By Katie von Behren
Staff Writer
After being ranked second in the nation by ESPN with the success of the 2012 season, the Mira Costa boys volleyball team will send three seniors to college with athletic scholarships.
Seniors Jackson Carr, Chris Orenic and Brooks Varni all will continue to play volleyball in the fall in the upcoming season. Carr will attend George Mason University, and Orenic and Varni will play for the University of Southern California.
“I am very excited for the next step and for this amazing opportunity to play with an athletic scholarship,” Carr said.
These seniors head to college on the heels of their May 19 CIF Division I championship game over rival Loyola. The team also won the CIF State Southern California Regional Division II championship.
“I love all of my teammates, and playing with them was a blast,” Varni said. “I think our team really learned from our losses, and it paid off in the end when we reached our goal of winning CIF.”
Carr developed a passion for the sport at an early age after being exposed to it early in life. He started the sport at seven years old and started club volleyball at age 12. During the Mustangs’ season, Carr had 30 kills, 20 blocks, 149 digs and 1,141 assists as starting setter.
“My favorite part is the competition,” Carr said. “Every point matters so much.”
Orenic has been playing volleyball for seven years and has been a member of the Costa team for four years. For the Mustangs, Orenic contributed 149 kills, six blocks, 52 digs and four assists this past season as an outside hitter for the Mustangs.
“I love the competition of volleyball and how I can get lost in the game,” Orenic said. “I can forget about everything else in my life at that moment.”
In season, Varni had five kills, two blocks, 341 digs, and 32 assists as the team’s libero. According to teammates, Varni’s spirit and upbeat attitude contributed greatly to the victories and helped to rally the team.
“I’m really excited to get onto the campus and start the next chapter of my volleyball career,” Varni said.
Although the team will be splitting up next year, the seniors all agree that this has been a good year to end on. The boys believe the friendships they formed will stay with the members of the team for many years to come.
“I have been really lucky that I get to live in a place where I can play volleyball at a high level with my friends,” Orenic said.
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