Musketeers prevail in boys’ volleyball




MICHAEL COONS/Moorpark Acorn  TOUGH ON DEFENSE--Peter Kertzner of Calabasas blocks a spike by Moorpark's Andrew Moore. .

MICHAEL COONS/Moorpark Acorn TOUGH ON DEFENSE–Peter Kertzner of Calabasas blocks a spike by Moorpark’s Andrew Moore. .


By Steve Ames
Special to The Acorn

The Moorpark boys’ volleyball team is pursuing a Marmonte League title.


Calabasas is a team hoping to be a major competitor.


The Musketeers (6-0 overall, 4-0 league) defeated the Coyotes three games to none last Friday on wins of 25-10, 25-9 and 25-10, as senior middle blocker Ryan Flice got six kills and three blocks and junior middle blocker Mark Watson had five kills, two blocks and a pair of aces.


"This team seems amazing,’’ said Musketeer head coach Brendan Hanson. "Just like the girls’ program, this is my first (coaching) year."


Moorpark has nine seniors on its 12-player roster—and the other three are juniors.


"They’re an older team, but you can tell when they play that they play with confidence and they play very composed out there," Hanson said. "We have a lot of swingers on the team. Both of our outside hitters are pretty unreal. We just have a very versatile team all around."


Coyote head coach Chris Van Reusen said that his team is improving with every game. "They’re playing better," he said. "They’re playing better every single day. We’re looking at a team that’s lacking in experience."


There are several great teams in the Marmonte League, Van Reusen said. They’re some of the best in Southern California, if not the best, he added.


"We came from the Frontier League, which is kind of a medium league and (there’s) not a great legacy of volleyball at Calabasas," he said. "But I am trying to change that.


"This is my second year and they are getting better and I’ve got a lot of good, young guys and seniors who are working real hard."


Hanson of Moorpark likes the play of his senior outside hitter Justin Savage, a 6-footer with at least a 40-inch vertical leap. "He’s jumping out of the gym and hitting the heck out of the ball," Hanson said. "He’s been playing unreal. He’s been passing great, just playing real well for us."


Another senior outside hitter, Sean Sharpe, also has been making key contributions. "He’s got extraordinary power behind the ball," Hanson said. "He’s been doing a great job as well. He played opposite last year and this year is doing great so far. "The coach is also impressed with junior defensive specialist Kellen Shigekawa and senior defensive specialist Micah Walters. "We’re able to run an extremely quick offense with those two passing and defensively they get a lot of stops for us," their coach said.


Most of all, Hanson said he’s delighted with how well the team has meshed this season.


"There’s no little cliques on this team," he said. "The team all gets along well. There’s great camaraderie all together. They get out there and they just feed off each other. One guy gets a kill and it’s not just him who’s happy, it’s the whole team."


During the Moorpark-Calabasas match, Coyote player Scott Emmer collided with Blake Overlock, and Emmer went down and stayed out of the remainder of the match with a twisted knee.


"That’s going to be a big miss for us," Van Reusen said. "He’s a big, young arm for us and he needs to get better.


"Blake is probably one of the most hustle guys of all time. He loves to get on the ground. He loves to just get hurt. I don’t know what his deal is. He likes to run into things," Van Reusen said.


As the Calabasas coach reviewed the match with Moorpark, he said he wanted to credit senior middle blocker Sam Toutounchian.


"This is his first year ever playing volleyball," Van Reusen said. "He’s doing it because he knew me and he thought it would be fun. He’s having a good time. It’s phenomenal how quickly he’s picked up the game."


The coach said it’s difficult for Toutounchian because he’s going up against guys who are five inches taller. "He’s sticking in there and he’s one of the most impressive guys I have," Van Reusen said. "He’s very competitive, he’s got a football mentality, an ex-football player, and he’s working hard."


Hanson is encouraged by the way the season is going for Moorpark


"I think we’ve got a very great chance to finish (in the) top three or above that. It just all comes down to our mistakes.


"We’ve had games where we’ve gone without making a mistake and we win by a landslide, and then in other games where we let up a little bit and don’t play as well as we can, we’re giving teams points that they shouldn’t be getting.’


Moorpark, Hanson said, has a lot of firepower. If somebody is having an off night, the rest of the team picks up the slack, he said.


"They just play great together," Hanson said. "Even the bench, we’ve got guys to come off the bench who will put solid hits on the ball all day long. I’m really looking to get a little further into this season and see how it all plays out."


The way it looks right now, Westlake, with quite a few players returning from last season, should provide major opposition in the league. "They should be a tough team," Hanson said.


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