Warriors avoid wipeout; ready to shred pipeline

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL /// Westlake Warriors



UP TOP—Everett Schuett is a senior captain and middle blocker for the Westlake High boys’ volleyball team.

UP TOP—Everett Schuett is a senior captain and middle blocker for the Westlake High boys’ volleyball team.

The Warriors looked invincible against Calabasas.

Westlake High’s boys’ volleyball team soared to construct walls at the net for demoralizing blocks, elevated for bone-crunching kills and delivered crafty knuckleball serves en route to a convincing April 18 win on the road.

On this night, the Warriors, spearheaded by Everett Schuett, Blake Crisp, Dale MacLean, Tyler Robinson, A.J. Faille and Troy Magorien, looked like a team that could win a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship.

Reality and perception do not follow a linear path, however, and things are never as good—or bad—as they appear on a superficial level. Westlake hasn’t savored a perfectly harmonious season, even as the Warriors surge closer to a Marmonte League title.

The captain, Michael Young, left the team after the Dos Pueblos Tournament in March. Young, a senior setter, and longtime head coach Doug Magorien butted heads.

Schuett, a senior middle blocker, called Young’s departure “a hiccup in the journey.” Magorien called it an “attempted mutiny.”

Instead of plunging into chaos, hurt feelings and bruised egos, the Warriors responded like intelligent, rational young men.

They’d worked too hard and had too much talent to let a potentially epic season—under the guidance of Magorien, arguably the sharpest volleyball mind in Ventura County—float away like a 5-cent balloon at the New York World’s Fair.

Schuett was named captain and Westlake adjusted from a two-setter offense to its current incarnation of a blocking, killing, serving machine.

Players remain friends with Young, who will continue playing volleyball at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, while staying loyal to Magorien and the team.

“Michael was a huge component of the team,” Schuett said. “He’s been part of my personal career from the start. He was my first friend in volleyball. This incident is really unfortunate. He was a huge part of the team. We are still a good, strong group without him. . . .

“What happened, happened. There was nothing we could do to change it. It was almost an external issue that occurred. We had to take what we had, move forward and play to the best of our abilities with the players we had. We’re not disgruntled about what happened. We’re moving forward.”

Magorien praised the upperclassmen for keeping the team united through the adversity.

“The seniors have really stepped up and tried to deliver what I was asking for,” the coach said. “They may not have initially liked what I was asking. We had to make a little bit of a change.”

Schuett, a 6-foot-6 middle blocker, is enjoying a monster season on the court. He will continue playing volleyball at the University of Hawaii, where he will study either business or political science.

He’s helped keep the Warriors (16-4 overall, 6-1 in league at press time) focus on the court. Westlake is ranked No. 8 in the Division 1 poll.

“We’re tight. We’re doing a very good job this year playing as a unit,” Schuett said. “Our first priority is to win league. After that, we hope a very long playoff run is in our cards. We hope to make it to the (section) semifinals. We want to fight and get as far as we can.”

Troy Magorien, a junior outside hitter and the coach’s son, is the youngest of four brothers to play the sport.

His brothers Colby and Travis were league MVPs. Colby is currently assisting while recuperating from a torn ACL. Travis assists the men’s volleyball team at Cal State Northridge. Taylor Magorien, the oldest brother, didn’t play volleyball for his dad at Westlake, but he went on to play at Moorpark College and Robert Morris University in Chicago.

“It’s a joy having Troy on the team and being able to work with him,” Doug Magorien said. “That’s all he talked about as a kid was playing for me. It’s fun and challenging—he’s a different kid than his brothers.

“Troy loves the spotlight. Bigger games are usually when he plays his best.”

Troy Magorien, who gleans interest from Division I schools, handles the demands of being a coach’s son.

“He treats me harder than any other player,” Troy Magorien said. “He expects more from me. I like the challenge. I was really excited to play for my dad and continue the legacy of the Magoriens. It’s been really fun playing for my dad.”

MacLean, who leads the team in kills, is a senior opposite who’s making the most of his senior year.

The valedictorian candidate with a 4.73 grade-point average will continue his education at Yale. He’s president of the senior class and plays the oboe in the school orchestra and band. He started playing the sport in sixth grade at Colina Middle School with Schuett. He’s now forged bonds with all his teammates.

“It’s a great group of guys,” MacLean said. “It’s a competitive sport, but every time I go out on the court, I’m having a great time with my friends.”

Yale does not field a men’s volleyball program, but MacLean still wants to join a team; he might try rowing. His older brother Connor competed in track at Westlake before joining the Cal Berkeley gymnastics team.

Crisp, a sophomore setter, is one of the best young players in Southern California. He competed in an international tournament last summer in Iowa with the High Performance U-16 team, squaring off against older players from Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. national youth team.

The setter, who had 31 assists, seven digs and two aces against Calabasas, said the Warriors play well when they’re loose.

“If we play our game and have fun,” he said, “we can go really far.”

Robinson, a senior, has found his niche at Westlake. Doug Magorien said Robinson is “one of the best outside hitters in the league, if not the best.”

“We’re all gelling,” Robinson said. “It’s fun. It’s a good atmosphere. We’re all getting better and improving every day.”

Robinson, an honors student with a 4.6 GPA, will study biology at UC Santa Barbara.

Faille is a junior libero with a scholarship offer from UC Irvine.

“He’s a hidden gem,” Magorien said of Faille. “He does the majority of serve-receive and dirty work that’s overlooked by newspapers and stats, but he’s crucial to our success.”

Faille won a gold medal last summer at the Junior Olympics with the Spectrum club.

Reagan Cutler, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, is an intimidating presence at middle blocker. He’s improving rapidly, and he has a bright future.

Devon Johnson, a 6-foot-6 sophomore outside hitter, also has a promising future.

Brett Kallman, a junior, is a talented opposite who presses MacLean for playing time. Kallman plays the tuba in the school orchestra and band.

Richard Lee, a junior middle blocker, plays the cello.

Josh Strick, a junior outside hitter/defensive specialist, sets the tone at practice with his strong work ethic.

Jake Simon, Archish Anand, John Buffalo and Danny Farrell contribute for Westlake.

“There’s very few weak points with our team,” Schuett said. “We have a lot of Division I-capable players. We look forward to the playoffs and seeing some more of the Orange County teams that will challenge us.”


STYLE POINTS—Blake Crisp, at left, stars at setter for the Westlake High boys’ volleyball team. At right, Warriors Dale MacLean, left, and Reagan Cutler rule the net.

STYLE POINTS—Blake Crisp, at left, stars at setter for the Westlake High boys’ volleyball team. At right, Warriors Dale MacLean, left, and Reagan Cutler rule the net.

Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

 

 

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