Spiking for Respect

Dolphins Want to Prove They Are Once Again One of Elite Teams in City Section

It has been almost 10 years since the Palisades High boys’ volleyball team celebrated a section championship. The Dolphins last won in 1998 and subsequently the road to the title has run through the San Fernando Valley. This year, however, Palisades is making it clear that not all of the City’s best teams play over the hill. “Everyone’s talking about Chatsworth this year but it’s about time people started talking about Palisades,” Coach Chris Forrest said. “We’re playing really well and, more importantly, we’re getting better every day.” The Dolphins showed just why their coach is brimming with confidence by sweeping host University, 25-21, 25-16, 25-15, on Monday to stay unbeaten in the Western League. Middle blocker Noah Kauss led the way with eight kills, outside hitter Adam Cristiano added six and setter Scott Vegas had six jump serve aces and three solo blocks. Palisades overcame seven serving errors in the first game, which ended on a combined block by Kauss and Kene Izuchukwu. The Dolphins built leads of 11-2 and 14-5 in the second game and used a 9-0 run to take control of the third game. Vegas ended the match with a stuff block. Last weekend, the Dolphins traveled south to La Jolla for the eighth annual Beach City Invitational to battle 33 other teams from Southern California and Nevada. Palisades won its pool on Friday with easy victories over Claremont and Universal City and a 24-26, 25-23, 15-13 triumph over Centennial. On Saturday, Palisades advanced to the gold division playoffs and swept Canyon Crest, 25-14, 25-14, in its first match. That was followed by a tough 25-16, 26-24 defeat at the hands of Valhalla and a 25-20 loss to San Dieguito. The Dolphins’ impressive showing along with strong performances at the Dos Pueblos and Venice Tournaments, indicate the balance of power might be shifting in the City. “We hit a high with that performance,” Cristiano said of La Jolla. “The quality was very high there but now the key is for us not to fluctuate. We have to play at that level all the time.” According to Vegas, it took most of the first game for Palisades to round into form Monday against the overmatched Wildcats, who put forth a spirited effort. “Our concentration was definitely not there in the beginning,” he said. “It wasn’t that we were tired, we just had to get back into the motions. One thing we learned at the tournament is that you can’t lose your cool. You have to keep your mind in the game at all times.” Palisades appears to be clicking on all cylinders heading into next Monday’s rematch with Venice, which will likely decide the league championship. The Dolphins prevailed in five games in their first meeting here on March 6. “Having played them before will help us because now we know their tendencies,” Cristiano said. “We’ll have a better strategy so hopefully we can beat them easier next time.”