The San Diego Mesa College men's volleyball Cinderella season came to an end on Thursday evening in the 3C2A Men's Volleyball Semifinals inside the ECC Gym Complex at El Camino College. The Olympians, ranked #4, were swept by the #1 seed Long Beach City College 25-16, 25-12, 25-22. The victory by Long Beach City College marks the program's third-straight appearance in the 3C2A championship game.
Matthew Pennala led Long Beach City College with 18 kills, 3 errors on 33 swings. Pennala had a .455 kill percentage. The Vikings were simply too strong on Thursday, playing their best volleyball of the year, having won 18 consecutive games and 48 straight sets.
Throughout the year, the Olympians were considered a 'fifth-set' team, often dropping the first two sets, and then coming back to win the next three through a reverse sweep. After dropping the first two sets in the match, the resiliency of the team started to show in the third set. At one point in the set, the Olympians led by as much as five-points (15-10), hoping to stretch the match into the fourth set. However, the play of the Vikings was just too solid. And despite five lead changes and being tied on nine occasions, the Vikings closed the match 25-22 completing the sweep.
Austin Kinnear led the charge for Mesa College with 10 kills on 28 swings. Richard Aguiniga with 3 blocks. Roy Rojas with 7 digs.
Although the Olympians failed to punch their ticket into the championship game, the achievement by the 2023 squad will go down as the year that the program put the entire state on notice. Finishing 18-6 overall, 7-2 in the conference is an accomplishment that many programs would be content with. Reaching the final four at the state championship is reserved for elite programs.
The turnaround of the program under head coach David Proffitt has been nothing short of a miracle. It wasn't too long ago when Proffitt would set up an information booth on the school campus, searching for any student above 5 '10 in height, and ask if they would be interested in becoming a student-athlete. With the amazing result this year, the sky's the limit for this program next season. Let's run it back!
A Note From Dean, Athletic Director, Ryan Shumaker:
Watching this team this season has been amazing. When I brought Dave in, we had some serious talks about expectations for the program and he answered the call. The hard work in recruiting is evident.
Dave's ability to holistically develop his student-athletes on a personalized basis is incredible. And lastly, he is helping students transfer to four year institutions!
To say that I am proud of what this team, these students, and these coaches have accomplished would be an understatement. I am excited to see what the future hold for this program. Consider San Diego Mesa College Men's Volleyball officially on the map!