Boys volleyball league title races are heating up all over the CIF Southern and L.A. City sections.
About a month of the regular season remains before the best teams in the area head into the postseason. Tough league battles and tournaments lie ahead for nearly every team.
West Ranch returns to Foothill League action, where it remains unbeaten, on Tuesday with a home match against Golden Valley. The Wildcats (16-4, 5-0) are coming off a seventh-place finish in the La Jolla Tournament, where senior Noah Douphner was named to the all-tournament team.
“I am very pleased about where we are as a team right now,” West Ranch head coach Brandon Johnson said. “We are a very different team than the one that won CIF last season and we are still trying to figure out the exact way to fit all the puzzle pieces together. While we work that out, we are banking on our experience to carry us through and the boys are finding plenty of success.”
Just behind the Wildcats is Canyon, hot off a busy week with four wins — including a five-set victory over Valencia. Canyon took the match, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-7, for the program’s first win over Valencia in three seasons. The Cowboys will aim for their fifth straight win in a league battle Tuesday at Hart while Valencia hosts Quartz Hill.
Burroughs, Burbank ready for rivalry match
Also coming out of La Jolla tournament play is Burroughs, which will retake the court for a rivalry game against Burbank on Thursday. The Bears took losses in the La Jolla tournament from Scripps Ranch and La Costa Canyon, two of the best teams in the San Diego Section.
Burroughs (12-4, 3-0) is the last undefeated team in the Pacific League but has some tough tests on the horizon with Arcadia and round two with Crescenta Valley coming up. The Bears will first have a nonleague contest with Westlake on Tuesday. Westlake (7-4, 3-0) has won four straight matches and remains atop the Marmonte League standings.
Chatsworth stays atop West Valley League
In the City Section, Chatsworth continues its dominance in the West Valley League. The Chancellors (15-6, 3-0) defeated Birmingham and Taft in straight sets last week. Junior Noa Beauregard registered 13 kills and a pair of blocks for the Chancellors while teammate Grant Chand totaled 10 kills, six blocks and three aces against the Toreadors.
Chatsworth has faced numerous challenges this season. Senior Chase Dunn is one of several players dealing with an injury. The senior captain suffered a knee injury in the preseason and will likely miss the year. Middle blocker Taj Unuakhalu has missed some time this season but is hoping to return to the lineup this week. The 6-foot-9 middle will be vital for Chatsworth’s campaign to repeat West Valley League, CIF Southern Section and state championships.
More City Section updates
Kennedy took sole control of the Valley Mission League on Wednesday with a five-set win over Van Nuys. The Cougars trailed 2-1 before rallying late and winning the fifth game 15-13 for the team’s second straight five-set win. Kennedy heads to Reseda on Wednesday while Van Nuys takes on Canoga Park. Panorama has lost to both Kennedy and Van Nuys in five sets and will likely be in the mix for a league title in the coming weeks. …
Valley Academy of Arts and Science continued its perfect campaign last week with Valley League straight-set wins over Northridge Academy and Vaughn. The Vipers (8-0, 5-0) will look to keep it going this week with league battles against Fulton and Sherman Oaks CES. …
Over in the East Valley League, Grant sits in the driver’s seat after it handed Sun Valley Poly its first loss of the season last week. The Lancers won the league battle 25-12, 25-17, 25-21. Grant makes stops at Verdugo Hills and Sylmar this week while Poly looks to bounce back against Monroe.