Calvary Chapel Downey players celebrate their win over Southlands Christian in the CIF second round boys volleyball match at Calvary Chapel Downey on Monday. The Grizzlies defeated Southlands Christian 3-1. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

DOWNEY – The Calvary Chapel Downey Grizzlies, for the second consecutive year, advanced to the CIF-Southern Section D 9 Boys Volleyball Quarterfinals Monday (May 4), with a 3-1 win over visiting Southlands Christian (Rowland Heights).

The Grizzlies, who only have two seniors on the team, won the second round match after trailing 1-0, but came back and won the next three sets for the 24-26, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 win.

With the win, Calvary improved to 14-16 overall, while Southlands ends its season at 12-15.

The Grizzlies move on to the quarterfinals Thursday (May 7) and will host Avalon of Catalina Island, (10-24), a 3-0 winner over Bethel Baptist. (Results not available due to press deadline).

“My boys decided to play against a team that always has given us trouble,” said Calvary coach Jeremiah Mitte, of Southlands. “They’ve been league rivals for the last few years and this year they weren’t in our league. We did see them at the beginning of the season. Southlands is not a team to never underestimate and are well-coached.

“It was definitely a great game. Tough on the heart for sure and it was one of the best ones of the season by far.”

Leading the way for Calvary was sophomore middle blocker Blake Roemheld with 13 kills. He also had a match-high 23 digs and added two assists. Senior setter Luke Neff also had a match-high 26 assists, and added 17 digs and two kills, while freshman outside hitter Levi Morales had nine kills and eight digs.

In the first set, Southlands got off to a 5-0 lead, before the Grizzlies scored a point on a kill by Neff. The Grizzlies came back and outscored Southlands to climb within two points, 7-5.

From there it was a back-and-forth game until Calvary took its first lead of the set, 11-10, on a kill by Roemheld.

The Grizzlies, who placed second in the Academy League to Webb, had two separate runs of three consecutive points each to build up a five-point, 20-15 lead.

However, the Eagles reeled off seven consecutive points, which included two kills and two aces to retake the lead, 22-20.

After a point by each team, Morales had a kill for Calvary to trail, 23-22.

Later, Neff added his first kill of the set to get the Grizzlies even, 24-24.

Southlands finished the set with two kills to win 26-24 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set had seven ties, with five kills by the Grizzlies with the score tied, 10-10.

The set went back-and-forth, like the first one, but ended up in favor of the Grizzlies.

After the 12th tie of the match at 16-16, Calvary took control winning five of the next six points to lead, 21-17. Highlighting that stretch were kills by Roemheld and Morales to build up the biggest lead of the set.

Leading 22-19, Roemheld, perhaps, had the biggest kill of the set, after an assist from freshman libero Asael Garcia for the 23-19 lead. That was followed by a kill by freshman opposite Jeremiah Parra for the game point at 24-19.

“Garcia has improved throughout the season as he is a freshman,” said Mitte, of one of his three first-year players. “Ya, he was huge in that match.”

However, four consecutive points later found the Eagles within a point, 24-23.

In the midst of the fourth set point, the officials stopped play and

awarded the Grizzlies a point as the Southlands setter stepped under the net to end the set. Calvary won, 25-23 to even the match 1-1.

For the second time in the match, Southlands came out with another early 4-0 lead.

Behind four Eagles errors, a kill by Morales and two kills by Southlands, the Grizzlies trailed by a point, 6-5.

Again, Southlands went on a 6-1 run to build up a six-point advantage, 12-6.

Calvary stayed close and trailed, 17-14, on three kills by Neff and a kill by Roemheld.

Asked about sophomore Roemheld’s improvement from his first year to now, Mitte simply said, “He has (improved) and he only wants to get better from here.”

Led by a pair of kills by Morales, the Grizzlies caught Southlands for the first tie of the set, 17-17.

A few points later, a combination kill/block by the front line duo of Neff and Roemheld to lead, 24-22, put the Grizzlies at set point and a 2-1 lead in the match.

A Calvary service error only briefly held them from clinching the set win, but Roemheld went way up high for the big slam into the middle of the court for the win.

After an early 9-8 lead by Southlands in the fourth set, Morales had a kill for the 10-9 lead. That was the first point of a 6-1 run to build up a 15-10 lead and they never trailed the rest of the way.

Three errors by Southlands, a service ace by sophomore defensive specialist Daniel Velasco and a kill by Morales highlighted the run.

The biggest lead of the set came after a service error and a ball hit out of bounds by Southlands and an ace by Roemheld gave the Grizzlies an insurmountable, 22-16 lead.

A late charge by the eagles with three consecutive points to come within three points, 22-19, created a mild stir from the boisterous home crowd.

However, a kill by Roemheld and a surprise tip over by Neff put the Grizzlies within a point of the match to lead, 24-23.

With Neff, Morales and sophomore middle Mark Maya on the front line, a dig by Roemheld followed by the 26th set by Neff, Morales sent the Grizzlies to the quarterfinals with a kill to end the match.

Coming up big in the match at the front and his serving was junior opposite Andrew Rubio and sophomore defensive specialist Samuel Sandoval also with great serving.

What they said:

Luke Neff, senior setter: “We have some freshmen that are new (on the team), a lot of sophomores that are still new to this and they are all giving it their all.

My other senior, libero Asael (Garcia), is his first year playing volleyball with no experience at all. He’s playing very well and I’m so happy for him.”

Blake Roemheld, sophomore middle: “Volleyball is my only sport now and it means a lot to me. It feels amazing to win. With the help from God, we did it.

A lot of our success has to do with our coaches with the freshmen coming in and now they’re stepping up and they’re playing. Our coach can take most of the credit for that.”

Levi Morales, freshman outside: “During our game we pushed through, we covered, played defense and we talked and we made our serves.”

Calvary Chapel advances to CIF boys volleyball quarterfinal