Edison Moves Quickly to Round 2

Edison and Dana Hills needed five games to decide their first meeting in March, but the Chargers didn’t want a repeat Friday in their first-round Southern Section Division I boys’ volleyball playoff match.

As in their first match, Edison won the first two games, but this time, the Chargers put it away quickly by winning, 15-13, 15-11, 15-12, at Edison.

Chris Van Reusen had 31 kills and setter Ryan Hiskey had 51 assists for Edison, which advanced to the second round to play Huntington Beach at a site to be determined.

Edison’s only losses this season have come in the Sunset League, twice against Huntington Beach and twice against Esperanza, the fourth-seeded team in Division I.

Early in Friday’s match, the Chargers (11-4) looked as if they would have trouble getting out of the first round. Edison’s sloppy passing and poor serving helped Dana Hills (10-7) race to a 9-1 lead in Game 1.

But Dana Hills’ own miscues helped Edison rally.

Dana Hills led, 10-3, but five hitting errors and three net violations helped Edison take its first lead, 11-10. Van Reusen closed out the game for Edison, capping a three-point run with a kill from the left side and a 15-13 victory.

“We were well prepared for this match,” Edison Coach Lee Maes said. “But you can’t take advantage of any of that stuff unless you take care of your own side of the net.”

Once Edison’s ball control settled down, Hiskey was able to keep Dana Hills off-balance although Van Reusen did most of the damage. Middle blocker Mike Whitney had eight kills and five blocks and Matt Patterson chipped in with eight kills.

Dana Hills tried to rally behind 6-foot-5 senior Jim Polster. Polster, who has signed with Long Beach State, had 10 of his 22 kills in Game 2, and two consecutive kills to pull Dana Hills to within, 12-10.

But Van Reusen answered with three kills and a block to give the Chargers their third game point at 14-11, and Whitney finished off the game with a block.

In Game 3, Dana Hills senior Morgan Byers, who had 15 kills, blocked Josh Kogler to pull the Dolphins within, 13-11. But Dana Hills got no closer with a hitting error and Patterson’s kill ending the match.