With duo in sync, Woodbridge overpowers Huntington Beach

Woodbridge's Blake Mills and Cameron Kosbab play the outside hitter position, but their inside game is what gets their coach excited.

“The big thing with them is ball control,” Warriors boys volleyball coach Donnie Rafter said. “They pass really well and that allows us to do a lot of different things.”

Rafter added that one typically doesn't play well if the other does. Huntington Beach could have only hoped on Tuesday, as Mills and Kosbab combined for 38 kills to help the host Warriors beat the Oilers, 25-17, 25-14, 19-25, 25-22.

The fourth game was in the balance until an unlikely stop from middle blocker Jeff Kerchner. Blocking shots is what Kerchner is supposed to do, but it's different when Huntington Beach's Tony Ciarelli, who had 21 kills (and 10 digs), is whaling away on the other side of the net.

“It's not a matter of blocking him, it's touching him,” Rafter said. “We blocked him once. And it was a big block.”

It all but put an end to the Oilers (10-7, 3-2), who had scored four points in a row late in the fourth game and had won the third game handily behind seven blocks by Ciarelli.

The first two games were all No. 7 Woodbridge (13-8, 5-0), much as it has been since league play began. The Warriors have won 15 of 17 games against Sea View opponents.

“I thought they played excellent,” Huntington Beach coach Rocky Ciarelli said. “They just jumped all over us with their serving, they dug balls, they did everything right.”

In the Sunset League:

No. 9 Edison 3, Fountain Valley 1:Carl Eberts had 22 kills and five assists and Darin Torry had 11 kills to lift the Chargers (12-10, 4-1) to a 25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21 road victory. Mike Appel had 18 kills for Fountain Valley (20-8, 2-3).

In the Century League:

El Dorado 3, Villa Park 1:Nick West had 21 kills, Greg Smith had 17 and Will Stanley had 13 as the host Golden Hawks (11-0, 5-0) defeated the Spartans, 26-24, 23-25, 25-22, 25-14. Kyle Castle had 15 kills and two aces for Villa Park (12-8, 4-1).

Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com