Connor Koski lifts El Camino Real to City Section Open Division boys' volleyball title
'I timed my jump and I thought it was going out but I guess it hit [an opposing player's] foot on the way down,' said an exuberant Koski, who moved from middle blocker to opposite hitter before the playoffs. 'I asked [coach Alyssa Lee] to switch me and it worked.'
El Camino Real's triumph culminated in a 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 25-21 victory over top-seeded Venice, but the title was four years in the making. Eleven of the Royals' 12 players are seniors.
'We're all friends, we all trust each other and it's a dream come true to win a championship in one of our last matches together,' said Tyler Lee, who paced the squad with 14 kills. 'We've lost our share of five setters, so we wanted to end this thing in four.'
Koski, El Camino Real's lone junior, had eight kills, including one to end the second set. Dev Vunnam and Christian Romero also each had eight kills, Jackson Riepe had seven and Nicolas Gerola served four aces, the first of which gave El Camino Real the first set.
The third-seeded Royals (27-13) got hot at the right time and avenged a pair of West Valley League losses to Chatsworth by ending the Chancellors' bid for a third straight Open title with a shocking 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 semifinal upset Tuesday.
'I've known this group since their freshman year and I've push them hard in practice to prepare them for those situations,' said Lee, who understands the intensity of every match in the West Valley League, having played libero for Granada Hills before graduating in 2009. 'The physical talent is there but the mental training is so important. You have to stay focused and can't let up.'
Lee coached the boys to the Division I title in 2016 (the Open Division debuted in 2018) and guided the girls to the Open championship in 2023. She also has coached the girls to two beach volleyball crowns.
'The first two times we played Chatsworth I just let the boys play but I game-planned a lot for the semifinals,' Lee said. 'We needed a big guy on the right like Connor to block and get some kills.'
Trailing by four points early in the third set and in danger of being swept, the Gondoliers (36-6) used an 8-0 run to surge into the lead and finished it on Nathan Hoggatt's emphatic kill. Noah Smith had 10 kills for Venice, last year's Division I champion.
Something had to give as Venice entered on an 11-match winning streak dating back to April 21 (dropping only one set in the process) while El Camino Real had won five consecutive matches and 15 straight sets since April 9.
In Saturday's Division II final, hitter Izac Garcia helped Valley Academy of Arts and Sciences take home its first City title after a 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-15 triumph over Mendez, which was seeking its first crown since back-to-back Division III championships in 2021-22.
Hamilton, last year's Division V champion, moved up to Division IV and beat Port of LA for the championship. In Division V, Wilson downed Harbor Teacher for its first-ever title.
On the same floor Friday, top-seeded Taft captured its seventh section crown, sixth in Division I and first since 2015 with its 25-10, 25-20, 25-17 sweep of No. 2 Carson. Arman Mercado, who took over the girls' program in 2000 and the boys two years later, coached the girls to their first Open Division title in the fall and has guided the Toreadors to 22 finals appearances.
East Valley swept Maywood CES for the Division III title — the Falcons' first in boys volleyball.
Also on Friday, Mira Costa outlasted Huntington Beach in five sets in a South Bay showdown for the Southern Section Division 1 championship at Cerritos College. The top-seeded Mustangs prevailed, 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 29-31, 15-11, behind 25 kills from Grayson Bradford — the last from the right side to end the match.
Mateo Fuerbringer added 17 kills for Mira Costa, which fell in three sets to Loyola in the finals last spring. Logan Hutnick led the charge for the second-seeded Oilers, who staved off four championship points in a wild fourth set. It was the Mustangs' ninth section title and first since 2021.
