GAA can’t stand up to Summit

GLENDALE — Heading into its CIF Southern Section Division V first-round boys’ volleyball match, Glendale Adventist Academy and Coach Hugo Gomez knew little about host Summit, the San Andreas League champion.

But after first glimpsing their opponents, the Cougars seemingly knew enough.

“We were a little intimidated I think,” said Gomez in reference to the opposition’s size.

But it was the height and skill of the Skyhawks that ultimately keyed their overwhelming sweep of the Cougars, as Glendale Adventist’s season came to a first-round end after a 25-10, 25-10, 25-13 loss on Tuesday evening.

“They were highly skilled, they had two hitters that were pretty phenomenal,” said Gomez in reference to Summit’s Dorian Cason and Kenneth Morgan.

Cason had 24 kills in a dominating effort, while Morgan added 13 kills.

“They had about 99% of their offense,” Gomez said.

The height of the tandem allowed them to hit over the Cougars’ block all match long, according to Gomez, which, in turn, handicapped any Glendale Adventist offense and forced the road team to make adjustments defensively.

“We weren’t able to get our offense going at all,” Gomez said. “We weren’t able to adjust enough.”

Summit (11-5) will face either Don Bosco or New Harvest Christian in the second round on Thursday, while Glendale Adventist (4-8) begins an offseason in which it must begin the search to replace five starters.

Senior Finster Paul, one of the last remnants from GAA’s 2007 Westside League championship squad, led the Cougars, who took third in league this year, with six kills. Jordan Khoe added five kills.

The season was an up and down one for Glendale Adventist, as a 2-0 start turned into an 0-2 start due to an ineligible player. After that, the Cougars lost their next four matches, but regrouped to win four of their final five heading into the playoffs.

“We kind of hit a cold streak after that, but were able to turn it around and start playing well at the end of the year,” Gomez said. “Unfortunately, we went up against a really good team [on Tuesday], so you couldn’t see the progress we made.”