NEWS

Grossmont Ends Warriors Season For 2nd Straight Year

April 17, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Hunter Hovland had 18 kills and 18 digs but the Warriors could not finish off visiting Grossmont, falling 25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 9-15 in the 1st Round of the CCCAA Men’s Volleyball Regionals Tuesday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Trevor Butler chipped in with 17 kills, Kevin Burrell added 12 kills and five blocks and Joseph Tanuvasa dished out 58 assists to go along with 11 digs for the Warriors (12-6). Brandon Hiehle led the defense with 21 digs. 

It was the second straight season in which the Warriors fell to the Griffins in the first round, losing in four sets last season at Grossmont. It was also the second time this season the Warriors lost a five-set match to the Griffins, the first time coming on Feb. 22 at Grossmont. The Warriors finished the season with a 3-2 record in five-set matches, both losses coming at the hands of the Griffins. 

The Warriors jumped out to a two-set lead, but both sets were incredibly close. The Warriors trailed for the majority of the first set before tying the score 19-19. Then, with the score tied 23-23, Butler blasted two consecutive kills to give the Warriors the early lead. 

In the second set, the teams were tied 13 times, but the Warriors were able to maintain a two-point cushion for much of the second half of the frame. They led 22-20 when Burrell and Hovland slammed consecutive kills to take a four-point lead, their largest at any point during the match. But the Griffins continued to scrap, reeling off three straight points before sophomore Shalamar Buchanan’s serve went straight into the net to put the Warriors one set away from advancing to the semifinals. 

From that point on, it was all Griffins. With the Griffins trailing 13-12 in the second set, Buchanan put his team on his back, hammering three consecutive kills and then topped it off with an ace to give them a 16-13 lead. The Warriors would get no closer for the rest of the set and the Griffins cut their deficit in half. 

Then, with the score tied 11-11 in the fourth set, the Griffins ran off 10 of the next 15 points to take a 21-16 lead to seize control of the frame and eventually send the match to a deciding fifth set. 

The Griffins scored the first four points in the final frame and seven of the first nine points to take a commanding lead and they cruised to victory from there. 

Buchanan finished the match with 15 kills, Nathaniel Allen added 13 kills and setter Shane Beatty had 46 assists for the Griffins, who lost in the state title game last year to Irvine Valley.

Warriors Close Out Season With Five Set Win Over Pierce

April 11, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Hunter Hovland had 13 kills, including three in the final set, to go along with 13 digs and three aces to lead the Warriors to a 21-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory Wednesday in a Western State Conference match at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Trevor Butler chipped in with 10 kills, 10 digs and three aces and Joseph Tanuvasa had 37 assists. Kevin Burrell had a magnificent night on the defensive end with 11 blocks. 

The No. 2 Warriors (12-5, 7-3) snapped their only losing streak of the season, a two-game skid with losses at Santa Barbara and Long Beach last week, but the win did not come easy. They dropped the first set at home for the first time this season and the visiting Brahmas gave the Warriors everything they could handle. 

In the second set, the Brahmas trailed most of the way but eventually tied the score, 19-19. But they could not sustain their rally as they had two consecutive hitting errors and kills by Butler and Riley Theunissen gave the Warriors control of the set again and a block by Tanuvasa tied the match at a set apiece. 

The Brahmas answered back in the third, using a 10-0 run to break a 5-5 tie and cruised to a two sets to one lead. From then on, it was a dogfight as both teams hung relatively close to the other with neither team gaining a lead higher than three points. In the fourth set, the teams played to a 7-7 tie until the Warriors scored four of the next five points to take an 11-8 lead. The Brahmas answered with a 5-0 run to take a 13-11 lead. Not to be outdone, the Warriors put together a 5-0 run of their own to take a 16-13 lead. They would not trail again in the set as Burrell’s 11th block sent the match to a deciding set. 

In the final frame, both teams could not separate from each other as they were deadlocked 10-10. Two hitting errors by the Brahmas gave the Warriors a 12-10 lead, the first two-point cushion of the set. But the Brahmas continued to be relentless, rallying for three straight points to gain a 13-12 lead. The Warriors answered with two consecutive points of their own to set up their first match point, but Brahmas outside hitter Jon Griffith blasted a kill to tie the match for the 36th and final time. The Warriors got another crucial block from Tanuvasa to set up a second match point and then the Brahmas were called for a violation to seal the victory for the Warriors. 

