The San Clemente boys volleyball program turned in a performance fitting of a special evening in which the Tritons honored 50 of their greatest members in program history.
Of the 50 being honored 35 were in attendance and were recognized in a pregame ceremony, which also subsequently served as motivation for current Tritons hoping to reach that mark someday.
“It meant a lot to see them here because they started the program,” senior Matt August said. “To be a part of this program is an honor. I’m hoping to be there some day, but I’m glad we put on a good volleyball show for them.”
Among those in attendance were Jack Iverson – the school’s first varsity boys volleyball coach – Bob and Corey Yoder, Tom Beard, Mike Hurlbut and Mark McGuire, father of Tritons’ setter Markus McGuire.
Each member was introduced to the crowd and earned a standing ovation upon entrance.
“It was a mammoth job done by our booster club and for the last few years we tried to make sure we honored the right guys and make it as objective as possible,” Goldstone said. “The hard part is there are so many good players. It was great to see all of them here.”
The match was pretty good, too. San Clemente swept Trabuco Hills in its South Coast League opener, 25-12, 25-18, 25-19.
Brandon Hopper led the team with 12 kills, while Dominic Brousard added seven and Matt August recorded six. McGuire had a team-high 16 assists while fellow setter Matthew Merrill recorded 11.
Libero Liam Walsh led the team with 11 digs, while Cale Foreman added 10.
The Tritons (14-2, 1-0) stormed out in the first set and never looked back after compiling a quick 7-2 lead. San Clemente varied its attack and found six different hitters throughout the set. The Mustangs recorded 10 errors to aid in the dominant set win.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Tritons coach Ken Goldstone said. “They served effectively, passed effectively and (Trabuco Hills) gave us some of those too. The guys were ready to play. It was easy to get distracted, but I was hoping they would show the alumni their best effort.”
But Trabuco Hills (14-7, 0-1) picked up in the final two sets. Jack Flynn and Brenden Schooler muscled shots through the Tritons’ block and finished with 11 and nine kills respectively.
In both sets, San Clemente found separation late. With the score tied 13-13 in the second set, the Tritons went on a 6-1 run as a result of five errors and a net violation by the Mustangs.
In the third set, San Clemente ripped off an 8-1 run after tying the set at 16-16. Opposite hitter Aaron Strange recorded two kills and a block, while Brousard added one kill and a block to fuel the run.
“We played really well as a team,” August said. “We were passing well and when we get going early, we’re really hard to stop. They’re a good team, but we came in firing and played our game.”
San Clemente faces off against Dana Hills next Thursday at Dana Hills High.
Contact the writer: 949-492-5135 or npercy@ocregister.com
