, Crawford, jr.; Kennedy Slay, Tioga, jr.
Outside Hitters: Shaylee McKown, Iola, jr.; Keegan Kleiber, Mumford; Rayna Sadler, Leon, jr.
Setter: Rylee Goodney, Iola, sr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Averi Bolgiano, Crawford, jr.
Player of the year: McKown, Iola
Coach of the year: Jamie McDougald, Iola

SECOND TEAM
Middle Blockers: Jacie Boles, North Hopkins, jr.; Sy Parker, Nocona; Channing Horne, Leon, jr.
Outside Hitters: Macey Hoelscher, North Hopkins, jr.; Cami Hoyle, Iola, jr.; Ava Johnson, Nocona, sr.
Setter: Landry Zapalac, Schulenburg, sr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Jenna Guentert, Schulenburg, soph.

THIRD TEAM
Middle Blockers: Katherine Lindemann, Garrison, jr.; Tatum Miller, Crawford; Camdyn Owen, Italy, sr.
Outside Hitters: Aubrie Kabisch, Nocona, sr.; Katelin Sullivan, Flatonia; Haylee Vacek, Schulenburg, jr.
Setter: Ainsley Anderson, Crawford, soph.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ava Bessette, Iola, sr.

HONORABLE MENTION
Middle Blockers: Darriyah Thomas, Omaha Pewitt, sr.; Ary’anna Mealing, Forsan, sr.; Reagan Dusek, Schulenburg, sr.; Christian Geary, Sterling City, jr.; Cadence Money, North Hopkins, sr.; Saylor Smith, Como-Pickton, sr.; Maud Poortvliet, Como-Pickton, sr.; Harlee Sevcik, Shiner, soph.; Kamiah Birmingham, Linden-Kildare, jr.; Whitney Arledge, Hamilton, soph.
Outside Hitters: Preslee Kittrell, Midred, soph.; Ella Connell, Crawford, jr.; Lily Bailey, Hawley, sr.; Kati Calvillo, Como-Pickton, jr.; Kaitlyn Jenkins, Rosebud-Lott, sr.; Camdyn Benton, Riesel, jr.; Greenli VanZandt, Schulenburg, jr.; Charlee Wolf, Windthorst, sr.; Anna Claire Cooper, Hamilton, jr.
Setters: Claytie Free, Leon, soph.; Eden Lewis, North Hopkins, jr.; Vada Kendall, North Hopkins, soph.; Mhia Garcia, Como-Pickton, jr.; Carli Tuttle, Beckville, jr.
Libero/Defensive Specialist: Kylynn Ramirez, Shiner, sr.; Karissa Fillingim, Windthorst, sr.; Avery Futrell, Leon, sr.; Tatum Thompson, North Hopkins, sr.; Journey Brumley, Como-Pickton, jr.; Kaidance Goldbolt, North Hopkins, jr.; Aubree Kleinhans, Nocona, sr.; Emery Parrott, Hamilton, sr.

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Season Review: Union volleyball fought adversity in 2025 season | Sports

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38 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

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Men’s Ice Hockey Comes Up Short Against Arcadia

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54 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

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FAIRPORT, N.Y. – Arcadia used a stretch of three unanswered goals – two in the first and one in the second – to sneak past the St. John Fisher men’s ice hockey team 3-2 on Saturday evening at the Rochester Ice Center. The Cardinals dropped to 8-6-0 overall, while the Knights improved to 6-5-1.

How it Happened

The Cardinals opened the scoring just more than three minutes into the first period when Brendan Merriman and Mitchell Ferras assisted James Ecans. The Knights answered before the midway point of the period, as Elijah Clow scored to even the game. Bryce Battaglia found the net in the final minutes of the opening frame to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Arcadia extended its advantage midway through the second period when Brendan Dicker scored, pushing the Knights’ lead to two goals.

Leyton Pettypiece scored the Cardinals’ final goal of the game late in the second period, cutting the deficit in half off a feed from Cannon Lentz.

Game Notes

St. John Fisher freshman goaltender Marcus Ouellet made 12 saves in his collegiate debut.

Evans recorded a goal for a second consecutive game.

Up Next

The Cardinals face SUNY Brockport at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, inside the Rochester Ice Center.

