Hemet volleyball stays perfect to earn top spot in league

by JESSICA SELF




	BIG BLOCK: Hemet’s Ethan Nelson and Josh Leih put up a block against the Heritage offense on Tuesday in a three set sweep that kept the Bulldogs perfect in Mountain Pass League play. photo by ANDREW SELF/ Special to The Valley Chronicle.

May 01, 2013

Hemet High School's boys' volleyball team has been just about perfect this season.

Boasting a 10-0 league record and a 23-1 season record, the Bulldogs finished up regular season play on Tuesday by beating Heritage High School in three sets with scores of 25-16, 25-17, and 25-10.

In Tuesday's victory, Hemet played a solid game converting on 39 kills and only allowing 17 kills by their opponent.

"They are just clicking really well right now," said Hemet head coach Bob Jensen. "We have some momentum going."

The Bulldogs cruised through the first set of the match, going on several five point runs to take off with the lead.

In the second set, Heritage hung around and had the game tied up at 14. But, Hemet came back into the set and only allowed Heritage to score three more points after the tie in a style that Jensen said is typical of his team.




	PASS IT UP: Outside hitter Dylan Vashaw showed that he can do more than just put a ball away on Tuesday by picking up nine digs on the match to compliment his 11 kills. photo by ANDREW SELF/ Special to The Valley Chronicle.

"We don't panic when we go down in a set," he said. "When the situation is tight, these guys just play together. It is common for a high school team to allow themselves to get beaten down after losing a couple of points in a row, but this team just plays through it."

Jensen said in a key matchup with Paloma Valley last week, the Bulldogs were down 23-16 and rallied back to win the set 29-27.




	RUNNING THINGS: Hemet setter Jacob Hill racked up 32 assists on Tuesday in the final Mountain Pass League game of the season against Heritage High School. photo by ANDREW SELF/ Special to The Valley Chronicle.

In the third set of the match with Heritage, the Bulldogs didn't face any trouble. Initially, they went up by a score of 9-1 and followed up with another eight point run to go up 18-4 before winning out.

"We definitely do go on runs fairly often," Jensen said. "We get into grooves and things start working well."

Leading the way offensively for Hemet was Dylan Vashaw who racked up 11 kills and also picked up nine digs. Middle blocker Marcus Patterson followed up with nine kills and Kristian Gallardo put down five balls while picking up 10 digs.

Setter Jacob Hill ran the show for Hemet and had 32 assists on the match.




	PLACEMENT: Middle blocker Marcus Patterson looks for an open spot on the court to pick up one of his nine kills on the match.photo by ANDREW SELF/ Special to The Valley Chronicle.

"We rely on our outside hitters (Vashaw and Jared Walsh) and definitely on Hill," Jensen said. "But we have a really well-rounded team. So many guys can step in at any time and play different positions. The depth of our bench makes us super scary."

Jensen said he feels optimistic heading into Division 3 CIF playoffs next week.

"We are playing really well right now. I am confident and the guys are highly confident in what we have going," Jensen said.

Hemet's perfect record earned them first place in the Mountain Pass League followed by Paloma Valley and West Valley. The Bulldogs will begin playoff action next Tuesday. The location and opponent of that match up have not yet been determined.

http://www.thevalleychronicle.com/Articles-Sports-c-2013-05-01-83616.113122-Hemet-volleyball-stays-perfect-to-earn-top-spot-in-league.html Source: www.thevalleychronical.com

Published May 2, 2013 Print