Kennedy volleyball beats Van Nuys in five to reclaim Valley Mission title
VAN NUYS — The Kennedy boys volleyball team was pushed to the brink by Van Nuys in Monday’s Valley Mission League match at Van Nuys High School.
The visiting Cougars found themselves in numerous holes and ruts but the team battled back every time to notch a win in five sets, 25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11, that secured the league title.
The Cougars finished second in league a year ago, but reclaimed the crown, giving them three league titles in the past four seasons.
The Cougars (16-10, 11-0) are undefeated in their six five-set matches this season, with two of those wins over Van Nuys (16-6, 9-2).
Kennedy was scrappy on defense, letting very few balls easily hit its side of the court while the offense fired away on the net.
Standing out in both phases was Kennedy junior Colin Chong, who totaled 19 kills, 10 digs, three blocks and a trio of aces.
“We had a little one-week hiatus because of spring break,” Chong said. “So it was a little rough going in the game, but I think our energy going into the game was good, not so much skill-wise, that picked up later in the game. But our energy and team chemistry really held us today.”
After falling behind multiple times early it was Kennedy that held off Van Nuys late in the match.
The Cougars never trailed in the fifth set, where they led by four points for a majority of the game.
The slow start didn’t surprise Kennedy coach Kimberly Rodriguez.
“It’s literally our pattern,” she said, “we’re just a slow-starting team and we just take some time to warm up. I would say in the first set, like rotation, four, five and six is probably where we started to wake up. … We are a slow-starting team, but we come and finish it.”
In the first set, Kennedy trailed 7-1 and 18-12 but erased both deficits. Cougars middle blocker Alexander Larios added a huge block to set up set point before a hitting error gave Kennedy the opening game. Larios added two blocks and three aces.
Van Nuys came out hot in the first set and then doubled the intensity in the second, the match’s only lopsided game. The Wolves were led by pin hitters Yeerdlee Miranda and Aidyn Kinchen, who each tallied four kills in the set.
Kinchen finished with 10 kills and three blocks while Miranda led Van Nuys with 15 kills.
Miranda was key late in the second set where he added two points off balls that hit the tape of the net. The outside hitter earned a kill on a ball that just rolled over the net enough to land on the Kennedy floor two plays before doing the same a big service ace.
Van Nuys appeared to be checked out of the match in the fourth set before firing off a 9-2 run to extend the match.
The Wolves received a tremendous boost from middle blocker Xavier Lauraya. The senior middle was on or close to making contact with dozens of Kennedy attacks en route to his 10-kill and five-block night.
The Cougars got into a rhythm in the third set, the offense’s best game of the day. Chong and fellow outside hitter Miguel Cordova each tallied five kills in the set. Cordova also played well and totaled 14 kills and an ace.
Cordova, a senior who wasn’t on the team a year ago, received praise from Rodriguez for his efforts on and off the court. She added that “the past four games, (he has been) just really locked in and really ready for everything.”
With one more win, Kennedy will be undefeated Valley Mission League champs.
Rodriguez is proud of her team’s season but still has some tools she wants to see sharpened before playoffs roll around.
“Sometimes when you have an undefeated season, you go into playoffs a little lackadaisical,” Rodriguez said. “I just hope that we can go in with the same momentum that we’ve had these past few games and really focus on playing the cleanest volleyball possible. Because, like I said, it’s not a secret, we’re slow starters. In playoffs, you can’t have a slow start. It just won’t work. So we’ve got to really pick it up.”
Now that the league title has been secured, Kennedy can focus on the CIF LA City Section Division I playoffs.
“From the beginning, this wasn’t really our main goal,” Chong said of the league title. “Our goal is to win a ring. But I guess while keeping that goal in mind along the way, we accomplished big things.”
Kennedy will compete in tournament play this weekend before wrapping up the regular season next week at home against Canoga Park.
The team believes it is heating up when it matters most and will be ready for a postseason run.
“I think we’re pretty on track,” Chong said. “Definitely from the start of the season, we’ve made a lot of good progress as a team and as individual players. I think we’re on the road to get a ring this year.”