2011 Match Stories
By Dave Loveton, sports information
Monday, April 18 -- State quarterfinal: Irvine Valley at SBCC, 6 p.m. Irvine Valley def. SBCC 3-0 Final record: 9-9
Vaqueros swept in State quarterfinal
Hertlein has 17 kills in season finale
Irvine Valley got hot at the end of each set Monday night to sweep SBCC out of the
state men’s volleyball playoffs in a quarterfinal match at the Sports Pavilion.
Brando Directo, a 5-9 outside hitter with great leaping ability, led the Lasers (13-6)
to the 25-22, 26-24, 25-22 victory. Irvine, the No. 3 team from the Pacific Coast
Athletic Conference, outscored the Vaqueros 5-2 at the end of the first set, 4-1 in
the second and 7-2 in the third after Santa Barbara had forged a 20-18 advantage.
Sophomores Justin Hertlein and Kyle Benskin topped SBCC (9-9) with 17 and 11 kills,
respectively.
“We didn’t pass as well as we usually do but we can’t say that was the only thing,”
said Hertlein, a 6-4 opposite. “They played really, really well. They swung the ball
in, they dug a lot of balls and they served well.
“Every time we had a run, we’d have a little hiccup or a call didn’t go our way.”
Benskin had 11 kills on 13 attempts with no errors for a scintillating .846 hitting
percentage. “Cody Zoesch, our big middle, was battling bronchitis yesterday and today
and he still finished with four kills and four stuff blocks,” noted first-year coach
Armen Zakarian.
Hertlein and Benskin had three blocks apiece and Jacob Jenkins made 10 digs.
Following a 5-2 run in the second set, SBCC took a 23-22 lead when Kaahukane Leite-Ah
Yo slammed an overpass. But the Lasers scored the last three points to take a 2-0
lead in the best-of-5 sets.
“The guys played unbelievable tonight,” said Zakarian. “Irvine came out with a lot
of focus and they didn’t make many mistakes.
“You don’t stop a player like No. 4 (Directo), you just try to stop the guys around
him. We’ve been doing a good job of that all season. He didn’t beat us all that much
at the end of games. They had to earn it.
“Could we have limited some of the errors we made? Absolutely. When they got sets
they didn’t like, they put the ball in the court. When we got sets we didn’t like,
we tried to do something amazing with it and we ended up hitting balls out.”
SBCC won five straight matches near the end of the year to earn its first playoff
berth in three years.
“We’re happy with how this season went,” said Hertlein. “Armen is a really good coach
and we got a lot better this year. He taught us a lot and it was a great experience.”
Zakarian, a former SBCC and UCSB star, will lose four sophomore starters off a squad
that went 6-4 in the WSC and handed Long Beach its first conference loss in 29 matches.
“We’re losing some guys but if you build it, they will come,” he said. “I’ve already
got some ridiculous recruits who’ve been watching us play this year and seen what
we’ve been doing.”
Friday, April 15 -- SBCC at Moorpark, 6 p.m. Moorpark def. SBCC 3-0 Records: 9-8, 6-4 WSC (2nd place)
Moorpark sweeps Vaqueros
SBCC plays mostly reserves in WSC finale
With a lineup that featured many reserves, SBCC fell 3-0 at Moorpark in its WSC men’s
volleyball finale on Friday night. The scores were 25-17, 26-24, 25-21.
The Vaqueros (9-8, 6-4) had already wrapped up second place in the WSC race going
into Friday‘s match. SBCC will host Irvine Valley on Monday at 6 p.m. in a Southern
Cal Regional playoff at the Sports Pavilion.
“All our guys needed rest and we had a few minor injuries,” explained coach Armen
Zakarian. “We started four different guys, including our backup setter Jared Lincoln.
They all played great and we had set point at 24-23 in the second set.”
Brock Skriloff had eight kills and Logan Wais contributed seven kills and six digs.
Kyle Benskin had six kills and five stuff blocks. Libero Juan Reyes had a team-high
eight digs.
Wednesday, April 13 -- Santa Monica at SBCC, 6 p.m. Santa Monica def. SBCC 3-1 Records: 9-7, 6-3
Santa Monica downs Vaqueros 3-1
Five-match winning streak halted
SBCC dropped a tight first set on Wednesday night in its regular-season men’s volleyball
home finale and never recovered in a 3-1 setback to Santa Monica. The scores were
25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22.