Mater Dei rallied to beat Peninsula 20-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 in Division 2.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
With fresh mentality and new wedges, Brooke Henderson tries to end victory drought in Canada
At this time last year, Brooke Henderson had lost count of how many different putters she'd had in the bag. The number is down this year, though there have been changes of late. She put in a new putter two weeks ago, and noted during her pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday that she'd be changing again later that afternoon. Still a TaylorMade Spider X but with a different grip and weight. Also on Tuesday morning, she put brand new TaylorMade wedges in the bag and said they perform better than her old ones in wet conditions. Anything that can get her closer to victory, something she hasn't tasted in two and half years. "I feel like I've been saying it for a really long time," Henderson told the media at the CPKC Women's Open at Mississaugua Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Canada. "You're probably getting annoyed with it a little bit, but I am definitely trending in the right direction and it is super close to being really good again, which is really exciting." To help, Henderson dug up old clips of when she was 14 years old, playing in her first Canadian Open. She won the event in 2018, which felt like major. Even making the cut as a youngster in her home Open felt "super cool." "Yeah, just trying to like think back like what was going through my mind when I was answering those questions back then or out there playing," said Henderson. "It's been cool. I just did that yesterday afternoon. Maybe it was the red eye or the jet lag talking, but I really enjoyed it." She played more freely as a youngster, as do most, and had a hunger to learn. She's still that way, realizing that sometimes less is more. There was a time when she played in as many as 30 events a year. She's cut back now to around 25. Canada's most decorated golfer with 13 LPGA titles, Henderson has sprinkled in top-15 finishes throughout 2025 but has yet to truly contend. The two-time major winner ranks 53rd on the CME points list and is 58th in the Rolex Rankings. "For a while, the ball-striking was a bit of an issue," said Henderson, who works with her father Dave. "I feel like we worked diligently on that, and it's back to a better spot. "So just piecing everything together. Golf is hard, and I found that out more recently than I ever have. Just trying to take it day by day, figuring it out. I think mentality for me is the No. 1 thing, trying to get back to the mental strength I had previous years."
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Newsweek
Scottie Scheffler Fires Back on 'Misconstrued' Comments at Open
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. It's been over a month, but the comments Scottie Scheffler made before the start of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush are still fresh in the minds of many fans. It's no wonder the world No. 1 addressed the issue again in the midst of the FedEx Cup playoffs. As you may recall, Scheffler reflected before the fourth major of the season, asking "what's the point" of wanting to win every tournament he enters. These words prompted responses from major sports stars such as Lando Norris, Tom Brady and Padraig Harrington. Scottie Scheffler of the United States looks on from the 16th green during day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. Scottie Scheffler of the United States looks on from the 16th green during day two of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 18, 2025 in Portrush, Northern his victory at the BMW Championship, though, Scheffler addressed the misconstructions that have been made of his words during an interview with Golf Channel's "Golf Central." "One of the things I felt like was maybe a bit misconstrued about my comments at the Open was that it doesn't matter to me," Scheffler said. "The question I asked was, 'why does it matter so much?'" "And that's the thing. It means a heck of a lot to me. And it's not just a game, you know? The game of golf has a lot to do with my life. It's been a ton of fun. And I look forward to hopefully competing for many years out here, but it really is a great joy. And days like today are a lot of fun." Unlike some of his colleagues, Scheffler is well known for showing very little reaction on the course, no matter the situation. He also discussed this side of his personality with Golf Central. "The way I view it is I get, you know, four or five hours each day to come out here and compete and play," he said. "And I'm going to play as hard as I can for that portion of the time. And when I go home, I'm with my family, and I try to compartmentalize my life to where when I'm at the golf course, I have my time at the golf course, and I try to be as focused as possible." After winning the BMW Championship, Scheffler is more of a favorite than ever to win the Tour Championship for the second consecutive year. The regular-season finale will be played this week at East Lake in Atlanta. The world No. 1 already has five wins this season, including two majors, one signature event and a playoff event. More Golf: Ian Poulter Pushes Major Champion Teammate to LIV Relegation
Business Insider
14 hours ago
- Business Insider
Spike Lee says he won't shop around his scrapped ESPN Colin Kaepernick doc: 'That thing fell apart a year ago'
The news that Spike Lee 's ESPN documentary about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being scrapped may have only broken yesterday, but to Lee, it's old hat. "That thing fell apart a year ago," Lee, 68, told Business Insider in an interview on Tuesday while promoting his latest movie, "Highest 2 Lowest." "No one had ever asked me about it. I was on a red carpet and a guy asked me the question, I wasn't going to lie." On Friday, Reuters asked the Oscar-winning director about the docuseries, to which Lee responded, "It's not coming out. That's all I can say." ESPN confirmed the news in a statement, which it also provided to Business Insider for this story. "ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences," the statement read. "Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film." Lee also told Business Insider that he has no plans to try to sell the project to another network or streaming service. "No, it's unfortunate, but I mean, I've moved on," Lee said. "That was a year ago." Business Insider reached out to Kaepernick for comment but didn't get an immediate response. The docuseries was first announced in 2020, and Lee became attached to the project in 2022. It was touted as delivering an extensive look at the former QB through never-before-seen archival footage and new interviews. Kaepernick, 37, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016, was at the center of a media firestorm when he began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism. In 2017, he opted out of his contract with the 49ers and was never signed by another team, essentially ending his NFL career. In 2019, he privately settled his grievance against the NFL for collusion among the team owners.
