Mustangs remain undefeated with win over Peninsula

By Zane Franklin
Staff Writer

As Peninsula’s gym cleared and the Mira Costa boys volleyball players walked away with both a nerve-wracking 3-1 away win versus rival Peninsula and a still-perfect record of 12-0, Mustang fans in attendance couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Costa’s March 29 win against the Panthers was its first Bay League game of the season, and three of the four sets played came down to the wire. Although the boys managed to win the game, some from Costa are not fully content with the result.

“A win is a win, but I think we could have played better,” coach Michael Ninnis said. “We will have to improve if we want to be successful in Bay League.”

In hopes of keeping a perfect record of 12-0, the Mustangs will travel to Loyola Marymount University at 7 p.m. tonight to face the 10-1 Loyola squad.

“I think we have a bright future,” junior outside hitter Chris Orenic said. “We’ve been pretty successful, and Bay League should be good this year.”

The Mustangs started off strong against Peninsula with a serve by senior libero Tony Ensbury and a kill by Orenic. Costa jumped off to a comfortable lead at the start, but the Panthers launched a comeback as the game progressed to double digits.

The Panthers tied the game at 12-12, and it became evident that Peninsula was not ready to submit. Hard hits from Orenic helped to keep the Mustangs competitive, and a finisher by junior middle blocker Karl Acres closed the first game with a score of 25-19 in the Mustangs’ favor.

After Costa’s win in the first game, the Panthers started playing heavier defense and consistently blocked Costa attempts at putting the ball over the net. Junior Michael Debevec helped Costa respond to Peninsula’s new-found aggression by taking on the same task for the Mustangs.

The teams repeatedly traded leads until the score was 24-20 and Peninsula was one point away from winning the set.

“They nearly overpowered us,” Mustang junior middle blocker Keith Waddell said.

Debevec and Orenic denied multiple hits from the Panthers that helped Costa overcome the last-minute deficit, and a tip by junior setter Jackson Carr put Costa in the lead at 26-25. Senior outside hitter Zack Proctor completed the comeback and ended the game at 28-26 with a fast kill.

The third game started off slow, as Costa struggled to gain a lead over Peninsula. Defense from Debevec and junior outside hitter Kevin Inlow helped keep Costa close, but the Mustangs were eventually overpowered and Peninsula won, 25-19.

“They came out strong, and we counted on them to make errors, which caused us to fall behind,” Debevec said.

The Mustangs, eager to recover from their loss, came out strong in the fourth. A powerful kill by senior outside hitter DJ White showed the Panthers that Costa was not ready to give up another game and fired up the Costa bench. Senior setter Kameron Bain along with Orenic and White drove the game to an end.

White finished the Panthers off with a kill to make the score 25-10, an outcome much different than what the Mustangs had seen throughout the match.

Orenic and Acres led the team with eight kills each, and White had seven as well. Debevec’s five timely blocks proved crucial for the team’s success.

“We’re going to need to play a lot more aggressively if we want to continue to do well this season,” Orenic said.