The Warriors will host a first round regional playoff game on April 17, with their opponent yet to be determined.

Warriors Maintain No. 2 Spot Heading Into Big Week

April 3, 2012

(State Poll 4/2/12) (State Standings) (State Statistics)

The El Camino College Men’s Volleyball team held steady in the latest state rankings released Monday, holding on to their No. 2 spot behind Long Beach and ahead of Orange Coast. 

The Warriors (11-3, 6-1) are tied atop the Western State Conference with No. 1 Long Beach (13-1, 6-1) but that will likely change this week as the two teams will meet Friday at Long Beach to likely decide the conference champion. The Warriors held the No. 1 spot in the state briefly in the state polls released on March 19, but their stay at the top of the mountain was short lived thanks to a loss in straight sets to the Vikings on March 21 at the El Camino College South Gym. 

In that match, sophomore Hunter Hovland (El Segundo) led the team with 11 kills and added nine digs. Hovland has starred for the Warriors this season, his 3.37 kills per game average good for seventh best in the state and third in the WSC. Along with his offense, Hovland has brought his A-game on the defensive side of the ball these season, also ranking seventh in the state with a 2.48 digs per game. 

Sophomore setter Joseph Tanuvasa (Narbonne) also played well against the Vikings with 33 assists to go along with 12 digs. But the Long Beach played flawlessly and came up with timely kills to stop any momentum the Warriors had. 

The second set proved to be the most competitive and illustrated why these are the two top-ranked teams in the state. They were tied 18 times in the second and exchanged the lead seven times, but it was Long Beach who took the lead for good, 22-21, on a kill by middle blocker Brett Anema. The Vikings eventually took the set 25-22 and then the match. 

While the showdown with Long Beach will prove important to determine the No. 1 seed in the upcoming state playoffs, the Warriors first have to get by No. 7 Santa Barbara Wednesday on the road. Although the Warriors won the first meeting between the two teams, 3-1, on March 14, the Vaqueros (9-6, 4-4) have put themselves back into the playoff picture with impressive wins last week against Moorpark and L.A. Pierce. 

Needless to say, two wins this week would be a huge statement for the Warriors and could likely secure them the No. 1 spot in the state rankings going into the final week of the regular season.

Burrell and Hovland Star In Win Over Santa Monica

March 28, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Sophomore Hunter Hovland and freshman Kevin Burrell slammed nine kills apiece as the Warriors cruised past Santa Monica 25-22, 25-18, 25-22 Wednesday night in a Western State Conference match at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Hovland also contributed with six digs and two blocks while Burrell swatted down three blocks and added two aces. Trevor Butler had eight kills, seven digs and two aces and setter Joseph Tanuvasa dished out 31 assists for the Warriors (11-3, 6-1), who are ranked No. 2 in the state. 

The match began with the Warriors jumping out to a four-point lead early in the first set. But the Corsairs stuck around, twice whittling down three-point deficits to pull the score even. But the Warriors offense proved to be too much as they eventually pulled away thanks to four kills in the frame from Butler and three from Burrell, including the set-clinching point. 

The second set featured six lead changes and 10 ties, but it was the final lead change on an ace by Brandon Hiehle that gave the Warriors the lead for good at 16-15. It sparked a 5-0 run and they never looked back. 

The final set was the closest as neither team could pull away from the other. The Corsairs let a three-point cushion disappear early while the Warriors did the same midway through the third and the score was tied 16-16. They traded points back-and-forth until the score was knotted at 21. That’s when the Warriors leaned on their service game, which contributed eight aces in the match. 

They took a 22-21 on Burrell’s second ace of the match and a few points later got an ace from Tanuvasa to give the Warriors match point at 24-22. Butler’s final kill of the match capped a three-point flurry for the Warriors to end the set and the match. 

The victory helped the Warriors remain in a dead heat with state No. 1 Long Beach at the top of the WSC standings. The Warriors will face off against the Vikings on April 6 after making a stop at Santa Barbara on April 4.

Warriors Sweep San Diego City

March 26, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Matthew Pimblett had six kills, eight digs and four aces as the Warriors defeated San Diego City College 25-20, 25-7, 25-19 Monday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

The Warriors (10-3), who rested some of their starters, had setters Frank Flanagan and Adam Osman combine for 25 assists in the victory. Trevor Butler led the team with seven kills, Brandon Hiehle added six kills and three blocks and Kevin Burrell had five kills and a team-high six blocks. 

