Spikers Ready for Second Season

It was business as usual for the Palisades High boys’ volleyball team on Monday. No sooner had the Dolphins polished off Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies–the final brush stroke to a 12-0 masterpiece in the Western League–than they turned their attention to the ‘second season.’ That’s right–the City Section playoffs–where Palisades has enjoyed unprecedented success over the years. In order to keep that winning legacy alive, however, players must perform with the urgency and desperation of knowing your season–and, in some cases–your prep career might end come to an end before the ultimate goal is reached. “It’s win or go home,” Palisades’ senior outside hitter Kene Izuchukwu said. “That’s what makes it so exciting.” With the exception of last week’s showdown with archrival Venice, which took the Dolphins the maximum five sets before succumbing, Palisades has had few anxious moments lately. That is, until Tuesday’s City seed meeting, where Coach Chris Forrest predicted his team would be seeded somewhere in the top four. Palisades was ultimately seeded third in the 24-team Division I bracket and has a bye in tonight’s first round. The Dolphins will host either 14th-seeded South East or 19th-seeded San Pedro in the second round at 7 p.m. next Tuesday. On Monday, Palisades Coach Chris Forrest made no bones about where he felt his team deserved to be ranked: “No lower than second. We’ve beaten a lot of strong teams. We were undefeated in league and we took sixth place at the Tournament of Champions in Santa Barbara.” Palisades lost to Woodland Hills Taft in a tournament match early in the season and that result likely swayed the committee into awarding the Toreadors the top seed. Van Nuys was also vying for the #1 spot but was placed #2 ahead of the Dolphins, despite losses to Venice and La Jolla–both teams Palisades defeated. “There’s a big difference between 2 and 3 because the #2 seed gets to host that semifinal match and it’s a huge advantage not having to travel,” Forrest said. Izuchukwu, who sat out Monday’s match to rest up for the playoffs, said he has mixed feelings heading into tonight’s first round: “I definitely think we have the talent and potential to win City, but I think we still need to develop the right mindset. We haven’t reached our peak yet.” If anyone knows what it takes to win it all it’s Izuchukwu, who played on the Dolphins’ 2008 City Championship squad–their first section title in 10 years. “I was a sophomore so on that team I thought everyone was better. Now, I feel like I’m a leader.” Quite often, the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs, Izuchukwu stressed, simply comes down to fundamentals. “Passing and defense–that’s how we’re going to win it,” he said. “This is my last year so hopefully we can do it.” Meanwhile, Palisades’ junior varsity put the finishing touches on an undefeated regular season by sweeping LACES, 25-22, 25-12. The only match the Dolphins lost all year was in the finals of the Sylmar Tournament. Unfortunately, there is no JV postseason tournament so players like freshman outside hitter Calvin Ross can only look ahead to next spring. “It was a great season and we went out with a bang,” Ross said. “I’ll probably play one more year on JV with the level of talent we have at this school.” The City Division I final will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 22, at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles.