Canyon boys’ volleyball beats Castaic on senior night
Canyon Cowboys boys’ volleyball came out flying on senior night.
The Cowboys beat the Castaic Coyotes in four sets, winning their final regular-season home game and, thanks to some help in the standings, clinched a playoff spot.
Canyon won the Foothill League match, 25-12, 14-25, 2516, 25-21.
The Cowboys (18-8, 6-5) were ready for senior night and jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first set. The team clicked in all departments and didn’t register an error until the 27th point.
“We knew this was really important for us,” said Canyon coach Jeff Cody. “We want to control our own destiny. We knew that if we won this one and win the next one, we’re guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. They rose to the challenge. It’s a tough league. Everyone’s neck and neck, so I’m really proud of them tonight.”
Castaic (15-17, 3-8) needed a minute to shake out of the rut and won the majority of the final few points, including a long rally with more than a dozen possessions with the Coyotes facing match point.
Castaic returned the fiery start in the second set and broke free to a 5-0 start of its own. The catalyst of the lopsided set was senior Bash Ramirez. After a solid three-kill first game, with two kills from the pipe, Ramirez caught fire. The senior buried eight kills in the set en route to his match-high 14 kills.
“When he catches fire and when he’s confident you can tell he’s coming off the floor faster and his footwork is a lot better,” said Castaic coach David Chae. “He’s very capable of putting 10 balls away and that kind of thing. I’m really proud of his performance.”
Coyotes libero Alecxis Padlan registered a tough dig and assist after safely passing a huge hit from Canyon junior Jimmy Audette to the net, where Castaic opposite hitter Riley Humphrey had enough space to put the ball away on the second touch.
Middle blocker Quinn Broadwater also added eight kills and a block for Castaic while Humphrey added seven.
Canyon had some blocking success to start, but nothing like its performance in the final two sets. Cowboy hands were all over nearly every Coyote hit, forcing soft touches, stuffs back to Castaic or momentumswinging blocks.
Canyon totaled nearly 10 blocks total in both the third and fourth sets, with similar numbers across the board as numerous Cowboys on the net got in on the action. Senior Landon Gibson led the way with a match-high three blocks.
“We prepared a lot for this game,” Gibson said. “Typically before every game, we do a specific practice to counter what they’re going to be doing. So our plan for this game was to bring every single block in. That’s why we got a lot of blocks today.”
Gibson played well in his final regular-season game at Canyon. The senior closed out the day strong and tallied five of his 13 kills in the fourth set to put Castaic away.
“(Tonight) was special,” Gibson said. “Our team comes from pretty bad roots because last year was actually horrible. But this year, we were much better and I’m proud of all the seniors. They really stepped up.”
Junior outside hitter Jayden Hayes also came alive late in the match and matched Gibson, putting away five of his 13 kills in the fourth set. Hayes put down a quick three kills to put Canyon up 6-2 in the fourth and, although Castaic fought and kept it tight, the Cowboys prevailed.
Despite the loss, Chae saw his team play solid defense on the net and in the back row.
“Our defense was spectacular,” Chae said. “I thought we played really well. I think we were picking up every single ball we could. But there’s only so much defense you could play if they’re just knocking down balls.”
Castaic pushed Canyon to five sets in the teams’ first matchup, a match where Gibson saw his team not pass well but still get the win.
“Our passing was so much better this game,” Gibson said. “I think the last time against them we switched our libero maybe five times, which is not too good. This time, we only kept one so mainly passing. I would say blocking as well.”
Valencia beating Golden Valley on the other side of town was just the help Canyon needed and secured a postseason spot for the Cowboys, who reenter the playoffs after a oneyear hiatus.
“I’m really excited, especially looking at the playoffs,” Cody said. “We’re ranked No. 10 in our division. I know we’re gonna be on the road for the first round, which isn’t our forte, but I’m just excited to be back in the playoffs. They’re excited, too, but we have to take care of business on Thursday.”
Castaic is out of the running for an automatic seed in the playoffs but can hope its strong non-league record will be enough for an at-large bid in Division 6.
Chae knows playoffs will be up in the air but is still proud of his young team, which is becoming the foundation of a potentially dynamic program.
“I’m just really proud of where we’re at as a program,” Chae said. “Maybe our record isn’t the best. But if you’ve followed us closely, you know these guys have really dug deep. Every challenge that has come in front of them, they’ve accepted and they’ve gotten really far with. We came up with no volleyball experience and now three years later we are grown men who are ready to attack the world, kind of thing. We don’t know what’s gonna happen against Saugus but we’re gonna do our best. We’re gonna play with a lot of emotion, with a lot of heart and I’m looking forward to it.”
Castaic and Canyon close out the regular season on Thursday as the Coyotes host the Centurions while the Cowboys head to Hart. Both matches are slated for 5:30 p.m.
“Our team, when we’re on, we’re on,” Gibson said. “I feel like no team can stop us. We’re playing in Division 5, lights out.”