The two teams came out a bit sluggish in the nonconference match, which was rescheduled from Feb. 15, but the Warriors eventually took control midway in through the opening set. They pushed their lead to as much as six before winning the set 25-20. 

The second set is when the Warriors really found their groove. Tied 5-5, the team ran off an impressive 19-0 run on Pimblett’s serve, who recorded all four of his aces in that span. The visitors stopped the bleeding with a couple of kills but the lost the set on a service error. 

It appeared the Warriors were well on their way to an easy victory in the third set as well, taking a 21-8 lead. But the feisty visitors put together an impressive rally of their own, scoring 11 of the next 13 points to cut the defecit to 23-19. But the Warriors got kills by Hiehle and Dustin Ihde to close out the match. 

The Warriors will get back to Western State Conference action Wednesday when they host Santa Monica.

Warriors Bounce Back With Sweep Of Moorpark

March 23, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Hunter Hovland had 11 kills, 10 digs and five blocks to lead the Warriors to a 25-22, 25-22, 25-20 Western State Conference victory over No. 5 Moorpark Friday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Setter Joseph Tanuvasa also starred for the No. 1 Warriors (9-3, 5-1), dishing out 40 assists to go along with 13 digs. Trevor Butler led the team with 16 kills, Kevin Burrell swatted 13 blocks and Matthew Pimblett added eight kills. 

The win helped the Warriors bounce back after a tough loss to No. 2 Long Beach on Wednesday. They came out of the gates effectively in the first set. They lost the first point of the frame but they rallied off five of the next six points to take the lead and never looked back. 

The second set was a different story as the visiting Raiders jumped out to a 3-0 lead and managed to maintain that three-point cushion for most of the way. The Warriors managed to cut down their defecit to one on two occasions, but each time the Raiders were able to answer and keep the top team in the state at bay. But the Warriors were finally able to tie the game at 19-19 and, with the teams deadlocked at 20, a block by Burrell followed by an ace from Daniel Welch gave the team all the cushion they needed as they secured a 2-0 lead. 

The Raiders tried to answer in the third, again taking an early lead, but the Warriors stormed back to go from a 10-8 deficit to a 16-11 lead and were never threatened the rest of the way. 

The Warriors will host San Diego City College on March 26 in a nonconference match.

Warriors Lose Showdown of Top Teams Against Long Beach

March 21, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Hunter Hovland had 11 kills and nine digs but it was not enough as the No. 1 Warriors fell 25-22, 25-22, 25-17 to No. 2 Long Beach Wednesday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Setter Joseph Tanuvasa dished out 33 assists and had 12 digs, Trevor Butler slammed nine kills and Brandon Hiehle helped out with 11 digs for the Warriors in the loss. 

The Warriors (8-3, 4-1) took over the No. 1 spot in the state rankings over Long Beach (11-1, 4-1) after the Vikings dropped a four-set decision to Moorpark last week. The teams are now tied atop the Western State Conference standings with the two scheduled to meet again on April 6 and Long Beach. 

The first set had the Warriors jump out of the gates hot, taking a 6-2 lead. But it would not last as the Vikings rallied back to take 10 of the next 15 points to take a 12-11 lead and never looked back. 

The second set proved to be the most competitive and illustrated why these are the two top-ranked teams in the state. They were tied 18 times in the second and exchanged the lead seven times, but once again it was Long Beach who took the lead for good, 22-21, on a kill by middle blocker Brett Anema. The Vikings eventually took the set 25-22. 

Losing the ultra competitive set seemed to take the wind out of the Warriors sails as they could not get out of their own way in the third set, dropping the final frame 25-17. 

The team will attempt to regroup on Friday when they host No. 5 Moorpark.

Pimblett Leads Warriors Past Santa Barbara

March 15, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Matthew Pimblett (Carson) had 18 kills, 12 digs and five blocks to lead the No. 2 Warriors to a 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21 Western State Athletic Conference victory over No. 9 Santa Barbara Wednesday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

Sophomore Hunter Hovland (El Segundo) chipped in with 14 kills and 11 digs and setter Joseph Tanuvasa (Narbonne) dished out 43 assists for the Warriors (7-2, 3-0). 

