Damien's Boys' Volleyball Team Claims First CIF Title in only its Fifth Year, Upending Second Seeded Arrowhead Christian 12-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20

NORWALK – Damien’s history-setting sports season continues, as the boys’ volleyball team joined the fray, claiming its first ever CIF divisional title Saturday afternoon after its 12-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22 victory over second-seeded Arrowhead Christian of Redlands. The boys’ basketball team already made history earlier this season, claiming the school’s first ever state championship.

It was the Eagles, however, who drew first blood, as they took the first set 25-12 behind eight kills by Pepperdine-bound Kaleb Denmark.

“We had to take him off his game somehow,” Damien setter Christian Hernandez said of how the team will defense Denmark. “The game plan was to use his teammates and make them make mistakes, frustrate him. Then maybe he would make some errors.”

Denmark recorded a game-high 24 kills, but it wasn’t enough, as the Spartans gathered all of its resolve and took the next three sets in convincing fashion. Christopher Mercado had 14 kills for the Spartans, six of which came in the pivot second set.

Although Damien lost the first set, it didn’t deter the team’s spirit.

“It would have been easy to (hang our heads),”Senior opposite Chris Jorritsma said. “But we’ve been through this before. In one of our first matches of the season we lost the first two and then won the next three. We remembered that and it brought back up our energy.”

Damien’s volleyball program is only five years old, but it has already qualified for the quarterfinals last year and won it all this year.

“To know that we started this, it’s great to know that we got it going,” Hernandez said. “We did this for the program, for the future.

Damien now faces Corona Del Mar, the Division 1 runner-up in the first round of the Southern California Championships Tuesday. First serve is at 7pm.