Photos by Steve Galluzzo
Brimming with confidence after a three-set sweep over league rival University two days earlier, the Palisades High boys volleyball team traveled north to UCSB for the 46th edition of the Dos Pueblos Invitational anxious to show it is still the best squad in the City Section.
Indeed, the Dolphins started strong by finishing first in their pool with victories over Royal, Bishop Diego and Quartz Hill.
However, the Dolphins ended the round robin stage the lowest-rated pool winner and was seeded No. 7 out of 12 schools in the Gold Division for the elimination phase. They were matched against 10th-seeded Valencia, which was second in its pool behind Oak Park. The Vikings took the first set 25-16 and built a sizeable lead in the second set before Palisades pulled to within three points. Valencia got a key side out and finished off the victory, 25-21. It proved to be no fluke, as the Vikings would go on to upset No. 2-seeded tournament host Dos Pueblos in the quarterfinals before falling to La Canada St. Francis in the semifinals. No. 1-seeded San Marcos won the championship for the second time after having been runner-up to rival Santa Barbara last year.
The tournament debuted in 1976. Palisades has won it three times— 1984, 1986 and 2019—and reached the finals on three other occasions. Two Dolphins have been MVP (J.B Saunders in 1986 and Justin Howard in 2019) while Palisadians Curt Toppel (1999) and C.J. Schellenberg (2005) won the award for Loyola.
Despite suffering only its second loss all season, Palisades remains undefeated in Western League play.
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