Cougars boys volleyball shines with 21-9 record, 12-3 in league

A strong and deep Christopher boys volleyball team is having a superb season, with an eye on a league title and the playoffs. 

With the regular season coming to a close this week, the Cougars are at 21-9 and in a three-way tie for first place in league competition at 12-3. Additionally, CHS is a young squad, which bodes well for continued success in the future.

In the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa Division, Christopher is tied with Westmont and Pioneer for first place. Prospect is two games back and others are further in the rear.

“We’ve been doing pretty well,” coach Lee Guerrero said. “I think we exceeded expectations. It’s due to hard work. 

“Diego (Rodriguez) is a high-level player. He has a lot of skill and is only a sophomore. Sam (Bravo) at setter is our quarterback. It’s his first season running the team and he is doing really good. He is a leader and is very consistent. Nolan Smith at libero is one of our team captains and a leader. He is a great team player. Every team should have a player like him.”

Diego Rodriguez has smashed 366 kills with an amazing attack percentage of .366. Marc Luna has 251 kills and Matthew Garamendi has put down 125. Nolan Smith leads in digs with 125, Rodriguez has 98 and Steven Jiminez Palao and Rylan Antipuesto have 85 and 83 respectively. Serving leaders include Rodriguez at 27 aces and Bravo with 23.

Christopher’s winning formula begins with two sophomores, the smooth Bravo with his spot-perfect sets, and the tall and talented outside hitter Rodriguez. Smith, a junior, leads the defense at libero. 

Christopher’s success comes from having several other major contributors. The front line attack is bolstered by the athletic duo of Luna and Garamendi. In the middle, Alberto Zaragoza, Noah Guerrero and Evan Arisa are stellar. 

Additional depth comes from Antipuesto, Jiminez Palao and Cruz Carrasco on defense.

The Cougars came roaring out of the gate in league play this season. CHS beat Sobrato, Hill, Westmont, Pioneer, Prospect, Silver Creek, Oak Grove, Santa Teresa and Hill, again, in succession.

The wins over Westmont in a sweep on March 13 and at Pioneer on March 18, also 3-0, were huge. Stumbles came in an April 15 loss at Westmont, a four-set defeat to Pioneer on April 17 and a five-set decision in favor of Prospect on April 22. 

The Cougars topped Silver Creek to start getting back on track and then performed superbly in the prestigious and challenging Bellarmine tournament on April 25-26.

“After spring break, we got out of the gate slow,” Guerrero said. “But after that, we played in the Bellarmine Tournament and went 3-3. We beat De La Salle, Carlmont and Amador Valley there.”

The Cougars appear to be back in gear again. Christopher bounced Oak Grove in a sweep on April 29, then Hollister in a non-league match a day later, and topped Santa Teresa on May 5.

The Hollister contest showed their strength in a 25-16, 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 15-10 decision on April 30. The Haybalers, from the ultra-competitive Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division, gave them a real run for the money.

Rodriguez was dealing early, and Luna and Garamendi supported to diversify the offense and allow Bravo to pass to different players and points of attack. CHS charged out to a big early lead in both the first two sets. Strong serving and passing kept Hollister out of system. But the visitors tightened up their defense and pulled out dead-even sets three and four. 

The Cougars regrouped in the fifth, scoring the first five points and keeping Hollister at bay thereafter. Guerrero scored early with a roll shot and with a big kill, Rodriguez utilized his quick arm swing and impressive vertical to drive two powerful kills and Luna scored off the block. Bravo and Luna combined for a double block for a point and Bravo surprised the Hollister defense with a perfectly-placed setter dump.

“It was a good game,” Bravo said. “It was fun and intense. In sets three and four, they hustled. In the time out before the fifth set, we talked it over and talked about what we do better. It was our covering, our hustling and our serving.”

Smith and the defense were particularly strong again. The passing was spot-on to Bravo, which enabled Christopher to utilize different options at the net.

“You can’t take anything for granted,” Guerrero said. “We learned you can’t just walk on the court and win. Hollister never gave up and they really hustled. This was a very good experience for us, as we’re still young. In the fifth set, our passing got better. And it was again great plays by Diego.”

Last year’s team was 16-11 overall, 7-5 in league play and did not qualify for the CCS playoffs. This team is working hard to reach the post-season. The league champion will go to the CCS playoffs. The second-place finisher will have a play-in game against the titlist from the lower West Valley Division.

CCS playoff brackets will be announced May 10. 

Post-season play would be a great reward for the seniors. With the underclassmen already playing key roles, the future looks very bright for Cougars boys volleyball.