The Register’s 2015 All-County boys volleyball first team.
FIRST TEAM
TJ DeFalco
Huntington Beach, Sr., OH
The Register’s player of the year. Read about DeFalco.
Ryan Moss
Corona del Mar, Sr., OH
The USC-bound senior led the Sea Kings with 291 kills despite missing the start of the season. (He and several teammates were playing for the Sea Kings basketball team.) He had 55 blocks, 107 digs and 41 aces. “He has progressed each year and became one of the most physical attackers in the county,” CdM coach Steve Conti said. “He was our go-to-guy. I was equally impressed how the big kid played defense down the stretch.” CdM reached the CIF-SS Division 1 final and won a second consecutive CIF Southern California Regional title.
Noah Dyer
Saddleback Valley Christian, Jr. OH
The junior did a little bit of everything to lead the Warriors to a third consecutive CIF-SS title and a second consecutive CIF Southern California Regional finals appearance. “He’s a real cerebral leader,” SVC coach Ryan Van Rensselaer said. “So he is always trying to figure out how best to help the guys and he is good about that.” Dyer finished with 360 kills, 159 assists, 160 digs and 63 blocks. He was second-team All-County last season.
Matt August
San Clemente, Sr., MB
He was a consistent performer all season. He hit over 40 percent and led the Tritons with 3.5 kills per set and one block per set. He was first-team all-South Coast League. “He was a great team leader and a very capable all-around player,” San Clemente coach Ken Goldstone said. August signed with UC Irvine.
Alex Wolf
Huntington Beach, Sr., MB
Wolf, who was the Register’s boys water polo player of the year, played a key role in the Oilers winning CIF-SS and Southern California Regional titles for the third year in a row. He finished with 126 kills in 222 attempts. The 6-foot-7 senior had 56 total blocks. “He’s one of the few guys that doesn’t play club (volleyball), but can play at an elite level,” Oilers coach Craig Pazanti said. “He’s just a freakish athlete.” Wolf signed to play water polo, as a goalie, for UCLA.
Kevin Fults
Corona del Mar, Sr., Opp
Fults, who signed to play for UC Santa Barbara, was one of the senior leaders Coach Steve Conti could depend on. He finished with 172 kills, 52 blocks and 87 digs for a team that won a Southern California regional title. “He had an amazing season,” Conti said. “He stepped up his attacking and blocking this year, but I was most impressed with this defense. He had the most digs and blocks on our team in some big matches.”
Blake Diamond
Huntington Beach, Sr., L
Diamond joined the varsity team in 2013 and became a key cog in Huntington Beach’s winning machine. “He really came on toward the end of the season,” Oiler coach Craig Pazanti said. “He’s always been a solid, steady player, but his performance against Corona del Mar in the (CIF-SS) finals was epic and maybe got us over the top.” Diamond had 17 digs in that match. “He’s been a starting player for three years,” Pazanti added. “He was a leader during timeouts (against CdM) and he’s a great kid.” Diamond finished with 270 digs.
Josh Tuaniga
Huntington Beach, Sr., S
Tuaniga is a first-team All-County selection for the second year in a row. He had 57 aces, 92 kills, 1,107 assists and 164 digs. “You look at him and you see this big, physical, strong specimen,” Huntington Beach coach Craig Pazanti said. “But then you watch him set, and he has grace, agility and he has soft hands. You get the best of both worlds with him – grace and physicality. His location is the best I’ve ever seen at this level and he’s the epitome of a true leader.” Tuaniga will attend Long Beach State.
RELATED:
Volleyball player of the year: TJ DeFalco, Huntington Beach
Boys volleyball coach of the year: Ryan Van Rensselaer, SVC
All-County boys volleyball: Second, third teams
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
