Palisadians Jackson Bantle, Jack Closson, Riley Moore and Hagen Smith are representing their hometown quite well on the powerhouse Loyola High volleyball team.
The Cubs are 15-1 overall and 5-0 in Mission League play, their only loss coming in the finals of the prestigious Best of the West tournament to San Clemente.
Last Tuesday, the quartet spoke to the Palisadian-Post after easily dispatching Harvard-Westlake, 25-15, 25-14, 25-20. Smith led the way with six kills and seven assists, while Bantle, Closson and Moore had two kills apiece.
Bantle is a 6’2” senior outside hitter, Closson is a 6’1” senior outside hitter, Moore is a 6’5” junior middle blocker and Smith is a 6’1” senior outside hitter/setter. All four have contributed to a team with high expectations a year after going 35-2 and winning the Southern California Regional Division I title.
“Jackson is our go-to lefty on both sides and the back row, and he’s got one of the best serves in high school volleyball,” Loyola head coach Michael Boehle said of Bantle. “Hagen’s court sense and awareness stabilizes our back row and he’s a smart player. Whatever he lacks in physical ability he makes up for in mental toughness.”
Both Bantle and Smith have committed to play at UCLA next season, while Closson is still undecided.
“[Closson] is a great kid,” Boehle said. “He’s constantly pushing other guys to get better. He’s been a joy to have on the team. His attitude is fantastic. And Riley [Moore] has only been playing the game for four years and has a lot of upside to him.”
Smith and Moore play club volleyball for Manhattan Beach Surf Volleyball Club, which is owned by Boehle. Smith plays for the 18s, while Moore is on the 17s and is coached by Boehle. Closson plays for Pacific Palisades Volleyball Club and Bantle plays for Huntington Beach Volleyball Club.
Bantle, Closson and Smith all attended Corpus Christi School together, while Moore went to Calvary Christian.
While Moore is a relative newcomer to the game, Smith has volleyball in his genes. His father, Sinjin Smith, is revered as one of the all-time great beach volleyball players, having teamed with current Palisades High volleyball coach Randy Stoklos to become the most dominant tandem in the sport’s history.
“With my dad playing professionally, I’ve been around [volleyball] my whole life,” Hagen Smith said. “My dad and his brothers went to Loyola. He was on the first varsity volleyball team here. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was young.”
Bantle and Moore both give credit to Sinjin Smith for helping introduce them to the game of volleyball. Bantle was introduced to beach volleyball by Hagen and has attended Sinjin’s summer camps every year since eighth grade.
Moore’s introduction to the game also came through Sinjin Smith’s camp, and when it came time to decide on high school, the choice was a relatively easy one.
“I picked between Loyola and Oaks Christian. I did a shadow day and shadowed Jackson. I really liked it here. They had good volleyball and a lot of my friends went here.”
Added Bantle: “It was a place where I could get the best education and have a lot of opportunities for later in life, and it also had a good volleyball program.”
Perhaps “good” is a mild understatement. The Cubs have steam rolled through the early part of their schedule in their quest for another regional Division I title, and the players are confident.
“We’ve been playing really well,” Bantle said. “Last year is going to be hard to live up to, but this year we have a really good group of guys and we’re going to push for [another] championship.”
Smith feels the team’s best is yet to come.
“We’re getting better every practice and every game, and we’re going to peak later in the season,” he said.
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