Sports

Orange Lutheran boys volleyball tops Warren in Division 3 semifinals – Press Telegram

Published

8 months ago

May 11, 2025

1 of 9

Orange Lutheran senior Connor Engelbrecht (1) celebrates with his teammates after a point in the Lancers’ 3-1 CIF-SS Division 3 semifinal win over Warren on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Downey. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

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DOWNEY — The Warren and Orange Lutheran boys volleyball teams went back and forth for most of four sets Saturday night, with a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship match at stake.

The host Bears, though, had issues connecting passes late and dealing with the Lancers at the net.

Third-seeded Warren ultimately ran out of steam and dropped the semifinal match 25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-14.

“We just didn’t pass very well. I think that’s what it comes down to for us,” Bears coach Scotty Lane said.

Orange Lutheran (24-13) will face Tesoro (17-13) for the CIF-SS title Friday or Saturday, May 16-17, at a location to be announced.

It will be the Lancers’ first finals appearance since winning Division 2 in 2018.

FINAL 🏐: Warren falls to Orange Lutheran in four sets in the @CIFSS Division 3 semifinal.

Lancers win it 25-23, 19-25, 25-20, 25-14 thanks to a strong block in sets three and four. Had 10 of their 13 blocks over the two frames. @BeachVarsity @johnwdavis pic.twitter.com/aW38zWDRpb

— Tracy McDannald 📎 (@Tracy_McDannald) May 11, 2025

The Lancers, an at-large selection from the Trinity League, produced 10 of their 13 blocks over the final two sets, with 4 1/2 from junior middle blocker Josiah Trautman. Senior outside hitter Connor Engelbrecht recorded a team-high 15 kills.

Orange Lutheran coach Henry Valiente said it was a stiff test, particularly because Warren sophomore setter Elogious Holder “is tough to read” after mixing in quick attacks with his passes early in the match.

“I think we just had to stay consistent, be disciplined in our block, be in good areas around the hitters,” Valiente said. “It might be lucky, it might be skill, but their offense was really good tonight.”

The Bears (25-7), who were denied their first CIF-SS title match appearance in 13 years, got a match-high 16 kills from senior middle blocker Caleb Schmidt. Senior outside hitter Daniel Patino added 13 kills.

Schmidt said it was clear it would be a “tough” contest from the outset.

“They’re a really good team,” Schmidt said. “It was all even until we kind of gave out in the last set. … It was back and forth the whole time.”

Warren dropped the opening set after committing seven of its 15 service errors.

“We didn’t put enough pressure on them serving the ball,” Lane said. “But that’s kind of how it goes sometimes.”

The Bears responded with a 5-0 run to open the second set and never relinquished the lead.

A big reason was Holder, who had five kills and an ace in the set to keep the Lancers off balance.

“It helps a lot,” Schmidt said of Holder’s offense. “He’s taking a part of the court away, taking a blocker away. If I go up, he helps so much because they think he’s going to go up. Then, I have one blocker on me and I’m able to go around him.”

Added Valiente: “(Holder) is a talent than can do wonders in a game. He can attack the ball, he can turn, he can dump, he can find hitters wherever he is. I think he’s a sophomore so it speaks volumes of how good he is.”

The pivotal third set was tied on 12 occasions, including the last instance at 14-14.

One of seven Warren attack errors in the frame ignited a 5-1 Orange Lutheran run to seize control. Senior middle blocker Evan Lidecis had a hand in consecutive blocks during the key spurt, including one with senior outside hitter Logan Busch.

A Lancers attack error pulled the Bears within 22-20, but Orange Lutheran closed the set with three consecutive points including a Busch block for set point.

“We fought, that’s really all I care about,” Lane said. “I thought they did a good job blocking us outside, especially on that fast-go that got kind of low to the pin.

“It’s just that, it’s a momentum game. If we’re usually serving pretty tough and we’re scoring a few points, it makes it a little bit easier psychologically to sideout on the other side.”

Warren was unable to capitalize on a 4-1 lead to open the fourth set.

An Engelbrecht kill got Orange Lutheran the serve back and freshman setter Max Lopez followed with consecutive aces to tie the set. The Lancers finished with seven aces.

A 9-1 run, which included five blocks, opened up a 14-6 lead and Orange Lutheran pushed the advantage to as many as 12 points before finishing off the match.

