Santa Margarita’s 'Best Team Ever' Wants a CIF Title Too

They were the top two teams in arguably one of the best prep volleyball leagues in the country. They have been ranked in the top four in their section’s division nearly every week this season, and they have defeated each other soundly once on their home court in straight games. They are senior-dominated and player-driven, and they know each other and their game like the back of an open-handed kill shot.

Santa Margarita. Mater Dei. They are, this year, la crème de la crème.

They will clash for the fourth time this year on Saturday at Cypress College (7:30 p.m.). But the prize they're playing for has never been bigger: the 2011 CIF Southern Section Division 1 Boys Volleyball Championship.

The second-seeded Eagles (32-2) advanced to their fourth section final. They were undefeated in their previous three appearances, winning titles in 1997, '98 and 2001. Their last championship victory was a Division 3 victory over Mater Dei. Santa Margarita won that match in four games. But that was a decade ago.

Last year, the Eagles lost in the semifinals to Mira Costa in three games, but with all but one starter returning, they were the preseason favorites this season; however, they stumbled early against Mira Costa, losing to the Mustangs, 25-22, 25-22, in the Gold Division championship match of the Best of the West Invitational at Poway High.

Santa Margarita did win two tournament titles this year, the Orange County Invitational in March (beating Mater Dei, 2-0, in the semifinals), and the Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara in April. Both tournament final victories came over Newport Harbor. In the playoffs, the Eagles have defeated Alemany, No. 8 Redondo Union and No. 6 Thousand Oaks in the semifinals without dropping a game.

“It’s fantastic, obviously,” said Eagles coach Bryan Cottriel, who was a protégé of Newport’s Dan Glenn for nine years, then spent three years at Great Oak in Temecula before taking over both Santa Margarita's boys and girls volleyball programs last year. “To be on the spot we are in is exciting. The guys were a little tired Monday after going up to the coast last weekend, but we’ll be ready.”

The Eagles are led by two of the top bookend hitters in the county in seniors Ryan Baine and Spencer Buckley, with Mitch Vallis at opposite hitter and Evan Engel anchoring the middle at blocker. Best of all is Taylor Hammond, who most people believe is the best setter in the county this season.

“I’m sure they are excited to go in there Saturday and play before 3,000 people,” Cottriel said of his players. “Without a doubt, everything we’ve done up to this point is to prepare us for this game. We just have to go into the game and execute the way we want to.”

The Monarchs (27-3) were the last team to win a game against the Eagles, let alone defeat them, which they accomplished with a 3-0 sweep on May 5. Mater Dei was ranked No. 7 in the final Division 1 coaches' poll, but nobody has played better ball than the Monarchs and nobody had a tougher road to get to the finals, especially under a first-year coach in Adam Cutrell.

Before this season, Cutrell was the girls volleyball coach at Ocean View, taking the Seahawks to the section semifinal finals once. He also coached college ball, winning consecutive state championships at Orange Coach College (2006-07), club ball for the Surf City Girls Volleyball Club and a professionally for a women’s beach team on the AVP Tour. A boys volleyball title at Mater Dei certainly would give Cutrell another milestone in his young coaching career.

In the playoffs, Mater Dei easily defeated Huntington Beach, the county’s preseason favorite, and Crespi, but then upset No. 1 Mira Costa in a five-game quarterfinal and defeated Westlake in four games in the semifinals. This will be the Monarchs' first appearance in a section final since losing the Division 1 title to Westlake in 2009. Mater Dei has never won a title in three finals appearances, losing the Division 2 title match to Gahr in 2000 and the Division 3 title match to the Eagles in 2001.

Cottriel said he wasn’t surprised to see Mater Dei outlast Mira Costa, the top-ranked team in the Southern Section for most of the year.

“No, not at all,” he said. “When we lost to those guys in the last league game, they did some things better. When the bracket came out, I had so much confidence that Mater Dei could win. As far as our league goes, it’s the best in the country.”

To say these two Catholic school teams from the same league are similar would be a vast understatement. It also shows how the balance of power now rests in the Trinity League, and not just in football and basketball but in other sports as well.

Santa Margarita won its fourth consecutive league volleyball title this season, the first team to do so in school history. Add to that the fact that all were Trinity League titles, Cottriel said that this team is something special.

“Everybody added to this success,” he said. “It’s just special for this class, and for this school, to see it happen like this. They are going to go down in the history of the school as being the best team in history. I’m definitely going to miss these guys next year, but I look forward to the opportunity of coaching them one more time."

2011 Santa Margaria Varsity Roster

Number/Name/Height/Position/Grade

2  Matt Macdonald  6-7  Opposite/Setter  Sr.

3  Taylor Hammond  6-3  Setter  Sr.

5  Andrew Quirk  5-10  Libero  Sr.

6  Spencer Buckley  6-6  Outside Hitter  Sr.

8  Kevin Clark  6-1  Outside Hitter  Sr.

9  Michael Balce  6-3  Opposite/Middle Blocker  Sr.

14  Ryan Baine  6-5  Outside Hitter  Sr.

16  Matt Armstrong  5-11  Defensive Specialist  12

23  Evan Engel  6-7  Middle Blocker  Sr.

28  Mitch Vallis  6-5  Middle Blocker/Opposite  Jr.

Head Coach: Bryan Cottriel

Assistant: Nick Kolodziej

Assistant: Jade Tully

Assistant: Josh Tully

Assistant: Rich Parris

Strength: Mike Jacot

Team Manager: Charlie Hull