TOP DOGS! Alhambra takes NCS Division II title

Alhambra’s volleyball team celebrates their NCS Division II title after a 3-1 victory over Las Lomas on May 20, 2016. (MARK FIERNER / Martinez Tribune)
Alhambra’s volleyball team celebrates their NCS Division II title after a 3-1 victory over Las Lomas on May 20, 2016. (MARK FIERNER / Martinez Tribune)

By GERARDO RECINOS
Martinez Tribune

Two years time was all it took. The perfect storm of a talented transfer student, a top-tier coach and a team that rallied around them all added up to Friday’s win over Las Lomas and the North Coast Section title.

Alhambra was 2-15 in 2014, two years before capturing the first NCS title in the volleyball program’s 17-year history.

And many of the guys who held the Division II plaque were a part of that team. Seniors now, guys like Kyle Magtibay, Savion Prieto, Alin Torio, Nick Lucido, Christian Cota and Jerald Jianoran all played through losing seasons.

“I would’ve never thought of this to be honest. We got the gift from the volleyball gods when they sent us the 6-foot-10 transfer from San Francisco (Will Jochum),” Jianoran said, laughing. “And then we all started playing club, because that 2-14 season is not how we wanted our volleyball careers to end.”

“We started putting in more work outside of practice, on the weekends, and through our hard work and dedication we were able to come out and win the championship,” he said.

Just like the way the team came together, it took many elements to put together this inspiring run, and at the top of that list was the calming presence of second-year coach Peter Crowley.

After the Bulldogs got knocked down in the first set by an excited Las Lomas team and when it seemed like the crowd, the noise and the gravity of the situation would be too much, he settled them down.

“These boys tend to play a little tentative often in the first set, especially with this crowd. I don’t think anyone expected this kind of turnout,” Crowley said of the packed gym which had great representation from both sides. “There were a lot of distractions, but ultimately it’s about how they focus on the court. Once they asserted themselves and played controlled volleyball, that’s a big thing.”

Controlled volleyball is Crowley’s mantra, and he can be heard re-hashing that phrase repeatedly on the sidelines to his players. In fact, during practices he purposely puts them through unusual situations where they play out of system so that they will feel more comfortable should a situation arise in a game. It’s a scrappier style of volleyball, but it leads to players being able to hit from any spot on the court.

After trailing throughout the first game, Alhambra rallied and gave Las Lomas a taste of what that means. With some adjustments being made, the Bulldogs were steady in tight situations like when Las Lomas shrunk a six-point deficit to only a single point.

But the Bulldogs got a pair of aces from Lucido to fire up the engines. They went off after that, using a 7-2 run to finish off their first set win on the night.

In set three, the Bulldogs stumbled for a second and allowed the Knights to gain some momentum, but Jianoran took over. He had seven of his game-high 21 kills in the set, but it was setter Prieto who finished off the set with a sneaky kill to catch the Knights off balance.

In set four the Dogs opened up a six-point lead, and even though Crowley repeatedly told them they only needed four points, the moment seemed to be too much.

The Bulldog coach called timeout at 21-19, but Las Lomas’ star Leor Schiffer’s kill and a block by Kane Haskins tied things up at 21-21.

Las Lomas briefly took a lead when Schiffer spiked home at 24-23 to the Knights, but they were unable to steal the set due to a service error that immediately followed.

That opened the window. Jochum blocked for the third time on the day, and what looked to be a harmless roll shot from Lucido fell as the Bulldogs rose as one, the new champions.

The court was jam-packed with students, and no one remembered the past of the team, only the present.

When asked if he suspected the team would be able to make the turnaround when he first took the job, Crowley coyly said he wasn’t certain.

“I wasn’t certain until the beginning of the season when I saw the boys had improved. I had a good feeling,” he said with a laugh.

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