Breakers volleyball in semis

LAGUNA BEACH — Every match may be the last one for a senior like Seth Morris. That’s the reality of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

But Friday night, Morris helped ensure his high school career wouldn’t end in a Division II quarterfinal match against visiting Agoura.

Breakers sophomore setter Robbie McKnight got the ball to Morris and he delivered 13 kills, helping the top-seeded Breakers post a 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 victory and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2004.

Laguna Beach (23-9) will play at fourth-seeded Royal of Simi Valley in the semifinals Wednesday. Royal outlasted Valencia in five games, 26-24, 25-17, 23-25, 22-25, 15-11, in another quarterfinal match Friday.

Morris had six blocks and junior middle blocker Reed Thompson also had a solid match to help Laguna Beach.

“We started setting the middle a little more tonight,” said Morris, before reflecting on the win. “We haven’t made it past the quarters all four years I’ve been on varsity. It’s my senior year; I’m not going to drop out that easily, especially after that first game kind of pumped me up.”

Senior outside Cooper Gwaltney had 15 kills for the Breakers, junior Travis Woloson had 13 kills and 23 assists and McKnight had 30 assists.

Early on, it was Agoura making the big plays though. Many of them were made by senior middle blocker Michael Hatch, who is headed to BYU.

Hatch, who finished with eight kills and 10 blocks, had four service aces in the second game alone, which was back and forth as Laguna tried to avoid going in a 2-0 hole.

“We still haven’t played our best match,” said Laguna Beach Coach Lance Stewart. “In order to win a championship, you’ve got to play longer and harder. I thought from about halfway through the third game, we played better. Our middles were awesome.”

Laguna Beach was ahead just 23-21 late in that second game, but a kill from McKnight was followed by a Gwaltney block to win the game.

Game 3 was tied 11-11 before the Breakers went on a 5-2 run, capped by a kill from junior Scotty Chapel, to give themselves some breathing room. Woloson also had several big kills at the end of that game for the Breakers.

The Breakers jumped to a 15-9 lead in the fourth game, but Agoura tied it at 19-19 before a kill and block from Morris helped Laguna Beach recapture the lead.

“Seth did a nice job attacking the ball,” Stewart said. “If we can get Seth to do a little better job slowing down the other team’s quicks, then we’re in business. But he was awesome attacking the ball for us.”

At Royal on Wednesday, Laguna Beach will attempt to make its first CIF championship match since 1994. The Breakers have not won a CIF title since 1983.

To make another one, the Breakers may still need to find the elusive next gear.

“We haven’t really been cutting it,” said Chapel, who had nine kills Friday. “We’ve had a few matches where we could beat any times, but then we’ve had matches where we play down. Like Coach Lance said, we haven’t played our best match. Hopefully that’s true. We’ve just got to try hard and go for it ... I’m very excited. I just want to stay focused and keep my eye on the ball.”