Justin Hertlein had 18 kills, hit .306 and recorded five blocks for the second-place
Vaqueros (9-7, 6-3 WSC), who had their five-match winning streak snapped. Kyle Benskin
had 12 kills and hit .556 while 6-7 middle Cody Zoesch hit .500 with no errors and
four blocks.
That trio was part of a seven-player sophomore class that was honored before the
match.
SBCC was coming off a stirring 3-2 upset at Long Beach City last Wednesday. Santa
Monica (5-11, 3-6) also beat Long Beach, giving the Corsairs wins over the top two
WSC teams in the last six days.
“We couldn’t get the ball to our middles,” said first-year SBCC coach Armen Zakarian.
“We couldn’t pass the ball and they were serving tough, which is exactly what they
did to beat Long Beach.
“This was probably our worst defensive match of the year. We didn’t have any kind
of pursuit. … It was tough to watch but you can‘t be perfect every game.”
Despite the loss, SBCC clinched the No. 2 spot in the WSC and will host a Southern
Cal Regional match on Monday, April 18 at 6 p.m. They’ll face the third-place team
from the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, most likely Irvine Valley.
Santa Barbara could still tie for the WSC title if it wins at Moorpark on Friday
and Long Beach loses at L.A. Pierce.
There were 12 ties in the first set before the Corsairs scored the final five points
to pull out the 25-22 win. SBCC bolted to leads of 9-1 and 20-9 in the second set
before winning 25-18.
Santa Monica regained the momentum in the third set, jumping ahead 9-5 and 14-7 before
Hertlein scored two straight points on a kill and a roof block. The Vaqueros got as
close as three points (21-18) on the way to a four-point loss.
SBCC led 14-13 in the fourth set on a re-directed kill by Benskin but the visitors
went on a late 5-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. The Vaqueros cut the deficit to one (23-22)
before the Corsairs closed out the match.
“I don’t have an answer for you tonight,” said Zakarian. “It was definitely an oddity
in my eyes.”
Wednesday, April 6 -- SBCC at Long Beach, 6 p.m. SBCC def. Long Beach 3-2 Records: 9-6, 6-2
Vaqueros stun 1st-place Long Beach
SBCC ends Vikings’ 29-match WSC win streak
SBCC rallied from a 2-1 deficit Wednesday night to shock Long Beach City 3-2 in a
men’s volleyball match at Long Beach. The scores were 17-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-12,
15-13.
It was the first WSC loss for the Vikings (11-3, 6-1) this year and snapped their
29-match win streak that started three years ago. Long Beach, which had won 10 straight
overall, had only lost two sets in six WSC matches this year.
Justin Hertlein had 17 kills and seven digs for the Vaqueros (9-6, 6-2 WSC), who
won their fifth straight to move with a half-game of first place. Justin Carroll and
Kyle Benskin added 11 kills apiece and Michael Naki had nine kills and 11 digs.
“Everyone played spectacular,” said first-year coach Armen Zakarian. “Our game plan
was to take away their outsides and force them to hit into the heart of our defense.
We executed it perfectly.”
Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo had 49 assists and Jacob Jenkins contributed eight digs. Hertlein,
Benskin and Ah Yo each had three block assists.
The Vaqueros, who fell to Long Beach 3-0 on March 19, rallied from a 20-17 deficit
to win the second set and dominated the fourth. In the fifth set, they scored seven
straight points and built a 13-8 lead on an ace by Ah Yo. They capped the upset on
kills by Hertlein and Naki.
“We came out completely inspired in the fourth game and they were deflated,” said
Zakarian. “We were ahead 23-11 and that’s unheard of against a team like Long Beach.
It was a great overall team effort. We got a few key serving runs from Morgan Youngs
and Logan Wais.
“The guys are believing. I told them when I got here that we could get back in the
playoffs and we took a big step in that direction tonight.”
The Vaqueros will host Santa Monica in their final regular-season home match on Wednesday
at 6 p.m.
Friday, April 1 -- SBCC at El Camino, 6 p.m. SBCC def. El Camino 3-0 Records: 8-6, 5-2 WSC (2nd place)
Vaqueros register first sweep
Benskin hits .833 in fourth straight win
Kyle Benskin had 10 kills and hit .833 on Friday to lead SBCC to its first men’s
volleyball sweep of the year -- a 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 decision over El Camino in Torrance.
Justin Hertlein had a team-high 14 kills and matched Benskin in blocks with two.
The Vaqueros (8-6, 5-2) won their fourth straight match and took sole possession of
second place in the Western State Conference.
