Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by Robert Scheer

The Los Gatos badminton team lost 12-3 to Monta Vista last week. Doubles players Kevin Lin (left) and Mike Cheung battle in a match with Saratoga earlier in the year.

Volleyball team is unbeaten

By Dick Sparrer

No one has beaten the Los Gatos boys' volleyball team in league play this spring.

And that record goes much deeper than the Wildcats' 6-0 record in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Sure the Cats are unbeaten in league matches, but they're also literally undefeated in league play.

Los Gatos has yet to lose a single game in six league matches, winning every contest in three straight games.

"Teams are averaging less than five points a game against us," said Gatos head coach Tom Jack.

That comes as no real surprise to Jack. He knows that his club is first-class in the league, the Central Coast Section and probably the state.

"I tell people that we're one of the top 10 teams in the nation," said Jack. "We have a number of top level players."

Brad Griffith and Keith Busam top that list. The two are each All-Americans and leaders on the Gatos squad.

"They are pretty exceptional," Jack said of Griffith and Busam. "They both play club volleyball, and they've been Junior Olympic All-Americans for several years. That means they're among the top 12 players in the nation."

Griffith, a senior setter and swing hitter for the Cats, is headed to Stanford on a volleyball scholarship, and Busam, a junior swing hitter, is already attracting much attention from college recruiters.

Senior Chris Schlink, who plays opposite for the Cats, is another top performer for Gatos who has college coaches talking.

"It's nice to have a number of players at that level," said Jack.

In the middle Los Gatos features Dave Utt, Jared Bond and Grant Schlink. Rounding out the talented squad are Paul Bauer, Peter Beritzhoff, Devin Sodt, Parnell Pang, Michael Bucher and Josh Smith.

Los Gatos ran its league record to 6-0 last week with wins over Fremont (15-6, 15-4, 15-6) and Oak Grove (15-2, 15-7, 15-7).

The Cats are 12-1 for the year, their only loss coming against a team from San Diego in a tournament in Santa Barbara early in the season.

Gatos will Pioneer on May 1, 6:30 p.m., in a league match before wrapping up the regular season the following week against Valley Christian and Fremont.

Then it's on to CCS for the Wildcats, and they hope to bring home the title in the first year of boys' volleyball competition at that level.

"Santa Cruz has some good teams, and there are couple of good teams [in the West Catholic Athletic League]," said Jack. But Gatos won the WCAL just a year ago.

Golfers win

Junior Matt Cuevas carded a 4-over par 38 to lead the Los Gatos golf team to a tight 209-208 win over Monta Vista in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League play last week.

Marcia Wallis and Jon Stapleton each covered the par-34 distance at LaRinconada in 42 strokes to support Cuevas' effort. Sean McIntyre and John Gentry were very close behind, each carding a 43.

The Cats, now 8-2 in league play, had beaten Gunn 202-219 a week earlier. McIntyre led the way with a 39, followed by Wallis and Stapleton, each finishing with a 40.

Badminton losses

Senior Greg Parker nailed a 10-15, 15-12, 15-9 win in the boys' No. 1 singles spot, but the Los Gatos badminton team lost 12-3 to Monta Vista to slip to 1-9 in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL.

Seniors Eric Wu and Jeanne Fishback teamed for a 4-15, 15-8, 15-11 win at mixed doubles to support Parker's effort in the match.

The Cats slipped to 1-10 in the division when they were blanked 15-0 by Cupertino later in the week.

The Wildcats close out the regular season this week when they host Los Altos on April 29 and visit Santa Clara on May 1.

Netters fall

Junior Al Anzoategui rallied for a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles, but the Los Gatos boys' tennis team dropped a 6-1 nod to unbeaten Cupertino in El Camino Division action last week.

The Wildcats slipped to 8-4 in the division, while Cupertino improved to 11-0.

Swim teams lose

Chris Herr, Ashley Eastman and Stephanie Cheung were each double winners, but the Los Gatos girls' and boys' swim teams each lost to powerful Monta Vista in dual meet action last week in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL.

Herr took the 50-yard freestyle in 23.17 and the 100 free in 50.59, but the Gatos boys lost 112-62 to Monta Vista. The Cats slipped to 2-4 in the division with the loss.

Marc Cavagnolo breezed to a win in the 200 free in 1:56.53, and Rod Greenwood was a winner in the 100 butterfly in 57.89. Ian Nyquist added a first in the diving event with 156.8 points.

Eastman cruised to wins in the 200 individual medley in 2:19.59 and the 100 fly in 1:02.10, and Cheung was first in the 50 free in 26.84 and the 100 backstroke in 185.20, but the Gatos girls lost 101-85 to the Matadors to drop to 1-6 in the division.

Danielle Lux came through with a win in the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.86 and Meredith Russell took the diving event with 185.20 points.

Los Gatos will now prepare for the upcoming league finals.

The league diving meet was set for April 29. The girls' swimming trials will be held on April 30, with the boys' trials on May 1. A combined league finals will be held May 2.

The Los Gatos boys could figure among the league favorites at the finals, if their performance at the Lynbrook eight-team invititational is any indication.

Gatos finished sixth in the team standings in competition against the best teams in the Central Coast Section.

Jeremy Kane and Chris Park led the Cats to a solid finish at the invitational with individual wins.

Kane took the 200 free in 1:42.70 and the 500 free in 4:33.86, both meet records. Park was a winner in the 100 free in 47.62 and was second in the 50 free in 21.52.

The two helped Gatos to seconds in the 200 free relay in 1:29.90 and the 400 free relay in 3:16.73.

Bellarmine won the team title with Leland second and Serra third. Monta Vista, the top SCVAL finisher in the meet, ended up fourth with Palo Alto fifth and Los Gatos sixth.

Lux and Eastman each placed for the Gatos girls in the meet. Lux was second in the 100 breast in 1:08.83 and Eastman was second in the 500 free in 5:11.43.

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