Despite the graduation of Dillon Klein, the top prep recruit in the nation last year, the Loyola volleyball program has not missed a beat. In fact, the Cubs might be better this season.
Loyola, seeded No. 1 in the Southern Section Division 1 volleyball pairings released Saturday, was pushed by rival Mira Costa in the championship match of the Redondo Varsity Classic on Saturday but prevailed 25-23, 22-25, 15-12 to validate its No. 1 ranking heading into the playoffs.
“It’s a different group every year but we started with the mindset that we‘ve got nothing to lose,” Loyola coach Mike Boehle said. “It’s like being on autopilot when you have an 18-match winning streak [now 19]. Listen, we always have a target on our back. We’re an all-boys Catholic school, so everyone expects us to win. This team has really embraced that pressure.”
The Cubs (24-1) might have lost Klein, now a freshman at USC, but Boehle believes he still has the best player in the country in junior outside hitter Sean Kelly, who was selected tournament MVP.
Kelly led Loyola in kills throughout the two-day tournament. In the best-of-three final the Cubs built a 12-9 lead in the third set and sided out from there.
Loyola has won 48 out of 52 sets since its only loss, a 2-1 defeat to Anaheim Servite at an early-season tournament.
Junior setter Parker Schloss, senior opposite hitter Lukas Anderson and senior middle blocker Spencer Graves made the all-tournament team for Loyola as did juniors Tread Rosenthal and Victor Loiola of Mira Costa.
“Dillon was a great leader and he’s missed, but it takes all 15 guys and everyone has a role,” said Graves, a UCLA commit who looks forward to playing against his ex-teammate next year. “We knew Costa would bring the fire. We were the No. 1 seed, the table was set so we had to finish the job.”
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