The last time both the boys and girls volleyball teams at Palisades High won City Section championships in the same academic year was 1997-98. The girls defeated Roosevelt in the fall to win the first of what would be three straight City titles and the boys won the last of their 10 City titles the following spring with a four-game triumph over Taft. Palisades is halfway to history again this year. The girls’ squad did its part in November by beating Granada Hills to win its first City title in four years. Now, the honus is on the boys’and they might just have the firepower to duplicate the girls’ feat. The Dolphins won their first two matches in impressive fashion and while talk of a winning City might be premature, many players believe they are ready to challenge for the championship. ‘I think we can go undefeated. I really do,’ PaliHi senior outside hitter Jason Schall said after the Dolphins swept visiting Carson Monday. ‘Our mindset is completely different than last year. The confidence level going into this season is much higher. Last year, we were coming off an 0-15 season and our goal was just to finish .500. Our expectations now are to go undefeated in league and make the City finals.’ Schall is one of several players who experienced a frustrating loss to Western League rival Westchester in the City Invitational finals last year at Cal State Northridge, a match he said was ‘like a nightmare.’ ‘I’m glad we got some playoff experience, but that was prom night and some of our players didn’t show,’ said Schall, who had 11 kills and six digs against the Colts. ‘I think the date of the finals conflicts with the senior prom again this year, so we’ll have to deal with that if we make it that far. But I want to play in the upper [City] bracket this time and I’m sure we will.’ Palisades (2-0) struggled in the first game, but pulled it out 25-21 on the clutch serving of sophomore setter Rusty Barneson and two key blocks by 6-foot, 6-inch middle blocker Nebojsa ‘Nash’ Petrovic. The Dolphins won the final two games easily, 25-15 and 25-14. Petrovic finished with 12 kills and four blocks, senior outside hitter Brett Vegas had seven kills and Joey Sarafian added four digs. Barneson had 32 assists but said the Dolphins have to shore up their game to meet their lofty goals. ‘We’re getting there,’ he said. ‘We’re still lacking a little in our passing and we’re making too many service errors. But we’re definitely ahead of where we were this time last year.’ Even without junior middle blocker D’Andre Bell, a first-team All-City basketball player who joined the volleyball team after the Dolphin hoops’ squad was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the City playoffs, Pali had more than enough weapons for Carson to handle. Bell is still recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the basketball season but was expected to return to practice Tuesday. ‘It’s amazing how quickly he’s picking the game up,’ Barneson said of Bell. ‘He had never hit a volleyball until a couple weeks ago but you’d be surprised how good he is already. With him in the lineup, we’ll be that much better.’ In its season opener last Wednesday, Palisades made short work of San Pedro, another Marine League team, 25-15, 25-17, 25-17. Petrovic led the Dolphins with 12 kills and six blocks and Barneson had 27 assists. Palisades travels to undefeated Chatsworth today in a match PaliHi head coach Dave Smith believes will be a better barometer for where his team stands. ‘They [Chatsworth] have been one of the best teams in the City for the last three years and they’ve beaten us easily the last two times we’ve played them, so this should be one of our toughest matches. If we can beat them it’ll earn us some respect from the elite teams and hopefully get us a higher seed come playoff time.’ The Chancellors (2-0) beat Arcadia of the Southern Section in four games in their season opener and swept Monroe 25-11, 25-11, 25-6 Monday.
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