And they were especially enthusiastic last Thursday night when the Homestead boys volleyball team knocked off previously unbeaten Los Gatos, the defending league and Central Coast Section champions.

After losing the first game, the Mustangs rallied to take three straight in the best-of-five match.

"There were 200 students going nuts in the section across from us--they definitely helped us out," jubilant Homestead coach Matt Hoffman said after the Mustangs avenged their only league loss and moved into a tie with the Wildcats atop the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Both teams had 9-1 records entering the final week of play. While Los Gatos (18-3 overall) was to host third-place Fremont on May 3, Homestead (17-4) was to play at Santa Clara. In season finales, Los Gatos will travel to Santa Clara and Homestead will host Wilcox in a Senior Night game.

"If both teams win out, we will have a co-championship," Hoffman explained. "Then we will need to get ready for CCS."

The Wildcats and Mustangs both figure to receive first-round home matches when the CCS tournament begins on May 12. The remaining three rounds of the 16-team, single-elimination tourney will be played at Santa Clara High, beginning with the quarterfinals on May 14. While Los Gatos will be out to defend its crown, Homestead will look to improve on last year's finish--a loss in the quarterfinals.

There were more than raucous students in attendance last Thursday. After all, this was a game of interest to the entire volleyball community. Partisans and non-partisans alike came to see Los Gatos and Homestead.

Also, Los Gatos was playing just its second game since the accidental death of one of its junior varsity players, Bryce Byrd. Wildcat players wore patches with Byrd's number 17 on their sleeves.

"This was one of the fullest and loudest crowds I have seen this gym," praised Hoffman, who has been around the Homestead program as a player, observer or coach since its inception in 1996.

The Mustangs, who had lost at Los Gatos four weeks earlier, fell behind right way, 7-1, in the first game and lost 25-20. The Mustangs then got on a roll, winning 25-18, 25-17, 25-21.

"We got off to a real slow start, but we ended up pulling together by the end of the first game," Hoffman recalled. "Then we had steady play after that."

Unlike the earlier match at Los Gatos, the Mustangs did not squander any leads. The defense, led by senior Scott Baird, made certain of that.

"In two games last time we had the lead late but just fell apart," Hoffman said. "This time we stepped up on defense in games three and four.

"Los Gatos' guys were really crushing the ball at us. Scott Baird dug three or four balls out that were hit very hard."

In addition to digging on defense, a big key for the Mustangs was setting up their big middle blockers, Sam Kridl and Ryan Dedrick. Kridl, a 6-foot-8 junior, finished the match with 13 kills. Dedrick, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, had 12.

"Any time you beat Los Gatos, it's a big win for your program," Hoffman said. "It doesn't happen very often, so you savor it."

Levitz wins net title

Josh Levitz, the senior who led Homestead's tennis team on an unbeaten run to the SCVAL El Camino Division championship this spring, is ready for the CCS singles tournament. After injuries prevented him from participating in the tourney during his sophomore and junior years, a healthy Levitz has been having fun as a senior.

Last week Levitz whipped three opponents in straight sets en route to the El Camino's individual singles championship. This week he will lead the Mustangs into the CCS team tournament, which begins May 4 and culminates May 12 at the Courtside Tennis Center in Los Gatos.

Levitz, currently rated sixth by the United States Tennis Association among 18-and-under players in Northern California, defeated freshman teammate Chris Ho 6-1, 6-4 in the El Camino title match April 29 at Santa Clara High.

After a first-round bye, Levitz lost just one game against Cuong Phan of Wilcox and posted a 6-0, 6-3 win over Mountain View's Henry Nguyen in the semi-finals.

Ho, who typically plays No. 3 singles for the Mustangs, won three matches to reach the finale. He had few problems in the first two rounds, topping Kang Pham of Wilcox 6-2, 6-2 and Andrew Doan of Santa Clara 6-0, 6-0. Then, in the semi-finals, he handled Andy Khuri-Yakab of Gunn 6-3, 6-4.

The CCS individual championships are set for Imperial Courts in Aptos on May 24 and May 26.

Swimming, track finals

It's championship week for Santa Clara Valley Athletic League swimmers and divers and track and field athletes.

Saratoga and Lynbrook are the host schools for the swimming events. Boys and girls swimmers from Monta Vista, Mountain View, Homestead, Palo Alto, Gunn and Los Altos will join host Saratoga for the De Anza Division championships on May 6. Meanwhile, teams from Fremont, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Wilcox will join the host Vikings at Lynbrook for the El Camino finals.

Four winners will be determined for each event, boys and girls varsity, boys frosh-soph and girls junior varsity. The first race at both venues is set for 2 p.m. To determine the final eight competitors in each event, the same schools will host girls trials on May 3 and boys trials the next day.

Diving championships were to be held May 3 at Los Altos and Wilcox.

The meets also are the final opportunities to record qualifying times for the Central Coast Section meet, which is set for May 12-14 at Stanford University.

For track and field athletes, the ovals at Mountain View and Los Altos will be quite busy.

After the El Camino trials at Mountain View on May 2, qualifiers will return on May 4. Competitors will be from Saratoga, Cupertino, Fremont, Monta Vista, Homestead, Santa Clara and Mountain View.

Following trials on May 3, the De Anza finals are set for May 5 at Los Altos. Athletes from Los Gatos, Lynbrook, Palo Alto, Gunn, Wilcox and Milpitas will join the host Eagles in the battle for individual championships.

The first race begins at 2:45 p.m. for both divisions.

The top 16 varsity finishers from both meets will advance to the SCVAL Qualifier May 14 at Los Gatos. The top six boys and girls from the Qualifier will advance to the CCS semi-finals a week later at San José City College.

The El Camino girls team championship will be settled on May 6 when Monta Vista travels to Cupertino at 3:30 p.m. Both girls squads enter the meet with 5-0 records. Monta Vista's boys, also unbeaten, can earn an outright title with a win over the Pioneers' boys. If for some reason the Matadors falter, they will finish in a tie with Santa Clara. The meet, originally set for April 28, was postponed.

Lynbrook's boys lost a battle of unbeatens to Los Altos, 86-41, in a battle for the De Anza team title.