Volleyball Notebook: La Salle and Arcadia Gear Up for Season's Stretch Run

Volleyball teams around the San Gabriel Valley are back to league play after having a week off due to spring break. It’s time for the schools to start separating themselves from the pack as teams are looking to nag a top seed to get those pivotal home playoff games.

Arcadia

Last time we checked in with the Apaches, currently ranked No. 6 in the latest CIF-Southern Section Division 3 poll, they were still recovering from a tough home loss to Burroughs, ranked No. 1 in the same poll. However, they have since turned their game around, winning three straight as they enter an all-important rematch against Burroughs next week. On Wednesday, the Apaches (10-3, 2-1 in the Pacific League) easily knocked off Chatsworth in a non-league match 3-0, giving them much needed momentum.

But according to Arcadia coach Charles Freberg, the Apaches’ recent success was aided by weaker competition, and they’ll need to be on their A-game in order to take down Burroughs.

“We’ve won recently, but it wasn’t so much something we did as it was the level of our opponents,” Freberg said. “We need more offense out of our hitters in order to beat Burroughs. If we aren’t getting any good hits, it’s going to be very hard to win.”

Arcadia’s big match at Burroughs is set for 3:30 p.m. next Wednesday.

La Salle

The Lancers (13-6) were cruising in Del Rey League play before they ran into an unexpected roadblock against Cathedral last week. La Salle has since bounced back with a 3-0 win over Bosco Tech and will be looking to win out the rest of the season to jump ahead of Cathedral for the league title.

La Salle, ranked No. 8 in Division 4, entered Friday with a 4-1 league record, while Cathedral sat a half game behind at 3-1. The Lancers have three more league games left on their schedule, including a season finale matchup against Cathedral on May 2 at 6 p.m.

“Our league is pretty tough, and yes winning league is a big goal for us, but it doesn't stop there,” La Salle coach Ben Diaz said. “My guys want more than just the league championship, they want to go the distance. That is what we are working for right now.”

La Salle has a home game against Bishop Amat on Monday at 5 p.m. and then travels to No. 9 Bishop Montgomery for a Wednesday match at 6:30 p.m.

South Pasadena

Two weeks ago, South Pasadena coach Todd Terzian went on the record saying that his team was better than its record indicated. Now, he looks like a prophet as the Tigers have won two straight league games, including an impressive 3-2 win at La Canada.

Terzian said the game against the Spartans featured a very important turning point for his squad.

“I think it was around 18-18 in the fourth set. We were down 2-1, and we needed a big point. We got a great block on a long point, and we were fired up,” Terzian said. “I told the kids that that may have been the turning point of the year.”

Terzian and his squad carried that momentum into a 3-0 win over San Marino on Thursday. The Tigers were dominant on the serve and at the net, especially Robert Adamson, who led his team with 20 kills. The Tigers will take a break from league play next week when they travel to San Gabriel for a 3:30 p.m. matchup on Tuesday before back-to-back games with Gabrielino on Friday and April 26.

San Marino

The San Marino Titans have yet to find their groove as they have stumbled out to a 0-3 record in the Rio Hondo League. The latest setback was a 3-0 loss to South Pasadena.

The match was closer then it appeared, as San Marino scored 21, 22 and 23 points in each set respectfully. Coach Mariana Montes says the Titans needs to find its identity.

“It’s been weird we’ve played well against tougher teams and yet we can’t seem to bring it for the teams we should beat,” Montes said. “We just need to get back to fundamentals, good hitting, good passing, all that stuff. If we can do that we should be fine.”

The Titans will have five days to prep for a home game against league opponent Gabrielino on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Flintridge Prep

Flintridge Prep  hopes its 3-0 win over Webb on Thursday shook off the cobwebs from a three-game losing streak that included two losses against Prep League foes Chadwick and Pasadena Poly. The Rebels’ win over Webb was also their first win in the month of April.

Flintridge Prep will look to get back to .500 in league next Tuesday at Rio Hondo Prep before hosting Chadwick next Thursday.

Crescenta Valley

Crescenta Valley (6-8, 1-1 in the Pacific League) is nearly at the end of its 14-day break since its last game, a 3-0 loss to non-league opponent Alemany. The Falcons will have a big test on their hands on Friday, as they host CIF power Burroughs. The Falcons have a 4-1 home record, and are hoping that advantage will help them against Burroughs.

Kevin Taylor's "Boys Volleyball Notebook" appears weekly across all Patch sites in and around the San Gabriel Valley.