“That was our best match of the year,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “The boys are playing
with a lot of confidence.”
Justin Carroll and Jacob Jenkins each had six digs for Santa Barbara while Michael
Naki had five digs and two blocks.
“We started out fast and took them out of their rhythm,” Zakarian stated. “Our middles
were huge the whole night.”
The Vaqueros travel to first-place Long Beach on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 30 -- L.A. Pierce at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC def. Pierce 3-1 Records: 7-6, 4-2
Hertlein sparks 3-1 Vaquero win
They avenge road loss to L.A. Pierce
Justin Hertlein collected 18 kills, three blocks and a season-high seven digs Wednesday
night to guide SBCC to a 3-1 men's volleyball victory over L.A. Pierce at the Sports
Pavilion. The scores were 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19.
“We came out with a lot of fire in Games 1 and 2,” said Hertlein, a 6-5 sophomore
opposite who recorded a .419 hitting percentage. “We eased off a little bit in Game
3 but we bounced back in Game 4.”
The Vaqueros (7-6, 4-2 WSC) won for the third straight time and fourth in five matches.
On March 9 in Woodland Hills, they lost a 2-1 lead over Pierce (8-5, 3-3) and dropped
a 3-2 decision in the conference opener.
“We’re a completely different team with a different lineup in different positions,”
Hertlein said. “That was our first conference match and we hadn’t gotten our team
dynamic together yet. Now that we know what we’re doing and it was a little harder
for them to push back against us.
“I feel like we overwhelmed them in some rotations.”
Kyle Benskin had 11 kills and hit .625 while Justin Carroll had 12 kills and hit
.388. Cody Zoesch added five kills, three blocks and a .400 hitting percentage.
SBCC missed its first three serves in the first set but still managed to win 25-22.
Pierce had six serving errors in the opener, including five in a row late in the contest.
In the fourth set, the Vaqueros used a 7-1 run to open a 15-9 lead. Hertlein had a
kill and a service ace in the run.
Carroll capped the victory with a solo block.
“Our hitting was off the charts today,” said Vaquero coach Armen Zakarian. “We’re
developing consistency and we‘re starting to believe in ourselves. We were up 2-1
at Pierce and we lost 15-11 in the fifth game. There’s no doubt that was on our minds.
We weren’t going to give away another 2-1 lead.”
SBCC travels to El Camino on Friday.
Friday, March 25 -- Moorpark at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC def. Moorpark 3-1 Records: 6-6, 3-2 WSC
Vaqueros down Moorpark 3-1
Hertlein has 14 kills vs. defending state champs
Justin Hertlein racked up 14 kills, five blocks and three aces on Friday night, helping
SBCC defeat Moorpark 3-1 in a WSC men’s volleyball match at the Sports Pavilion. The
scores were 25-21, 26-24, 21-25, 25-22.
“We blocked well in all the games,” said Hertlein, one of seven sophomores on the
Vaquero roster. “At the end of Game 4, we stopped making errors. We played our style
of volleyball, then they fell into our game and we ended up finishing.”
The Vaqueros (6-6, 3-2 WSC) posted their second straight win and third in four matches.
Moorpark, the defending state champion, fell to 5-7 and 1-4. The Raiders have just
two sophomores and one, 6-7 Erik Jansen, led all hitters with 16 kills.
SBCC trailed 18-16 in the fourth set and coach Armen Zakarian thought about calling
timeout but his assistant, Eric Vincent, told him to stay the course.
“He got me to calm down and believe in what the guys can do,” said Zakarian, a former
Vaquero star who‘s in his first year as head coach. “I’m young and sometimes I get
emotionally involved just like my team.”
Justin Carroll and Michael Naki added eight kills apiece while 6-7 Cody Zoesch had
five kills and six blocks. Carroll ended the first and third sets with kills off the
block. Naki reacted quickly to make an amazing dig with his right foot early in the
second set.
Jacob Jenkins had 17 digs and Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo delivered 43 assists.
Trailing 18-17 in the fourth set, Morgan Youngs came off the bench and served three
straight points to put the Vaqueros on top 20-18. Zoesch had a roof block and Ah Yo
made a clever dump shot.
The Vaqueros rallied from a 21-20 deficit with a 5-1 closing run. Zoesch and Naki
recorded kills to make it 24-22 and the match ended on a Raider hitting error.
