Edison boys’ volleyball boosts playoff hopes with win over Los Alamitos

As far as statistics go, the Edison High boys’ volleyball team does not often share information with outsiders.

The importance of Tuesday night’s Sunset League matchup against Los Alamitos could not be kept under wraps.

Edison entered league well below the .500 mark, making the Chargers a less-than-ideal wild-card candidate should their CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff hopes come down to that.

The Chargers need to finish in the top three of the league, and they took a major step forward toward accomplishing that goal with a come-from-behind victory against the Griffins.

Junior outside hitter James Carpenter had a team-high 14 kills, and the host Chargers rallied for a 25-19, 25-27, 19-25, 25-20, 15-13 win.

In mounting its rally, Edison (7-9, 2-0 in league) picked up its first five-set victory of the season. The Chargers were previously 0-2 in such contests, with the losses coming against Servite and Tesoro.

“It’s huge,” Edison junior libero Cole Power said of the match’s playoff implications. “It’s definitely better than being 1-1. I’ll tell you that much.

“It gives us a little comfort level on where we can go forward, and it’s great.”

Power, who has committed to UCLA, had 21 digs. Junior setter Niko Boone added 35 assists.

Edison had a golden opportunity to seize control of the match. The Chargers built a 20-14 lead in Game 2, but Power served the ball into the back of Carpenter on set point.

The Griffins took advantage, as Jake Maffett struck for back-to-back kills to give Los Alamitos (14-6, 1-1) the set by a score of 27-25.

Los Alamitos carried that momentum into Game 3. The Griffins’ setter, Bryce Thompson, strung together three service aces in a span of four points. His dominant serving helped Los Alamitos turn a 13-11 deficit into a 16-13 lead, and his team remained on top the rest of the third set.

“They mean a great deal to this team,” Griffins coach Brett Massetti said of Thompson and Maffett. “Bryce Thompson, his leadership, his setting is huge for this team.

“Jake Maffett’s ability to pass the ball and put the ball away is very, very big for us. It takes a lot of pressure off the other hitters, and it gives us a good opportunity to win.”

Edison coach Matt Skolnik said his team showed resiliency to battle back after a disappointing second set.

“The second set was tough,” he said. “We were up big and we gave it away. Los Al did a great job and played well in the third game. For us to bounce back in the fourth and fifth was really big for our team moving forward.”

With regard to the playoff race, Skolnik added, “There is going to be a huge battle for every playoff spot, so to get top three is going to be huge. This is a big victory to shoot for that.”

Edison has qualified for the Division 1 playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Chargers’ senior middle blockers did their best to assist their team in its effort to make the postseason again.

Trevor McKay tallied eight kills and four blocks. Austin Pratt had five kills and two blocks.

“It’s really great,” McKay said of their impact on the match. “I doesn’t just start with the middles. It starts with a pass to the setter, and I feel like everyone came together to make that happen. We’re just the last link in the chain.”

Carpenter and Boone combined on the match-clinching block.

Massetti said that when matches reach their climax, it comes down to each team’s best players matching up against each other. He said the Chargers won those battles when it mattered, saying, “It seems like they made a few more of those plays at the end.”

Edison will travel to take on top-ranked Newport Harbor (18-0, 2-0) on Friday.

[email protected]

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner