Just hours after the NCAA announced the brackets for its men?s and women?s basketball tournaments, the Loyola High boys volleyball team took on Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in their own version of March Madness Saturday night. The annual showdown between two of the top-ranked teams in Southern California was moved to Loyola Marymount?s Gersten Pavilion and the Cubs prevailed in four games for the second straight year, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23 before a crowd of over 2,000. The defending CIF champion Cubs (3-0), ranked No. 1 in Division I, got 13 kills from Palisadian C.J. Schellenberg, a junior outside hitter, and senior middle blocker Matt Hillier had 14 kills. Another Palisadian, Jeff Sause, played solid defense along with Rob Healy, to stem a late comeback by Mira Costa (1-1), ranked third in Division I. After dropping the second game, the Cubs fell behind 8-3 in the third before rallying to win. They built a sizeable lead in the fourth game and ended it on a resounding kill by Hillier. Loyola opened the season with sweeps over Mission League rivals Harvard-Westlake and Crespi and hosted fourth-ranked Santa Margarita on Tuesday. The Cubs retired the number of Palisadian Brian Beckwith, last year?s Division I Player of the Year, prior to Saturday?s match. Last May Beckwith, an All-CIF setter now at the University of Hawaii, led the Cubs to an undefeated season and their first Southern Section championship since 1995.?STEVE GALLUZZO
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