Valiente credited his players for creating separation early in the set and withstanding a muggy gym throughout the contest.

“We didn’t care how much we were leading by,” Valiente said. “We just needed to push every single time.”

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Men’s Volleyball vs NJIT on 1/4/2026 – Box Score

Published

53 minutes ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

—

NJIT subs: Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

0-1

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

1-1

[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

1-2

[Aleixo, Andre] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

2-2

[Roure, Adrien] Bad set by Titriyski, Kristian.

NJIT

2-3

[Latkowski, Daniel] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

2-4

[Todd, Justin] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).

Hawaii

3-4

[Todd, Justin] Kill by Aleixo, Andre (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

3-5

[Nowak, Wiktor] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

3-6

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

3-7

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Moorhead, Parker (block by Rosenthal, Tread).

Hawaii

3-8

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service ace (Moorhead, Parker).

Hawaii

3-9

[Titriyski, Kristian] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

3-10

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service ace (Lopez, Diego).

Hawaii

4-10

[Titriyski, Kristian] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

NJIT

5-10

[Moorhead, Parker] Attack error by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

NJIT

6-10

[Moorhead, Parker] Attack error by Titriyski, Kristian (block by Aleixo, Andre; Fedmasu, Andrew).

NJIT

6-11

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Jordan, Trevell (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

7-11

[Sakanoko, Louis] Kill by Nowak, Wiktor (from Fedmasu, Andrew).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego.

NJIT

7-12

[Fedmasu, Andrew] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

8-12

[Jordan, Trevell] Kill by Latkowski, Daniel (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

8-13

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Kill by Todd, Justin (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

9-13

[Rosenthal, Tread] Kill by Latkowski, Daniel (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

9-14

[Aleixo, Andre] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

Hawaii

9-15

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Moorhead, Parker (block by Titriyski, Kristian; Sakanoko, Louis; Todd, Justin).

Hawaii

9-16

[Roure, Adrien] Service ace (Aleixo, Andre).

Hawaii

9-17

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Titriyski, Kristian; Todd, Justin).

Hawaii

9-18

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Nowak, Wiktor (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Todd, Justin; Titriyski, Kristian).

Hawaii

10-18

[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Moorhead, Parker (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego.

NJIT

10-19

[Latkowski, Daniel] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin.

Hawaii

11-19

[Todd, Justin] Service error.

—

Hawaii subs: Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

NJIT

11-20

[Nowak, Wiktor] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin.

Hawaii

12-20

[Titriyski, Kristian] Kill by Moorhead, Parker (from Lopez, Diego).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Latkowski, Daniel.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

13-20

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Fedmasu, Andrew.

NJIT

14-20

[Moorhead, Parker] Service ace (Greenidge, Quintin).

NJIT

14-21

[Moorhead, Parker] Kill by Jordan, Trevell (from Rosenthal, Tread).

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin.

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Latkowski, Daniel.

Hawaii

14-22

[Sakanoko, Louis] Attack error by Fedmasu, Andrew (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

Hawaii

15-22

[Sakanoko, Louis] Kill by Fedmasu, Andrew (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Latkowski, Daniel; Lopez, Diego.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Todd, Justin.

NJIT

15-23

[Fedmasu, Andrew] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Greenidge, Quintin; Kearney, Finn; Jordan, Trevell.

Hawaii

16-23

[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Nowak, Wiktor (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Kearney, Finn; Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

16-24

[Figueiredo, Bruno] Service error.

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Tidhar, Ron; Lopez, Diego; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Greenidge, Quintin; Taylor, Kai; Jordan, Trevell.

Hawaii

17-24

[Rosenthal, Tread] Kill by Aleixo, Andre (from Figueiredo, Bruno).

—

NJIT subs: Fedmasu, Andrew; Lopez, Diego; Tidhar, Ron; Fedmasu, Andrew.

—

Hawaii subs: Jordan, Trevell; Taylor, Kai; Greenidge, Quintin; Jordan, Trevell.

NJIT

17-25

[Aleixo, Andre] Kill by Titriyski, Kristian (from Rosenthal, Tread).

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Sports

No. 2 Warriors volleyball team rolls by NJIT again

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com

Hawaii’s Kristian Titriyski, left, Trevell Jordan and Louis Sakanoko rose up for a block against NJIT Highlanders’ Harrison Girard during Friday’s match.

