Pacifica Christian rides ‘electric' second-set run to sweep Rancho Cucamonga

Los Angeles Times

07-05-2025

Pacifica Christian had to wait a while to assemble its full roster, so while it isn't seeded for its boys' volleyball playoff run, it might also be a relative unknown.
The Tritons capitalized on a chance to show what they were capable of Saturday in front of their home crowd.
Senior outside hitter Hudson Reynolds had 26 kills to lead Pacifica Christian to a 25-21, 26-24, 25-21 sweep of third-seeded Rancho Cucamonga in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs. Pacifica Christian's Ryan Pearson (21) spikes the ball against Rancho Cucamonga's Ethan Lee (14).
Facing three set points in the second game, the Tritons received four kills in a span of five points from Reynolds during the momentum-shifting run. Junior middle blocker Grayson Baker's kill off an overpass by the Cougars evened the score at 24-24.
Reynolds landed the next two kills and stalked back to his team's bench, shouting in celebration all the way.
'I've been very competitive growing up,' Reynolds said of letting his emotions show on the court. 'My family, we're very competitive, so winning means a lot to me. Going out there, I know how much energy shifts can mean for a game, like a turnaround. I know the bench was there today, helped us get a lot of energy. … The more energy I bring to the table, the better we seem to play, so that's why I always try to bring as much energy as possible.'
Pacifica Christian (14-15) advanced to the quarterfinals, and it was scheduled to play at Tri-Valley League runner-up Santa Barbara Laguna Blanca (12-7) on Wednesday evening. The result had not been reported as of The Pilot's print deadline. Pacifica Christian's Joaquin Rigdon (35) reaches to keep the ball in play against Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday.
Regarding the latter stages of the second set, Pacifica Christian coach Cory Swartzbaugh described the five-point run as 'electric.'
'Being down 24-21 right there and having people step up and make plays and kind of grow into roles that they've been showing flashes of, that's been kind of a defining moment for our team recently because we didn't have our full roster for half, two-thirds of the season,' Swartzbaugh said. 'We're still building that chemistry. We're still figuring out whose value is where, what we can grow into, and how we can mold and shape and puzzle together. It really feels like we're catching steam and momentum at the perfect time.'
Junior setter Joaquin Rigdon had 36 assists, two service aces and two kills. Rigdon was at the service line during the key rally late in the second set, and he also connected well with Reynolds, finding him on top of the net and in the back row when the Tritons had to have a point. Pacifica Christian's Jack Ferrell (26) blocks the ball against Rancho Cucamonga in a CIF Division 6 playoff game on Saturday.
There's room for improvement, Swartzbaugh said, especially with passing.
'That serve-receive performance was the dark side of the moon compared to last week,' Swartzbaugh said. 'Last week, we were locked in. We were in system out of every single serve, and we were able to run anything we wanted. This match, it was brutal. It was very tough seeing them let nervousness and just general emotions, it seemed like, kind of phase them in passing. It obviously wasn't too bad of a detriment. We still won, but it was a big sore spot.'
Reynolds and Rigdon both played on the boys' basketball team, too, which advanced to the CIF Division 2AA final in the winter. Pacifica Christian's Hudson Reynolds (10) celebrates with Jedidiah Darrow (23), Ryan Pearson (21) and Atticus Graham (11).
Junior opposite Ryan Pearson had six kills, two aces and a solo block for Pacifica Christian. Junior outside hitter Atticus Graham had four kills and two aces, and Baker finished with six kills. Freshman libero Jedidiah Darrow added seven digs.
Senior outside hitter Ethan Lee had 11 kills and three block assists for Rancho Cucamonga (19-14), which was an at-large qualifier from the Baseline League. Sophomore middle blocker Evan Lee had four total blocks. The Pacifica Christian boys' volleyball team celebrates after winning a set against Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday.
Also in the CIF Southern Section boys' volleyball playoffs:
Huntington Beach 3, Redondo Union 0: Sophomore outside hitter Logan Hutnick's 18 kills paced the Oilers in a 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 win at home on Tuesday in the second of three pool-play matches in the Division 1 playoffs.
Junior outside hitter Colin Choi had 15 kills, and junior opposite Ben Arguello added 11 kills for second-seeded Huntington Beach (33-3), which plays host to Los Angeles Loyola (27-5) on Friday at 6 p.m.
Newport Harbor (24-11) was scheduled to play at Loyola on Wednesday, each side looking to notch its first win of the postseason.
Corona del Mar 3, Beckman 1: Junior outside hitter Ben Brown had 18 kills and two aces to lead the host Sea Kings to a 26-24, 25-17, 17-25, 25-17 win on Tuesday in the Division 1 playoffs.
Corona del Mar (23-5) plays at top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (30-2) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. with a spot in the CIF championship match on the line.
Junior opposite Brady Gant and sophomore middle blocker Daniel Booker each had 10 kills for CdM. Junior outside hitter Hunter Hannemann added nine kills, junior setter Drake Foley had 48 assists, and senior libero Brogan Glenn contributed 14 digs.
Sage Hill 3, Pasadena Poly 0: The visiting Lightning advanced to the Division 4 quarterfinals with Saturday's win.
Sage Hill (16-11), the reigning Division 5 champion, has not dropped a set in its first two playoff matches.
The Lightning were scheduled to travel to second-seeded Simi Valley Royal (20-7) on Wednesday.