Boys' volleyball: Keep an eye on this dark horse

During Tuesday night's Championship Division semifinal between fourth-seeded Sylmar and ninth-seeded El Camino Real, I kept waiting for things to change in the Spartans' favor. After all, I saw their first-game loss as nothing more than a mental fluke, and I felt they'd at least take the next game.

Of course, maybe I wouldn't have been embarrassed by my misguided outlook if I had just noticed the big dark horse that galloped into the gym right at the end of the first game.

The Conquistadores (12-5) jumped onto the back of that well-deserved reputation and rode it to a couple more victories, sweeping the favored Spartans, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21, to earn their first trip to the Championship Division finals. They will play Palisades at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

As you may have already read, OH Mikel Du Boise and MB Scott Wolfson were once again responsible for holding onto the reigns. Du Boise finished with 14 kills and Scott added 10 kills. Setter David Reynaga contributed 40 assists.

The Conquistadores also benefited from a strong defensive effort headed by Gisear Alcantara. The libero finished with 29 digs, and his performance wasn't lost on the other team. "They dug up everything we tried to put down," Sylmar Coach Soheil Mashhoud said.

It's these kinds of individual efforts that have helped El Camino Real break the chains of its perceived underdog status. I realize Palisades is going to offer the Conquistadores one heck of a challenge (especially when you consider it defeated a talented Granada Hills team that beat El Camino Real twice). However, El Camino Real has illustrated over the last two weeks that it's a much-improved team and a worthy title contender.

I'll let El Camino Real Coach Doug Coleman explain how they've changed since league play:

-- Austin Knoblauch