Royal gets stunning sweep of Upland in Division 3 final
LONG BEACH » Royal flipped the script on Upland in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship game Saturday at Long Beach City College.
Top-seeded Upland hadn’t lost a set in weeks heading into the match, but it was No. 2 Royal that did the sweeping as it defeated the Highlanders 25-17, 25-23, 2519 to come away with the championship.
Serving well and putting together long scoring streaks were Upland’s hallmarks this season.
But Royal (24-6) never let Upland (37-4) go on runs of more than four points or take a lead of more than four in any set.
“We just couldn’t get anything going offensively,” Upland coach Scott Robertson said. “They are a good team. They’re big. They are strong. They capitalized on our lack of passing.”
Royal outside hitter Derek Bradford, a 6-foot-8 senior,
Jaden Kodongan, second from left, gets emotional during the awards ceremony after Upland lost the title to Royal.
led all players with 16 kills, most from the right side.
Braden Wooton and Evan Costley finished with eight kills each for Royal.
Kal Vogel and Isaiah Vogel led Upland with 11 kills each, and senior outside hitter Jordan Lucas, who played a key role in Upland’s success this season, finished with 8 kills, 8 digs and 3 blocks.
Upland trailed 16-8 in the first set but battled back to get to within three at 2017. But two kills by Wooton,
a block by Nathan Diaz and a service ace by Evan Ford helped Royal go on a 5-0 run to win the set.
With 12 ties and five lead changes, the second set was the closest and arguably the pivotal set in the match.
Upland trailed 19-16 when three consecutive kills by Lucas and a kill by Isaiah Vogel gave Upland a 20-19 lead.
From there, Upland had leads of 21-20 and 22-21 before Royal closed out the set on a 4-1 run to take a 2-0 lead.
The third set featured eight ties but when Royal took an 8-7 lead on Bradford’s kill, Upland tied the score three more times but never took a lead.
Royal led 20-19 and then went on a 5-0 run to win the set and the match.
“We knew that (scoring runs) was kind of their MO,” Royals coach Dean Borth said. “When they would get on top, they would use that momentum. We just said we have to weather each storm and not lose our composure and be patient. Sure enough it worked.”
Royal’s victory snapped Upland’s 20-game winning streak. And when Royal won the first set, Upland’s 25-set winning streak also ended.
“Physically, they were ready,” Robertson said of his team. “But I don’t think I did a good enough job of getting them mentally ready.”
Both teams advance to the CIF Southern California Regional Championships, which begin Tuesday. The pairings will be announced Sunday.
Temescal Canyon’s Marissa Sanchez tries to slide under the tag of Bonita’s Lauryn Ureno in a Division 3semifinal.