SBCC plays host to L.A. Pierce on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 23 -- SBCC at Santa Monica, 6 p.m. SBCC def. Santa Monica 3-1 Records: 5-6, 2-2
Benskin, Hertlein spark road victory
They combine for 30 kills in 3-1 win
Kyle Benskin pounded 15 kills with a .650 hitting percentage Wednesday night to guide
SBCC to a 3-1 WSC win at Santa Monica. Justin Hertlein also had 15 kills and Justin
Carroll contributed 10 in the 20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-22 triumph.
Cody Zoesch had seven kills and five blocks and Benskin collected three blocks for
the Vaqueros (5-6, 2-2).
“Our middles were stellar and that starts with our passing, which was excellent,”
said coach Armen Zakarian. “Santa Monica was fired up in the first game but we were
all business in Game 2.”
Jacob Jenkins had 12 digs and setter Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo had 51 assists.
Michael Naki provided a spark off the bench with three kills, five digs and two key
stuff blocks. Morgan Youngs, a sophomore from Carpinteria High, was a solid server
with one ace and eight serves that led to poor passes.
Youngs served seven straight points in the second set, stretching the lead to 19-11.
.
SBCC returns home to take on Moorpark on Friday at 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 -- Long Beach at SBCC, 6 p.m. Long Beach def. SBCC 3-0 Records: 4-6, 1-2
Long Beach sweeps Vaqueros
New lineup nearly wins second set
A superior performance in the second set wasn’t enough for SBCC on Saturday night
as Long Beach swept the Vaqueros 3-0 in a WSC match at the Sports Pavilion. The scores
were 25-17, 28-26, 25-17.
Coach Armen Zakarian inserted three different starters in the second set and the
Vaqueros (4-6, 1-2) responded with a top-notch effort. “Our starters came out flat
(in the first set) and were playing as individuals,” explained Zakarian. “I put a
different lineup out there and they brought some major energy and gave us a spark.”
With Brock Skriloff, Logan Wais and Juan Reyes in the lineup, SBCC built a 19-15
lead and fought off two set points before creating a set point of their own (26-25)
on a kill by Cody Zoesch.
The taller Vikings (9-2, 4-0) reeled off three straight points, however, to take
the set and built a 16-9 lead in the third set on the way to their eighth straight
win. Devon Taylor led LBCC with 14 kills.
There were 19 ties and 11 lead changes in the entertaining second set.
“Wais has been out the last 3-4 weeks with a back strain and we’re trying to work
him back in there,“ said Zakarian. “It was great to see that group play so well. They
earned some playing time.
“Our serve receive was awful tonight. If we can‘t pass the ball well, then our middle
blockers will only get six kills combined and that‘s not where we want to be.”
Justin Hertlein had seven kills and Skriloff added six for SBCC, which had trouble
hitting against a taller Viking lineup that featured players standing 6-6, 6-8 and
6-9. Zoesch had four stuff blocks.
“Long Beach is the best team in conference and they haven’t lost a conference match
in several years,” Zakarian noted.
The Vaqueros travel to Santa Monica on Wednesday before returning home to take on
defending state champion Moorpark on Friday.
Friday, March 11 -- El Camino at SBCC, 6 p.m. SBCC def. El Camino 3-2 Records: 4-5, 1-1 WSC
Hertlein guides Vaqueros past Warriors
Sophomore has 19 kills in 3-2 triumph
The third time was the charm for the SBCC men’s volleyball squad.
The Vaqueros played their third straight five-game match on Friday night at the Sports
Pavilion and finally got a win, beating El Camino 3-2 (29-27, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25,
15-11) for their first WSC victory.
Justin Hertlein had 19 kills and four blocks for the Vaqueros (4-5, 1-1), who were
playing just their second home match and first in more than a month.
“After two straight five-game matches, we decided we were going to finish this one
at home and that’s what we did,” said Hertlein, a 6-5 sophomore from Castro Valley.
“We dug a lot of balls in the fifth set and we scored in transition. Plus, our blocking
was good all night.”
Justin Carroll added 16 kills and hit .366 while Kyle Benskin had 11 kills and eight
blocks. Cody Zoesch, a 6-8 middle blocker, added six blocks. Setter Kaahukane Leite-Ah
Yo had 56 assists and seven blocks.
“This was one of our best blocking and digging performance of the year,“ said coach
Armen Zakarian. “And when we made those digs, we were able to transition into attacks.”
Jacob Jenkins had 16 digs, Michael Naki contributed 15, Carroll had 12 and Ah Yo
had 10.