The match started with the Warriors taking the first set rather easily. They pulled away early, taking a 10-4 lead. The Vaqueros (6-5) clawed back into the set, but could never cut the deficit under two points and Kevin Burrell’s kill sealed the 1-0 lead for the Warriors. 

The second set was much closer with the teams trading the lead four times. The final lead change came late in the set when the Warriors erased a five-point deficit and reeled off eight straight points to eventually take a 22-18 lead. Hovland smashed one of his 14 kills to close out the set. 

But the Vaqueros would not go down quietly, giving the Warriors a taste of their own medicine. Despite leading comfortably for most of the set, the Warriors could not hold a late 19-16 lead as the Vaqueros rallied for six of the next seven points to take a two-point lead. The Warriors cut the deficit to one twice but the Vaqueros scored the final three points of the set to cut their deficit in the match in half. 

It proved to be the visitors last stand, however, as the Warriors led wire-to-wire in the fourth set to get the win. 

The Warriors will travel to L.A. Pierce Friday for their next match.

Warriors Survive Five-Set Thriller Against Golden West

February 24, 2012

TORRANCE, Calif. – Despite letting two match points slip away in the third set, the Warriors recovered in the nick of time to pull out a 25-17, 25-22, 26-28, 17-25, 15-8 victory over Golden West Friday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

The Warriors (4-2) had a four-point lead late in the third set and eventually reached match point at 24-22 against the visiting Rustlers (4-2), but precise hitting and timely digs by the opposition eroded that lead to nothing and the Rustlers eventually took the set 28-26. 

The Warriors continued to sputter in the fourth set, falling behind 9-5 early and they never recovered, setting up a deciding fifth set. In the final frame, the Rustlers momentum disappeared as they fell behind 7-2 thanks to four straight hitting errors. Warriors outside hitter Hunter Hovland (El Segundo) did the rest as he recorded four of his 15 kills in the deciding set. He also finished the match with a team-high 18 digs and eight blocks. 

Freshman Trevor Butler (Redondo Union) led the Warriors offense with 16 kills while sophomore Kevin Burrell had a solid all-around performance with nine kills and 13 blocks. Setter Joseph Tanuvasa dished out 39 assists. 

The Warriors were in control early in the match, taking the first two sets with relative ease. They pulled away from the Rustlers early in the first set thanks to kills from Butler, Dustin Ihde (Redondo Union) and Riley Theunissen. The second set required a little more work as the Warriors let a four-point lead get away and even trailed 22-21, but a couple of back-to-back kills from Burrell along with points from Hovland and Butler sealed the set. 

The Warriors closed out their nonconference schedule winning four of six matches and finishing second at the season-opening Long Beach Invitational. They will open up Western State Conference action March 2 when they travel to Moorpark.

Burrell Leads Warriors Past Mesa

February 21, 2012

Kevin Burrell had 15 kills and 10 blocks, Brandon Hiehle added 11 kills and Joseph Tanuvasa dished out 38 assists as the Warriors swept visiting San Diego Mesa 25-18, 25-23, 25-21 Friday at the El Camino College South Gym. 

The Warriors (3-1) came out firing in the first set, grabbing a 6-2 lead in the first set. But the visiting Olympians showed quickly that they would be sticking around, nine of the next 13 points to take an 11-10 lead. The teams went back and forth the rest of the way before a couple of Olympians errors gave the Warriors a 19-16 lead and the cushion they needed to take a 1-0 lead. 

Although the Warriors swept the match, none of the sets were what you would call easy. Anytime the Warriors looked like they were about to pull ahead, the visiting Olympians rallied back with two or three straight points to narrow the gap. The entire match carried out this pace as there were a total of 29 ties and 10 lead changes. 

None of those lead changes were quite as pivotal as the one late in the second set that saw the Warriors take a commanding 2-0 lead. The set began with the Warriors again taking a quick lead, this time 5-2 thanks to a couple of kills from Burrell and some errors by the visitors. Again, the Olympians rallied back to take the lead, this time at 8-7. The teams then traded points for the next few rallies until the score was 18-16 in favor of the Olympians. 

That’s when Warriors eventually tied the game at 20 on a net violation by the Olympians. The visitors answered back to take a 21-20 lead and the two traded points until they were tied at 23. That’s when the Warriors got the best of a rally where a kill attempt by the Olympians fell out of bounds and then Hiehle’s third kill of the frame gave the Warriors the set and got them one step closer to victory. 

