Coronado High School graduate Dominic DeNardi from the 2017 boys volleyball team sat in the stands as his alma mater took on Olympian High School for the Division 3 semifinal playoff game on May 7. DeNardi’s squad was the last team to make it to the CIF San Diego section playoffs, where they fell short in the championship game.
The boys now have a chance to redeem that championship title after a close victory – winning three sets and losing two – on May 7 against Olympian High School.
“It took seven years to get here,” said head coach George Cavaco.
That pressure weighed down on the CHS boys as they went into the semifinals against Olympian – a team they had previously lost to at the beginning of the season.
“I told them before the game that we worked really hard to get to this point in the journey and we can’t let the opportunity get away from us,” said Cavaco. “We are too dominant of a team to let that happen to us.”
Islanders lose first set to Olympian
It was a neck-and-neck battle throughout the entire first set. First it was 13-13, then it was 15-15, all the way up to 23-23. Junior Quinten Sylvester, a setter and opposite hitter, dominated the front row, repeatedly getting kills for the Islanders. While the Islanders outshined in their offense – leading in blocks and kills – they were matched up against Olympian’s scrappy defense.
When a missed pass in Coronado’s backrow sealed a 25-23 loss for the Islanders in the first set, the pressure loomed over senior captain Matt Slentz.
“I was just thinking to myself, I could be two sets away from the season being over. Especially for me as a senior, any game could be my last game,” said Slentz. “It was terrifying for sure. But at the same time, that’s when the adrenaline starts going. When your back is against the wall, you gotta make a play and people will rise up – and that’s what our team does.”
Cavaco describes this team as a Swiss army knife – someone always ready on the lineup to be the tool needed.
CHS dominates second and third set
In set two, senior Nicholas Redding appeared to be that blade. The opposite hitter, committed to the University of Lynchburg, immediately came in with massive kills on the right side. Still, it was point-for-point with both teams tied up until the 10 point mark. Coronado then began to pick up momentum, securing an 18-11 lead on Olympian. The Islanders won the second set 25-15.
The CHS boys carried that energy into the third set, immediately securing a 6-1 lead and prompting Olympian to call a timeout. Right after the timeout, junior Greyson Glorieux got a kill from the outside. By the time Coronado was up 10-4, the Olympian squad appeared visibly frustrated, shouting in their huddle.
Balls continued to drop on Olympian’s side of the court, meanwhile Coronado maintained their lead. Despite a missed serve on game point, Coronado won the third set 25-17.
Semifinal goes to fifth set tie breaker
With a chance to seal the deal for a semifinal win in the fourth set, the momentum simultaneously shifted. Olympian came in with a 5-1 lead. They kept that pace throughout the entire game, until Coronado tied them at 17-17. Olympian’s energy carried them to the end following a huge block, winning with a score of 25-21.
“We let off the pedal just a little,” said Cavaco. “But on the fifth set we got to refocus. I had probably my best server on the team, Ryder Moore, back there to get some aces.”
Playing to 15 points for the tie breaker set, Moore came in with multiple aces for the Islanders. At one point, they secured an 8-1 lead on Olympian.
Islanders move on to championship match
When the score showed 15-7, it was official that the CHS boys would be advancing to the CIF championship game.
“It’s so ecstatic, the adrenaline is just going right now,” said Slentz after the game. “All the boys are so excited. Our school has never won a CIF championship for volleyball – we know how big of an opportunity we have here and we know we got the right group of boys to do it.”
