SAN DIEGO – For a veteran group that had maintained every advantage against the rest of the boys volleyball programs in the CIF-San Diego Section this season, top-seed Carlsbad High found itself in an unfamiliar situation Saturday entering the deciding set against No. 3 Torrey Pines in the Open Division final.
The Lancers hadn’t been extended to a fifth set all season, with Torrey Pines securing three five-set wins.
Carlsbad hadn’t won an Open Division crown since 2016, and were facing the reigning champion Falcons.
And Torrey Pines was looking to become the first team in Open Division finals history to overcome a two-set deficit and rally to secure the title.
But Carlsbad responded by breaking an early tie with five consecutive points and the senior trio of Hawaii signee Roman Payne, Harvard commit Oliver Doty and Derek Bashford were too much for the Falcons to overcome as the Lancers emerged with a 25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 15-25, 15-5 victory at the Vassiliadis Athletic Center at Francis Parker School.
Carlsbad won the third CIF-San Diego Section boys volleyball title in program history, including the second Open Division crown | Erik Boal photo
Bashford had four kills, Doty added three kills and Payne contributed two kills and a pair of blocks in the deciding set for Carlsbad (35-2), which captured its third section championship in program history, including the Division 1 crown in 2007.
The Lancers – the third-ranked team in the state and No. 4 program in the country – extended their winning streak to 20 in a row under first-year head coach and Derek’s mother Annette Bashford, including three victories against Torrey Pines (33-8), ranked No. 11 nationally.
Carlsbad senior Derek Bashford hugs his mother and head coach Annette Bashford following the Lancers’ win in the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division final | Erik Boal photo
Carlsbad prevailed in four sets April 17 against the Falcons and achieved a sweep in the April 22 rematch.
Torrey Pines became the first program since La Costa Canyon in 2017 to rally from a two-set deficit to force a deciding set in the Open Division final, but Carlsbad matched the achievement of La Jolla eight years ago by regrouping to win in five after dropping the third and fourth sets.
The Falcons, who denied Cathedral Catholic a potential Open Division three-peat last year, had their pursuit of back-to-back championship denied after suffering their first setback in four five-set matches this season.
Torrey Pines was seeking back-to-back CIF-San Diego Section Open Division boys volleyball titles | Erik Boal photo
Ben Soudak was the catalyst for Torrey Pines’ comeback bid, recording six kills apiece in both the third and fourth sets.
Soudak finished with 20 kills, five blocks and three aces for the Falcons, who scored five unanswered points in the fourth to overcome a 4-3 deficit and led the rest of the way to force a deciding set in emphatic fashion.
Soudak and junior Declan Flanagan both had timely kills and senior Bjorn Hawe added a solo block late in the third set for Torrey Pines after the Lancers had cut a five-point deficit to 20-18.
Flanagan and Soudak managed only one kill each in the fifth set for the Falcons, who were searching for their fourth championship in program history.
Payne had 17 kills and nine blocks, Bashford contributed 15 kills, three digs and two blocks, with Doty adding 14 kills and five blocks for Carlsbad, which also received 36 assists, five kills, four digs and two blocks from junior setter Ben Sauerwine.
Nate Hedgecock recorded five kills, three blocks and two digs, with Zach Reesor collecting 12 digs for Carlsbad, which hasn’t lost to a San Diego Section opponent all season.
Carlsbad extended its winning streak to 20 in a row entering the CIF boys volleyball state playoffs | Erik Boal photo
Flanagan achieved 13 kills, Hawe had eight kills and senior Luke Renner added five kills for Torrey Pines, which had libero Griffin Dieter produce 21 digs and fellow sophomore Zach Lau contribute seven digs.
Both teams are expected to compete Tuesday in the regional playoffs of the state tournament, with Carlsbad seeking a potential third showdown in the highest division against top-ranked Mira Costa (33-2).
The Mustangs, who won the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship Friday in five sets against No. 2 in the state and No. 3 in the country Huntington Beach (34-4), are responsible for both Carlsbad losses this season in best-of-three matchups Feb. 22 and March 8 in tournament contests.