SBCC broke a 9-9 tie in the fifth set by closing with a 6-2 run. Zoesch had two blocks
in the run, including a combined block with Hertlein on the right side to make it
14-11.
The Warriors (4-4, 0-1) hit long on match point.
“I told the guys before the fifth game that we’re going to break through,” said Zakarian.
“I talked to them about keeping the faith and just believing in what we do and what
we’re running as a team.
“We weren’t afraid to take swings in the last game. I don’t think we missed a single
serve in the fifth game and that was huge.”
Santa Barbara overcame a 20-16 deficit in the first set with a 10-5 scoring burst
that put them ahead 26-25. A kill by Benskin gave the Vaqueros their fourth set point
at 28-27 and El Camino hit wide to end it.
SBCC will play three of its next four at home, starting on Saturday, March 19 against
defending WSC champion Long Beach City.
Wednesday, March 9 -- SBCC at L.A. Pierce, 7 p.m. Pierce def. SBCC 3-2 Records: 3-5, 0-1
Pierce edges Vaqueros in WSC opener
Naki, Carroll lead SBCC with 14 kills
SBCC let a 2-1 lead slip away on Wednesday night as L.A. Pierce rallied for a 3-2
victory in a WSC opener at Woodland Hills. The scores were 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 25-21,
15-11.
“Pierce is a tough team at home and we were right there with them,” said coach Armen
Zakarian. “We’re right on the verge of breaking through.”
It was the second straight 3-2 loss for the Vaqueros (3-5, 0-1), who were led by
Michael Naki and Justin Carroll with 14 kills apiece. Justin Hertlein added 13 and
Kyle Benskin had 10. Benskin hit .418 and Carroll finished at .407.
Jacob Jenkins had 14 digs and a 2.35 passer rating (on a scale of 3.0). Setter Kaahukane
Leite-Ah Yo handed out 59 assists.
Hertlein finished off the third set with two straight kills. “We didn’t want to start
slow in the fourth set, then we fell behind 5-0,” said Zakarian.
In the fifth set, Pierce (6-2, 1-0) scored four straight points to get to match point
at 14-9. The Vaqueros answered with two straight before the Brahmas got the final
point.
SBCC will play its first home match in 4 1/2 weeks and just its second of the season
on Friday when El Camino comes to the Sports Pavilion for a 6 p.m. contest.
Friday, Feb. 25 -- SBCC at Golden West, 2:30 p.m. Golden West def. SBCC 3-2 Record: 3-4
SBCC drops a close one, 3-2
Benskin hits .833 in loss at Golden West
After losing the first two sets on Friday afternoon, SBCC captured the next two before
coming up short in a 3-2 nonconference loss to Golden West in Huntington Beach. The
scores were 25-21, 29-27, 21-25, 20-25, 15-12.
“The second set was really close and we should have won that one,” said first-year
coach Armen Zakarian. “The guys fought hard and did a great job of coming back.”
Kyle Benskin had 15 kills and hit a sparkling .833 with no errors for the Vaqueros
(3-4). Justin Hertlein added 14 kills with a .388 percentage and Justin Carroll contributed
11 kills. Benskin recorded five blocks and Carroll had three.
Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo had 48 assists and Juan Reyes had two timely service aces.
The Vaqueros open Western State Conference play on March 9 at L.A. Pierce.
Wednesday, Feb. 23 -- SBCC at Irvine Valley, 6 p.m. Irvine Valley def. SBCC 3-0 Record: 3-3
Irvine Valley sweeps Vaqueros
Justin Hertlein and Kyle Benskin had nine kills each Wednesday night but it wasn’t
enough for SBCC, which dropped a 3-0 men’s volleyball decision at Irvine Valley. The
Vaqueros, playing their first match in 11 days, fell 25-23, 25-21, 25-16.
“We played pretty well but Irvine is a stellar team,” said assistant coach Eric Vincent.
“They were excellent tonight.”
Benskin hit .615 and Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo had two blocks for the Vaqueros (3-3).
SBCC travels to Huntington Beach on Friday to take on Golden West.
Saturday, Feb. 12 -- At Santa Monica College: SBCC def. Palomar 3-1;SBCC def. San Diego City by forfeit Record: 3-2
Vaqueros get two victories
San Diego City forfeits second match
Kyle Benskin collected 12 kills in SBCC’s first match on Saturday, leading the Vaquero
men’s volleyball team past Palomar 25-20, 24-26, 25-19, 25-20 in a nonconference match
at Santa Monica College. The Vaqueros dropped their second match, falling to San Diego
City 25-22, 25-15, 25-19.
