CAMARILLO — In a back-and-forth match, the Camarillo and Edison boys volleyball teams each gave it everything they had, trying to come out on top in the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals Saturday night.
Both teams had hot and slow stretches, and the match came down to a few points in the fifth set.
Edison was stronger at the end and finished off Camarillo for the victory, 24-26, 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9, and a spot in the championship game.
“The fifth set, we just came out, that was the best set that we played,” Edison coach Trent Jackson said. “And we blocked a ton of balls. I’m happy to get out of here with a win.
“That’s a very good (Camarillo) volleyball team, and I’m just happy for our guys.”
Edison (20-14) advances to face Orange Lutheran in the Division 2 final. The date, time and location of the match will be announced by the CIF-SS on Monday.
The Chargers’ length played a factor throughout the match, especially on the front line. Each time Camarillo (28-5) went up for a kill, Edison senior Brent Benson and sophomore Shane Wright met them. Other players contributed to the efforts, but those two were consistently altering shots.
Throughout the match, the length bothered Camarillo to a point that their hitters had to alter how they’d attack the two. It led to softer touches or different angles.
In the final set, Benson had two blocks and Wright had one.
“I do think we blocked pretty well tonight,” Jackson said. “I think if there was a difference in how we won, our blocking (was the difference). I think we blocked more balls.”
In the playoffs, role players often to play a big part for teams that make championship runs. For Edison, junior Hayden Pham was a difference-maker throughout the match.
During the third set, he came in with the set tied at 6-6. The Chargers went on a run to take a 12-6 lead with him in the game. His serves, digs and ability to produce longer rallies were evident throughout the match.
“Hayden is super fiery, and I did tell him before the match, ‘Hey, be ready to go tonight,’ because he doesn’t normally play all that much,” Jackson said. “He’s been playing great in practice the last two weeks, and he’s just fearless … He was a spark.”
Senior Stanley Filiaga was the driving force of the Scorpions’ offense. But late in the third set, he went up for a kill and misplayed the ball, leaving it short. It led to the Chargers winning the third set.
Fillaga, looking disappointed, immediately put his head down.
Filiaga came out in the fourth set like he wanted to make up for his mistake. He had five kills and a block in the fourth set, helping his team win it 25-20.
“(Filiaga) loves high-pressure situations,” Camarillo head coach Stephen Zavala said. “I would say, ‘Hey, tone it down a bit.’ And he’s like, ‘No coach. I want, I want the smoke. I want it.’ He’s just that animal and an amazing athlete overall. He’s just aggressive. He goes high, he jumps, he’s a full package.”
Jackson said he’s excited about seeing his team take on Orange Lutheran in the finals.
“We were fifth place in the Sunset League, and we were like sitting at .500 going into the Redondo tournament at the end of the year,” Jackson said. “We got some wins in that (tournament), and then we beat Los (Alamitos) at the end to guarantee ourselves a spot in the playoffs. Because of getting fifth, we ended up in Division 2, where we have a chance.”