Chatsworth Overwhelms University in Volleyball

Dominating.

If one word can be used to describe a team, this would be the most apt for the Chatsworth High boys’ volleyball team after it dismantled perennial City Section power University, 15-1, 15-3, 15-1, in a nonleague match at Chatsworth on Wednesday.

The Chancellors (3-0) controlled the match from the opening serve and kept University (1-2) off balance with hard spikes and pinpoint serves.

“That’s the widest margin we’ve ever beaten University by,” Chatsworth Coach Steve Berk said. “We played great in all aspects of our game today.”

“Especially,” Berk added, “Greg Weaver was on.”

That he was. Weaver, the Chancellors’ only three-year starter, had six kills in only two games. He turned the second game around after University got off to a quick start and threatened to steal the momentum from Chatsworth.

“Uni’s blocking was pretty weak,” Weaver said. “I thought they’d be much better than they were.

“You always hear so much about University and how great they are, but today we just played awesome volleyball.”

Weaver was backed offensively by Rick Garrick, who also had six kills.

Weaver’s jump serves and the line-drive serves of setter Jamie Chen led Chatsworth on offense.

Defensively, the Chancellors used the height of 6-foot-5 middle hitter Chris Gleason and 6-2 Greg Williams to put a good percentage of University’s spikes back in their faces.

Only in game two, when University’s Farbod Esmailan served three consecutive points at the outset, did the Warriors offer to make a match of it.

But Weaver turned things around, hammering away from the outside as Chatsworth scored 15 points in a row to win the game.

The Chancellors were even more dominant in a 15-1 win in the third game.

Chatsworth’s controlled style of play doesn’t come by chance; Berk drills the team on fundamentals daily.

“If we make a mistake, we’ll never make it again,” Berk proclaimed. “We work on that every day in practice.”

Chatsworth players must be getting Berk’s message: They appear headed toward a ninth consecutive West Valley League title.