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Mavericks Conclude Cactus Cup with 4-3 win over Yale – Minnesota State University

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1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

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THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. – No. 14 Minnesota State turned its fortune around with a 4-3 win over Yale University to take third place in the 2026 Coachella Cactus Cup at Acrisure Arena on Saturday. Freshman goaltender Max Beckford (London, Ontario) stopped 15 shots for his first career victory as a Maverick.

“The response from game one to game two was needed,” reflected head coach Luke Strand. “There’s another layer to our group that needs to take off as we get back into conference play. We are grateful to UMass Lowell and the Acrisure group for the invitation to the tournament and the setup.”

Freshman forward Jordan Ronn (Champlin, Minn.) notched his second goal of the season at the 10:14 mark of the first period, giving the Mavericks the lead heading into the first intermission. Ronn curled across the blue line and executed a give-and-go with senior defenseman Campbell Cichosz (Albert Lea, Minn.). Ronn wired a wrist shot from the left dot and freshman Reid Morich (Scottsdale, Ariz.) collected the second assist for MSU.

Freshman forward Mason LeBel (South Bend, Ind.) put away his first collegiate goal in the second period for a 2-0 Maverick lead. After an offensive zone faceoff win, junior Fin Williams (North Vancouver, B.C.) fed LeBel at the top off the crease from behind the goal line on the short side at 2:59. Fifty-eight seconds later, junior Luigi Benincasa (Edmonton, Alberta) reversed a pass behind the goal for Alex Zetterberg (Sundvall, Sweden) and the sophomore tucked in the puck for a 3-0 advantage with his fourth of the year.

Donovan Frias cut the lead to 3-1 at 8:42 at even strength with a deflection off the rush for Yale. Owen Forester and Rhys Bentham assisted.

Leading by a pair heading into the third period, junior Ean Somoza (Simi Valley, Calif.) scored his second goal in seven games this season for the Mavericks when he backhanded one in from the low slot at 2:44, assisted by senior Jack Smith (St. Cloud, Minn.).

David Chen responded with a tap-in on the weak side post at 7:54 after the Bulldogs created a 2-on-1 break at the conclusion of a minor penalty.

Beckford kicked out Dylan Hunt’s shot but Owen Forester banged in the rebound to draw the Bulldogs to 4-3 with 5:25 remaining in regulation. Minnesota State withstood pressure with Yale’s netminder pulled in the final minute.

The Mavericks had ten different players with one point on the night and MSU outshot Yale 38-18. The Mavericks finished 0-3 on the power play while the Bulldogs converted 0-4.

Minnesota State (12-5-5, 8-3-3 CCHA) improved to 3-1-1 all-time against Yale (4-10-0, 3-5-0 ECAC), the nation’s longest-tenured college hockey program. It was the first meeting between non-conference foes since Dec. 30, 2008.

The Mavericks host St. Thomas (10-7-3, 7-3-2) next on Saturday, January 10 at 6:07 p.m. CT in a CCHA matchup at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center. The Mavericks lead the Tommies by four points in the conference standings but UST holds two games in hand.

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Check out the Baton Rouge-area All-Metro Volleyball team | High School Sports

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1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

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Julianne Arruda, University High, So., 349 assists, 270 kills, 195 digs, 50 aces.

Ava Rodrigue, St. Michael, Sr., 348 digs, 79 assists, 46 aces.

Skylar Towner, St. Michael, Jr., 343 kills, 71 blocks.

Bella Bravata, St. Michael, Sr., 339 kills, 303 digs.

Monet Temple, University High, Fr., 351 kills, 207 digs, 56 aces.

Zadi Huggins, Dunham, Jr., 367 kills, 244 digs, 68 blocks.

Addyson Sides, Central Private, Sr., 356 kills, 202 digs, 58 aces.

Yahni Olivier, Episcopal, Fr., 188 kills, 124 digs.

Honorable mention: Rory Forbes, Central Private; Isa Richardson, Dunham; Kennedy Otwell, Parkview Baptist; Marin Price, Parkview Baptist; Marielle Gary, St. Michael; Aubrie Jefferson, Slaughter Community Charter; Hannah LaGarde, Southern Lab; Alleyiah Martin, Southern Lab.

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