Hawaii sophomore opposite Kristian Titriyski put down a match-high 11 kills and the No. 2 Rainbow Warrior men’s volleyball team rolled New Jersey Institute of Technology once again, 25-17, 25-16, 25-17 this evening at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 5.267 watched a similar match play out to Friday’s season-opening win for the Rainbow Warriors (2-0), who improved to 21-0 all-time against teams from the EIVA other than Penn State.

Adrien Roure had nine kills and hit .615 and Louis Sakanoko, playing in only two sets, had six kills on seven swings with three digs and three blocks.

Hawaii hit .517 in the match.

UH was presented with its Big West championships rings after the match. Hawaii won the conference last season defeating eventual national champion Long Beach State in four sets in the final.

Freshman setter Magnus Hettervik, who is from Stavanger, Norway, made his UH debut as a serving sub in the second set and had an ace. He came in to finish off Hawaii’s final four points in the third.

Andre Aleixo had nine kills to lead NJIT (0-2), which has lost all 15 sets in five meetings against UH.

Hawaii returns to the arena on Thursday for the first of back-to-back matches on consecutive nights against No. 7 Loyola Chicago.

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The 2025 Taunton Daily Gazette Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

The 2025 Taunton Daily Gazette Girls Volleyball All-Scholastics

Jan. 5, 2026, 4:01 a.m. ET

Another girls high school volleyball season has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.

This fall, Bristol-Plymouth (12-8, 7-1 Mayflower Athletic Conference) led the way locally once again, capturing a second-straight Mayflower Large title and reaching the MIAA Division 2 Preliminary Round. Bristol Aggie (10-11, 6-5 MAC) also looked solid throughout the fall, reaching the Division 5 Preliminary Round. Taunton (9-11, 5-11 Hockomock League) looked solid but fell just short of tournament qualification while Bridgewater-Raynham (5-14, 0-4 Pioneer Athletic Conference) and Dighton-Rehoboth (4-16, 2-12 South Coast Conference) showed some promise for the future.

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Coastal Bend volleyball standouts named to TSWA all-state team

Published

2 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Jan. 5, 2026, 4:05 a.m. CT

Three Coastal Bend high school volleyball players were named to the 2025 Class 4A-3A Blue Bell Texas Sports Writers Association All-State volleyball team after putting together strong campaigns during the fall season.

The honorees were London setter Myah Lichtenberger, Calallen setter Grace Martinez and Calallen middle blocker Jadyn Lindgren.

Martinez and Lindgren helped lead Calallen to a district championship and a 36-8 record. The pair also played a vital role in the Lady Cats’ run to the Class 4A Division I regional final.

Lichtenberger helped lead the Lady Pirates to their best season in program history after the team advanced to the Class 3A Division I regional final with a 25-6 record.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

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Tritons Complete North American Challenge

Published

4 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Your Sports Nation

LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego men’s volleyball completed its preseason on Sunday with day two of the North American Challenge. The Tritons once again beat Canadian sides Alberta and Calgary in exhibition matches after doing the same on Friday.

The Tritons beat Alberta 3-0 before turning around and playing Calgary, winning 3-1. Head coach Brad Rostratter repeated his previous approach of largely using two separate lineups for the two matches. Only four of the 14 Tritons who got playing time on Sunday appeared in both contests.

The challenge was hosted by fellow Big West side Long Beach State. On Friday, the Tritons also swept Alberta after beating Calgary 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED – ALBERTA
The Tritons cruised through the first match of the day, winning 25-16, 25-21, 25-15. They hit .333 while holding Alberta to a .200 clip. The Tritons also had 11 service aces.

A balanced offense saw four Tritons finish with seven or more kills. Luke Chandler and Leo Wiemelt had a match-high nine kills, with Wiemelt hitting .667 in the process. Setter Cameron Wurl had 24 assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED – CALGARY
Calgary won set one 25-23 before UC San Diego won the next three 25-17, 25-21, 25-21. The Triton offense hit .431, while Calgary converted at a rate of .247.

Four Tritons had multiple blocks on the defensive side of the net. Offensively, Josh Ewert and Leo Pravednikov both hit .406. Ewert led the match with 20 kills, while Pravednikov added 17. Setter John Luers had 42 assists.

QUOTABLE
“I loved the volleyball we were playing throughout our four matches this weekend,” Rostratter said. “Using four different lineups and finding connections and success in different phases of the game highlighted the depth we have within our team. These were quality opportunities to learn more about what our team has and where we are headed this season. I am excited for the home matches this week on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday!”

