If Palma was supposed to be the class of the Tri-County Athletic
League then chalk up another league title for the Live Oak High
boys volleyball team.
If Palma was supposed to be the class of the Tri-County Athletic League then chalk up another league title for the Live Oak High boys volleyball team.
After all the talk at the TCAL coaches’ meeting centered around how good the Chieftains were supposed to be this season, the Acorns came out and whipped Palma in three straight games, 25-13, 25-13, 25-16, in its TCAL opener on Wednesday.
Even first-year Live Oak coach James Uthes, who admitted he was trying to motivate his players by talking about the early season respect that Palma was drawing, said he was surprised and pleased by the ease with which his team dispatched the Chieftains.
“I told (the Acorns) that they’re favored to win and we’re the underdog and we can’t afford to come out slow, and they came out strong and stayed strong,” Uthes said. “I think this was a perfect game for us. We can always improve but we can’t play much better than this.”
Live Oak was led by junior Royce Newcomb, who had a team-high 11 kills, 6-foot-9 senior Chris Deem, who was his usual intimidating presence at the net, and senior setter Jordan Burdick, who played one of his best matches of the year, Uthes said.
Live Oak (1-0 in league, 4-2 overall) had its scheduled match at Seaside cancelled but will play in the Leland tourney this weekend.
