Peak Reached: Griffiths Guides Dubs to Mountaintop

By Brandon Petersen

It was a long trek to the top of the Cal Pac mountaintop, but after three straight seasons of climbing, the Westcliff men's volleyball team finally made it.

After completing a stunning, 3-2 reverse sweep of UC Merced Saturday a the Cal Pac tournament finals, the Warriors are champions. 

And, in typical Westcliff Men's Volleyball fashion, the Dubs got it done with a flair for the dramatic. 

"It's championship point!"

UC Merced's public address announcer boomed the situation into the microphone to a raucous and rowdy Gallo Center crowd just aching to coronate the Bobcats as Cal Pac kings. 

UCM held a 2-0 lead and was up 24-22, a point away from the crown. 

Moments earlier, the same announcer asked that students not storm the court at the end of the contest.

Visibly slighted, Westcliff senior Thomas Taufetee turned to a teammate and asked if he had heard the barely audible warning through the crowd noise. 

But then, with quite literally their last chance sailing toward them over the net, and a biased, booming Bobcat contingent poised to pounce, the Warriors took over. 

Leonardo Garcia set up Ilias Lazaar for an emphatic kill followed by a guttural, yearning scream from Westcliff's clench-fisted attacker — and the match was over. 

It would just take a little more time for the Warriors to make it official. 

Lazaar followed with a game-tying service ace, then a Pawel Tuz block stuff put the Dubs up one.

Tom Dempsey then finished off a Tuz assist for the 26-24 set winner, and the Warriors roared, accompanied only by Ben U players who stayed to watch the finals, in an otherwise stunned-silent gym. 

2-1. 

Game back on. 

"We woke up on defense," Westcliff head coach Alex Griffiths said. "We were down two sets, it wasn't our serve-receive, we played great first-ball execution. It was keeping us on that service line as long as possible, and actually converting on defensive points. 

"That's where we struggled the first two sets. They came out really hot, and we were able to slow them down when we focused on the first line of defense, the block, and then getting some good defensive points with digs. 

"So that was the turning point, and then after that happened, it went back to us being dominant, and doing what we know we can produce."

Dominate, they did. 

In the fourth, the Warriors raced out to a 10-4 lead after back-to-back scorching winners from Lazaar (Tuz) and Gabriel Pizza (Garcia), after which the Bobcats took a timeout. 

The Dubs then found themselves up 20-9, before finally squaring the match at two apiece with a set-ending kill to the heart of UCM's defense by Connor McCann. 

After the winner, McCann paced back to the huddle and doubled over in a soul-electrifying scream that set the Warriors ablaze. 

It was their time. After finishing third two years ago, and second last year — their moment had arrived, finally, and they knew it. 

The fifth set was over by the sixth point. Pizza smashed another shot out of bounds off a Bobcat blocker and the Warriors were up 5-1. 

All they had to do was trade points the rest of the way. 

With chants of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi" echoing off the rafters, Dempsey delivered the final kill shot and it was officially over at 15-11.

"We have been building (toward this)," Griffiths said. "Third two years ago, second last, this year, first. That was the game plan. Our longterm goal. Be conference champions, and head to nationals. We had the right players, it was just about executing on the right platform. 

"For us, today was that day."

On the season's biggest day, Lazaar shined his brightest, finishing with a team-high 24 kills.

Pizza, the Cal Pac's Attacker of the Year, was his usual dominant self, sending home 16 winners and collecting nine digs on the defensive end.

Tuz, the iron man in the middle, was once again the Warriors' MVP, finishing with 52 assists, 11 digs, and the game's most momentum-shifting block-stuff. 

McCann had another humongous block in the fourth set, and finished with seven kills, as did Trevor Lau, who was once again a consistent force throughout on the defensive front line. 

Dempsey, the Australian ace from the line, collected two more service aces and finished with nine kills, including the championship-winner. 

For all of the Warriors, and especially for Westcliff's seniors — Lazaar, Taufetee, Garcia, Mike Massaki, Andy Jaszczynski and TJ Meyer (Trevor Meyer) — the journey was a long, hard climb to the top of the mountain.

"For us, it goes beyond volleyball, it's our family," Griffiths said. "I wanted to make sure our seniors were taken care of, and got the full experience. I wanted them to experience the Cal Pac finals here in front of this crowd that is so excited for men's volleyball, and I wanted them to get a chance to go to nationals. 

"I'm just really happy, and thankful for them for sticking it out long-term. Thomas tore his ACL, and worked his butt off to come back and be a part of this program. It just means something special. 

"It hits different when everyone is all-in, regardless of the role."

Westcliff will now gear up for its first trip to the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship.

The tournament will be held from April 30th to May 4th at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

The Warriors came to Merced wanting to make history.

They did it not once (beat Ben U), not twice (Cal Pac Champs), but thrice (first trip to nationals).

Not a bad weekend in NorCal.