Carmel sweeps Harker in DII playoffs
CARMEL >> No one has been asked to sacrifice more than setter Sabastian Daste.
A 6-foot-3 outside hitter who plays high-level club volleyball, the Carmel sophomore was asked to fill an immediate need this spring as the team's setter.
“I told him this gives us an opportunity to compete at the highest level,” Carmel coach Israel Ricardez said. “He has aspirations of playing in college. In his mind, setting won't get him to the next level. But he bought in knowing we could compete if he set.”
While the growing pains have been evident at times throughout the spring, Daste's athleticism was exhibited Tuesday as the stakes have been raised in the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.
Daste was sharp in feeding the ball to multiple players at the net, compiling 26 assists as the Padres avenged an earlier season loss to Harker of Sunnyvale with a 25-21, 25-17, 25-19 decision.
Owners of six straight Gabilan Division titles — there were no titles in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic — the No. 3 seeded Padres will visit No. 2 Santa Cruz Thursday in the semifinals.
“He (Daste) is a differencemaker,” Ricardez said. “We have weapons. But when he's on, we're on a different level. I saw a different mindset tonight. It's win or done. If we perform like this, we're giving ourselves an opportunity to compete for a championship.”
Central Coast Section champions in 2018, Carmel fell to Harker in the 2019 CCS Division III title game. It was also beaten by them earlier this year in the Bellarmine Tournament.
“That tournament was a turning point,” Ricardez said. “It was such a high-level tournament. We were competitive. I really believe it shaped us. That united us.”
Before Monday's practice, Ricardez posed a question to his players, asking them to write down what the goals should be for the team, and what sacrifices should be made for the team.
“I saw 15 brothers push each other in Monday's practice,” Ricardez said. “It brought everything into perspective. Look at our balance at the net. Sebastian did an amazing job of spreading the ball around.”
Joe Barnett, who has been the heart of the Padres' attack at the net all season, led a balanced charge with eight kills and seven digs, while Garrett Heger and Josh Rasmussen combined for 13 kills.
Amir Brown, who was a freshman when Carmel played in the CCS title game in 2019, and the only player with playoff experience, produced five kills, four blocks and three digs.
“Standing behind the hitting lines in warmups, you look at every player's growth and skill,” Ricardez said. “We're different than we were at the start. We're a rowdy bunch. When we believe, it's hard to get us out. They have that grit.''