MVB 2020 non-conference: Jets open the season 2-1
The first phase of the 2020 Miramar men’s volleyball season saw the Jets in three non-mandatory matches, against three of the CCCAA’s best programs.
1/29 – Long Beach City def. Miramar 25-19, 25-15, 25-17
Defending CCCAA champion Long Beach City used its superior ball control, physicality, and the big arm of OPP Uriel Batista to overwhelm Miramar MVB in its first match of the season. The Jets were toe-to-toe with the Vikings in sets one and two, but could not sustain under LBCC’s pressure.
Freshman OPP Cameron Einhorn led the Jets with 16 kills, while fellow freshman OH Slater Bird logged eight kills. Sophomore OH Sirex Vasquez logged a 2.25 passer rating on 16 attempts, while sophomore S Grant Dunlop had 24 assists. Sophomore MB Justin Westerberg tallied three blocks, and freshman L Joel Aninipok had seven digs.
1/31 – Miramar def. Santa Barbara City 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 26-24
In the biggest win in Miramar MVB history, the Jets outlasted Santa Barbara. It was the first win against one of the CCCAA’s traditional powers in the program’s history, with SBCC a Top-5 preseason pick. After splitting the first two sets with the Vaqueros, the Jets came from behind in sets 3 and 4 to grab a victory over SBCC.
Bird led the way with 17 kills on .375 hitting, and added a stellar 2.53 passer rating on 16 attempts. Einhorn added 11 kills and three aces. Sophomore MB Chase Blackwell and Vasquez contributed five kills each, with Blackwell also tallying four blocks. Vasquez added eight digs to his effort, while Aninipok added seven digs to the defensive effort. Aninipok also tallied a 2.20 passer rating on 30 attempts, while Dunlop racked up 40 assists.
On the strength of its win over SBCC, Miramar MVB opened the season at #4 in the first CCCAA coaches poll for 2020, not only the highest ever ranking for the Jets, but the highest ever ranking for a San Diego team since the poll’s inception in 2017.
2/14 - Miramar def. Irvine Valley 31-29, 20-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-10
After a two-week hiatus, Miramar MVB was a last-minute replacement for LA Pierce on IVC’s schedule (due to cancellation). The Jets made the most of the opportunity by logging another historic program win, with its first ever victory over one of the traditional Orange County powers. The two teams battled all evening, splitting the first four sets, before the Jets made an early set five lead stand up for the win.
Einhorn led the way with 17 kills, and added 10 digs to his evening’s work. Sophomore OH Brody Smith, in his first action of the season, knocked down 15 kills in four sets of work, while Bird added 14 kills. Bird was again stellar in serve receive, passing at a 2.45 rate on 29 attempts, while Aninipok was also strong in receive, passing a 2.36 on 36 attempts. Einhorn and Aninipok rung up 10 digs each to lead Miramar’s 45-dig defensive effort, while Dunlop ran the offense with 60 assists.
While some big upsets saw other teams move up the rankings, Miramar MVB still showed strong at # 6 for the week ending February 14th and going into the crossover matches with the Orange Empire Conference teams.