UP NEXT
The 2026 regular season begins this Tuesday as the Tritons host Jessup at 7:00 p.m. at LionTree Arena. UC San Diego will also have home matches versus Daemen and Rockhurst on Friday and Sunday this week.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.

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Tyler’s McLean, Hallsville’s Farrell earn Class 5A all-state third-team volleyball honors

Published

5 hours ago

January 5, 2026

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LONGVIEW — Tyler middle blocker Kaelyn McLean and Hallsville outside hitter Kaycin Farrell earned third-team honors on the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team, the organization announced on Sunday.

Lady Lion outside hitter Ja’lee Flores was voted honorable mention.

Lufkin middle blocker Chesney McCullough was named a first-team middle blocker.

Area honorable mention players were middle blockers Knlee Smith of Marshall, Kylee Fernandez of Hallsville, and Taryn Stiger of Texas High; outside hitters Lily Holzbauer of Whitehouse, and Akira Smallwood of Lufkin; and setter Aleciara Smallwood of Lufkin.

McLean had 489 kills, 215 digs, 111 blocks and eight aces, while Farrell, the District 15-5A Most Valuable Player, had 402 kills, .371 hitting percentage, 302 digs, 68 aces, 50 blocks and 29 assists.

Class 5A Division II champion Cedar Park earned both top superlatives with the release of the Joy Udoye, who has signed to play for Stanford, was named Player of the Year. Udoye had eye-popping stats of 581 kills, 364 digs, 34 aces and 30 blocks as Cedar Park finished 39-12 overall.

Lori McLaughlin was voted Coach of the Year.

Voting was conducted by TSWA members based on nominations from coaches and media members from around the state.

Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association

Class 5A All-State Volleyball Team

COACH OF THE YEAR: Lori McLaughlin, Cedar Park

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park

FIRST TEAM

Middle blockers: Brooklyn Bailey, Highland Park; Sienna Benavides, Cedar Park; Chesney McCullough, Lufkin

Outside hitters: Joy Udoye, Cedar Park; Kaitlyn Hutchins, Lake Belton; Harper Korenek, A&M Consolidated

Setter: Blair Thiebaud, College Station

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Ann Kruz, Cedar Park

SECOND TEAM

Middle Blockers: Rihanna Bryant, Pflugerville Weiss; Aliah Earls, Red Oak; Zandria Johnson, Brownsville Rivera

Outside hitters: Nadiya Shelby, Friendswood; Sarah Floyd, Highland Park; Mya Cheatum, Cedar Park

Setter: Katelyn Hughes, Cedar Park

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Gigi Whann, Highland Park

THIRD TEAM

Middle Blockers: Jacey Owen, Smithson Valley; Kendall Kruesler, New Braunfels; Kaelyn McLean, Tyler

Outside hitters: Kaycin Farrell, Hallsville; Lexi Anderson, Frisco Centennial; Alexis Elsey, Argyle

Setter: Kingsley Minus, New Braunfels

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Berkeley Bates, Smithson Valley

HONORABLE MENTION

Middle Blockers: Ava Wood, Lake Belton; Knlee Smith, Marshall; Haddie Mock, Abilene Wiley; Kylee Fernandez, Hallsville; Emersyn Fink, Frisco Liberty; Taryn Stiger, Texas High; Kaitlyn McCracken, Belton

Outside hitters: Alyssa Todd, Aledo; Ja’lee Flores, Tyler; Lily Holzbauer, Whitehouse; Shaylie Schaefer, New Braunfels; Akira Smallwood, Lufkin; Hannah Baker, Argyle; Danielle Whittier, Prosper Walnut Grove; Kaelee Berkley, Aledo; Jaiden Harris, Frisco Liberty; Zoeh Cereceres, El Paso Chapin

Setter: Madison Bingham, Lake Belton; Aleciara Smallwood, Lufkin; Jill Vinal, A&M Consolidated; Ava Jackson, Pflugerville Weiss; Kyndal Newton, A&M Consolidated; Madison Victoriano, Frisco Centennial; Amelia Albright, Georgetown

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Hayden Jeffers, New Braunfels; Teagan Barnett, Argyle; Haley Nash, College Station; Haley Patton, Friendswood; Ashley Go, Pflugerville Weiss

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