Spanish River sweeps Park Vista for Palm Beach Classic boys volleyball title

Saturday, April 18, 2009
by Joseph Kairalla

It wasn't surprising that Spanish River and Park Vista - the area's top two boys volleyball teams - squared off in the finals of the Palm Beach Classic on Saturday.

What was surprising, however, was that the Sharks handled the Cobras quite easily, earning a 25-23, 25-19 sweep.

"We came into this game with a lot of determination," Spanish River coach Lori Eaton said. "We played very well and this was an excellent warmup for the state playoffs."

The Sharks (19-1) lost in the state semifinals a season ago.

The first set was extremely competitive with neither team leading by more than two points. With Spanish River leading 15-14, three consecutive unforced errors by the Cobras (18-2) gave the Sharks control and they had set point at 24-20.

Anthony Albano kept Park Vista alive with three straight service points, but a kill by Denis Rogenmoser ended the Cobras' hopes of winning.

The second game didn't contain nearly as much drama. Park Vista led 12-10 before James Stampnick and the Sharks took over. Spanish River ran off six straight points - three on kills by Stampnick - to take control. Alex D'Augelli sealed the victory with a game-ending kill.

"When you play a team as good as Park Vista, you really have to limit your mistakes," Eaton said. "I thought we did a great job at that."

Stampnick had 14 kills and 55 assists and Rogenmoser contributed 20 kills and 23 digs.

Wellington swept Cooper City 25-23, 25-21 to take third place. Scotty Witkowski led the way for the Wolverines (15-7) with 18 service points, 10 aces, 40 kills, and 23 digs in the tournament.

Lake Worth wins Div. II title: Marko Brutus had 13 kills and 14 service points and Eric Lynch added 10 service points and 35 assists, leading Lake Worth to victories over West Boca Raton (14-25, 25-23, 15-12) and Palm Beach Gardens (25-23, 25-12).