Rancho Verde boys volleyball team beats Riverside Poly, remains unbeaten in Sunbelt League – Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE — There was no rest for the weary this week for Rancho Verde’s boys volleyball team, as the Mustangs visited Riverside Poly on Friday evening after back-to-back five set victories over Ramona and Moreno Valley earlier in the week.

Rancho Verde fell behind in set one and could not overcome an early deficit. However, the Mustangs were able to rally in the next three sets and come away with a 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 26-24 victory to remain unbeaten in Sunbelt League.

“We don’t have a lot of size, but what we do have is athleticism and a scrappy defense that makes teams earn their points,” Rancho Verde coach Brandon Baker said. “Last year’s run was exciting and with a lot of experience back from that team something we hope to replicate next month. We might’ve been a little tired tonight but dug deep to get a good win.”

Poly (16-10 overall, 3-2 in league) jumped to a 10-6 lead in the opening set, but Rancho Verde tied the set at 20 following back-to-back kills from Jeremy Morgan. Weston Werner had a kill for Poly, putting the Bears up 23-21, and an ace from Porter McCandless ended it.

Werner recorded five kills as Poly grabbed a 7-2 lead in the second set. However, five errors by the Bears in a six-point span allowed Rancho Verde to tie the set at 11. The Mustangs (24-6, 5-0) stretched their lead to 19-14 after kills from Sir Lobban and Xavier Lobban. Poly closed the gap to a point, but three more errors by the Bears gave Rancho Verde a five-point lead it never relinquished.

“This kind of a stretch is something that will definitely bring our team closer together,” said Sir Lobban, who lead the Mustangs with 15 kills. “We’re playing good teams and showing people that we can still compete despite losing our star from last year, because other guys have put the work in to fill that void.”

Nova Camacho’s kill gave Poly an 8-4 lead in the third set, but four straight Poly errors plus a kill from Sir Lobban put the Mustangs up 9-8. Poly tied the set at 13, 14, and 16, but after a block from Morgan and Frank Montes, Rancho Verde never trailed and took a 2-1 lead on sets.

Poly had several two-point leads in the middle to late stages of the fourth set, but Sir Lobban tied the set at 22 with another kill. The Mustangs had two match points but squandered them as a kill by Werner and solo block from Austin Charette forced extra points. But Rancho Verde reached match point again, and Sir Lobban ended it with a kill.

“Two years ago when I got here, the program had just two wins, but the guys are putting in the work and seeing that they can hang with good teams,” Poly coach Manny Savalza said.”

Werner had 21 kills to lead Poly, while Nova Camacho added 15 more for the Bears.