BOYS VOLLEYBALL
LANDON NEGRI
MENIFEE Justin Fabricante has a good serve, great even. He decided, apparently, to make it dominant at the most opportune time. The junior setter dealt four aces in the first seven points of the third set as host Menifee Paloma Valley swept Hemet, 25-20, 29-27, 25-17, for a Sunbelt League boys volleyball victory Tuesday. The aces helped the Wildcats bolt to a 7-0 lead in the third set, just after they survived a tough second set with a victory by fighting off three set points. “That was huge for us,” Fabricante said. “It lifted our spirits.” Not that the Wildcats had been particularly down. Ranked No. 4 in CIFSouthern Section Division 3, Paloma (15-1 overall, 6-0 league) had dropped just three sets and were coming off a third-place finish at the Bosco-Valley Christian Classic tournament 10 days ago. But as the Bulldogs usually do in what's become the Inland area’s best boys volleyball rivalry, they gave the Wildcats fits during Tuesday’s match. Hemet (15-2, 5-1) stayed with Paloma until a late, four-point surge gave the Wildcats the first set. In another back-andforth affair in the second set, Hemet pulled ahead and led 23-21 and 24-22. But the Bulldogs served into the net twice, and then, with set point in balance, a ball went off a back-line Bulldogs player to allow to keep the Wildcats alive. Senior middle blocker Thomas Stancyk had two blocks, and then Armando Fuentes, wearing No. 14 instead of his usual No. 8, closed the second set with two kills. “In a game of momentum, you definitely don’t want to lose a set,” Paloma coach Katie Bradley said. “And Hemet plays with a lot of passion. If you give up a set, it definitely puts you in a bad spot.” Fabricante served to kick off the third set and had aces on 2-0 and 3-0, and then again for 6-0 and 7-0 leads. “What happens with us,” Hemet coach Ginger Dagnall said, “is that we lose our confidence sometimes in those situations.” Senior David Hamilton led the Wildcats with 16 kills, and Fuentes added 11. Fabricante finished with 34 assists. The Bulldogs, whose only other loss this season was a tournament final against Yucaipa earlier this year, were led by senior middle blocker JP Scheuble, who had 12 kills. The two teams meet again April 30 at Hemet. “We have confidence,” Dagnall said, “that we’ll take the next one at home.” CONTACT THE WRITER: [email protected]