The third set was just as close as the first two, with the Olympians holding the lead in the early going at 6-5. The Warriors then got some offense from Burrell, Hiehle and freshman Riley Theunissen, who helped the Warriors regain a lead they would not relinquish. Theunissen finished with six kills and seven digs. 

The Warriors will hit the road on Wednesday to take on Grossmont before they come back home to host Golden West on Friday.

Warriors Win Home Opener, Lose To Defending Champs

February 13, 2012

Sophomore Hunter Hovland had 10 kills and three aces, Brandon Hiehle and Riley Theunissen added nine kills and Kevin Burrell added 11 blocks en route to a 25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22 victory over Orange Coast College on Feb. 8 at the El Camino College South Gym. 

The Warriors (2-0) and visiting Pirates set the tone for their match in the first set, when the teams traded the lead five times while being tied 10 times. The Warriors appeared to seize control of the set when they took a 19-16 lead after a Pirates net violation, but the visitors rallied to score five of the next seven points to tie the game, 21-21. But the Warriors reaped the benefits of three Pirates errors and a monstrous block by Burrell to take a 1-0 lead in the match. 

The teams split the next two sets as neither team could seem to put the other away. The Pirates then jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the fourth set, but the Warriors rallied for 10 of the next 12 points to take a 19-15 lead. The Pirates cut that defecit to one but could not close the gap as three service hours doomed their chances at victory. 

Sophomore Joseph Tanuvasa (Narbonne) led the team with 18 assists and Adam Osman (Redondo) added 16. 

The Warriors then faced a tough test when they travelled to Irvine Valley College on Feb. 10. The Lasers, the defending state champions, showed they were ready to compete for another state title as they disposed of the Warriors in straight sets. 

Hovland led the team with eight kills in that contest while Thenissen added six. Tanuvasa dished out 19 assists.

Warriors Finish 2nd At Long Beach Invitational

January 30, 2012

The men’s volleyball team has a tough act to follow after the women’s team made it to the state championships in the fall. But they got the season started on the right foot, finishing in second place at the Long Beach Invitational Tournament on Jan. 29. 

The Warriors faced some stiff competition in the one-day tournament that saw nine quality teams make an appearance. The competition was a best-of-three format during the first two rounds of pool play, followed by a one-set, winner take all format in the championship round. 

Things didn’t start off so well for the Warriors as they lost both of their matches in the first round of pool play, losing 2-0 (25-19, 27-25) to Irvine Valley and then dropping a 2-0 (25-20, 26-24) decision to Santa Barbara. 

The Warriors bounced back in the second round of pool play, scoring a 2-1 (25-16, 23-25, 15-7) victory over Golden West but then lost to L.A. Pierce in straight sets (25-21, 27-25). Their 1-3 record gave the Warriors the No. 7 seed in the Championship Playoff Round, where they really shined. 

The Warriors started by taking down No. 2 Orange Coast College 25-23. They followed that with 25-19 win over No. 6 Santa Barbara, who defeated L.A. Pierce in the previous round. That victory propelled the Warriors to the championship match, where they faced off again against Irvine Valley. The Lasers proved to be too much again as they dropped the Warriors, 25-18. The Warriors will kick off their traditional non-conference schedule this week when they travel to Palomar.

2011 News

Two players from last year’s Men’s volleyball team have received scholarship offers to continue their careers out of state this upcoming spring.

Nick Dimarco, the two-year starting OPP from South High School, has received a scholarship to play for Lourdes College of the NAIA. The Gray Wolves pick up a solid player who played in 19 matches for the Warriors last season. Dimarco recorded 248 kills, 75 blocks, 118 digs, 13 aces and had a .287 hitting percentage last year.

Race Munger has also received a scholarship offer to play for Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. Munger played middle blocker for the Warriors last season as a freshman and will study psychology at Carthage. Munger played in 19 matches and tallied 79 kills, 95 blocks, 8 digs and had a .200 hitting percentage.

“Race worked very hard,” men’s volleyball head coach Richard Blount said. “Everyone liked Race. He continued to improve as the season went on and I wish we had him for his second season.”

DiMarco's 23 kills and five blocks lifts ECC past S.D. City
Led by Hovland and DiMarco, ECC defeats Palomar 3-1
California Community College Men's Volleyball Coaches Association