SBCC (3-2) was later awarded a forfeit win due to an ineligible player who competed
for San Diego City.
“We’re getting a ton better and we got to see everybody play today,” said coach Armen
Zakarian.
Cody Zoesch had 10 kills and hit .625 in the first match and Justin Hertlein also
produced 10 kills. Logan Wais had five blocks with Zoesch and Benskin getting four
each.
Setter Kaahukane Leite-Ah Yo had 46 assists and four kills.
Benskin and Brock Skriloff had five kills apiece against San Diego Mesa. Michael
Naki’s passing was solid all day.
The Vaqueros travel to Irvine Valley on Feb. 23.
Tuesday, Feb. 8 -- Orange Coast at SBCC, 7 p.m. Orange Coast def. SBCC 3-1 Record: 1-2
Orange Coast spoils home debut
Pirates rally to beat Vaqueros 3-1
After winning the first set Tuesday night, SBCC couldn’t hold late leads in the last
three sets and fell to Orange Coast 3-1 in a men’s volleyball match at the Sports
Pavilion. The scores were 21-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23.
The Vaqueros (1-2) led the opening set 19-15 and 23-19 before setter Kaahukane Leite-Ah
Yo ended it with a solo block. Orange Coast (2-0), last year’s state runner-up, outscored
the home team 7-2, 6-2 and 4-1 to end the final three sets, respectively.
Justin Hertlein had 16 kills and Logan Wais added 13 with a .417 hitting percentage.
Wais also had 11 digs and two blocks.
It was the only home appearance for SBCC in the first six weeks of the season.
“We’re a young team and as talented as we are, the lineup we used tonight has only
had one practice together,” said coach Armen Zakarian. “Our middles played well but
they were facing some tough middles from OCC, who really set the tempo.
“We need to be mentally tougher down the stretch.”
Zakarian praised the play of Hertlein and Kyle Benskin, along with Leite-Ah Yo. “That
was one of Kaahukane’s best matches at SBCC,” said Zakarian.
SBCC will play a neutral-site doubleheader on Saturday at Santa Monica against Palomar
(11:30 a.m.) and San Diego City (4:30 p.m.).
Saturday, Feb. 5 -- At Palomar: SBCC vs. Grossmont, 9 a.m. Grossmont def. SBCC 3-0; SBCC vs. San Diego Mesa, 2 p.m. SBCC def. San Diego Mesa 3-1 Record: 1-1
Vaqueros split doubleheader
They get first win over San Diego Mesa
After dropping a 3-0 decision to Grossmont in the morning, SBCC downed San Diego Mesa
3-1 to give new coach Armen Zakarian his first win in a non-conference men’s volleyball
doubleheader at Palomar.
Grossmont won the first match 25-23, 25-13, 25-15 and the Vaqueros (1-1) topped the
Olympians in the afternoon affair 25-15, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19.
Justin Hertlein had 16 kills and five blocks on the day while Kyle Benskin added
14 kills, five blocks and a .346 hitting percentage. Logan Wais had 13 kills and matched
6-7 Cody Zoesch in blocks with four.
Michael Naki had a 2.32 passing efficiency (out of 3.0) and Brock Skriloff finished
at 2.19.
“It was a learning experience for the guys,” said Zakarian. “We faced a fast offense
in Grossmont, then we put it together against a tough San Diego Mesa team.”
SBCC will make its home debut on Tuesday against Orange Coast at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 29 -- Long Beach Invitational.
Vaqueros take 9th at Long Beach
Wais has 41 kills in 10 sets
SBCC opened its men’s volleyball season with a ninth-place finish at the 12-team
Long Beach Invitational.
The Vaqueros went 0-3 in pool play, then defeated Hope International 25-23 in the
first round of the consolation playoffs. In the semifinals, they led L.A. Pierce 24-21
before dropping a 28-26 decision.
Logan Wais had 41 kills and hit .329 in 10 sets. Middle blocker Cody Zoesch had 25
kills and a .581 hitting percentage while Kyle Benskin collected 17 kills and hit
.485.
Long Beach went 5-0 and won the 12-team tourney, beating Orange Coast 25-22 in the
final.
The Vaqueros will take on Grossmont and San Diego Mesa on Saturday at Palomar College.
