Hamilton advances to quarterfinals on dominant win

After coming up short in the semifinals a year ago, the Chandler Hamilton boys volleyball team has played with a noticeable hunger this season.

The top-seeded Huskies certainly looked the part Saturday afternoon as they opened the Division I playoffs with a sweep of Chandler Seton Catholic.

“We’re ready for state,” said Hamilton senior Richard Reid, whose team cruised, 25-11, 25-17 and 25-9. “That’s been our goal since Day 1. We came back this year ready to win state.”

Added Hamilton head coach Jeff Bader: “For the guys that were here last year, that’s all they’ve been talking about.”

Hamilton, which improved to 32-9-1, will host No. 8 Desert Vista on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton was led by senior Sam Haggard’s 14 kills, while Reid had seven. Junior Arian Bunthanom chipped in with five kills, and junior Zach Malinowski had three.

Hamilton wasted little time in establishing its dominance, racing out to an early 13-4 lead in the first set. Although Seton Catholic put together a mini-run midway through the set, Hamilton closed on a 7-1 spurt.

Hamilton led 8-6 in the second set before Haggard and Reid combined to wear down Seton Catholic during an 11-4 surge to give Hamilton a quick 2-0 lead.

Hamilton then left little doubt in the third set as it opened with a strong 17-2 advantage, leaving the Seton Catholic faithful in awe.

“Our teamwork is great,” Reid said. “We’ve really bonded and have a brotherhood.”

Seton Catholic, seeded 17th, ended its season at 25-8-1.

“I thought Seton played very well,” Bader said. “They were always close to making a big run and catching up on us.”

Hamilton will now puts its perfect 10-0 home record on the line in the quarterfinals.

“If there is something (about being unbeaten at home), I hope we continue it,” Bader said. “But everyone has a tough set on Tuesday.”

Highlight worthy

A quick glance at Hamilton’s season stats showed Haggard was the kill leader by a wide margin. The 6-foot-2 senior, who had nearly double the kills of his closest teammate, was up to his old tricks Saturday against Seton Catholic. Haggard didn’t overpower Seton Catholic at any moment, instead using a me- thodical approach to quietly lead Hamilton with 14 kills, most of which helped ignite or sustain lengthy runs.

Notable

The top seeds reigned supreme Saturday in the second round as squads with the top eight rankings all won. Bader was quick to point out that even though his team might have the top seed, the road to state is certainly up for grabs.

“There are eight or nine teams that could win this thing,” Bader said.

Next up

One of the best quarterfinal matchups should be fifth-seeded Gilbert Perry on the road at fourth-seeded Mesa Mountain View. While Perry swept Mountain View earlier this season, Mountain View will have the home advantage this time around.