St. Monica Spikes Past St. Bernard

Early in the season, one might say that the boys volleyball team was the Rodney Dangerfield of the Southern Section. Despite wins against teams in higher divisions, the Mariners weren't getting much respect in the .

No matter, head coach Javy Martinez has been preaching all year that the best way to earn recognition is simply to win—and his players have taken that philosophy to heart. On Thursday, the Mariners ran their winning streak to eight with a 25-18, 25-27, 25-10, 25-23 victory over Camino Real League rival St. Bernard.

With the win, St. Monica improved to 9-5-2 overall and 6-0 in league play. The Mariners are in first place with four matches remaining. Counting their two-set sweep over LA Marshall in the last round of the Venice Invitational on Mar. 19, the Mariners have won nine matches in a row, losing eight sets over that span.

"Things are looking up," Martinez said. "Guys are stepping up, and we want to keep this momentum going."

Despite playing at the Vikings' gym in Playa del Rey, St. Monica seemed right at home early on Thursday, setting the tone with a seven-point win in the first set. The Mariners were once again led by senior outside hitter and co-captain Tanner Peach, who had 15 kills and six blocks, upping his season total to 232 kills.

Junior outside hitter and co-captain Chaz Moynaugh added eight kills, six aces, three blocks and seven digs. Junior middle blocker Sia Moala had nine kills and seven blocks. Freshman setter Max Garris had 23 assists, seven digs and two blocks.

The Mariners' resiliency was tested in Tuesday's home match against Mary Star of the Sea in which they dropped the first two games before rallying for a marathon 23-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-9, 15-11 victory.

"Needless to say we started really slow, losing the first two games, but then our middle [Sia Moala] took over along with Tanner [Peach]," Martinez said. "The final set score seems close but we were up 14-7, and it was never in doubt."

St. Monica has rebounded nicely since losing five of its first seven matches. The Mariners began the week ranked ninth in Division 5 but may move higher after a pair of victories that inched them closer to the league championship.

"The boys are happy they are finally ranked and are working hard with every game to keep climbing the ladder," Martinez said. "There's still a long way to go."

On Monday, St. Monica hosts Cantwell Sacred Heart, which lost to the Mariners in five sets in the first round of league play.