Buchanan scores fourth straight boys volleyball title in high-stress duel with Clovis
Leave it to No. 13 to finish off Buchanan High’s anything-but-lucky thriller of a comeback Thursday night in the Central Section Division I volleyball championship.
Down 0-2, the second-seeded Bears rallied for a 23-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-12 victory over No. 1 Clovis before the usual raucous championship crowd at the Cougars’ gym.
It is the fourth consecutive title in the sport for Buchanan, which swept Sanger, Clovis North and Clovis West in previous finals.
Spencer Heimerdinger, the 6-foot-7 junior wearing the No. 13 jersey, delivered the final kill as Buchanan turned it around against a team that had rolled to the Tri-River Athletic Conference title with a 10-0 record – three games ahead of the second-place Bears.
Buchanan has built a 24-10 overall season with back-to-back playoff five-setters, beating Madera South 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-10 in the semifinals.
Next is the CIF State Volleyball Regional, with brackets due to be set Sunday. First-round matches would be Tuesday at host schools.
No. 2 Buchanan 3, No. 1 Clovis 2
23-25, 21-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-12. B, Caleb Michaels 7 kills; Nolan Zayer 8 kills; Steven Soldani 10 kills; Braden Clarke 13 kills; Spencer Heimerdinger 26 kills, 9 digs; Rece Constable 16 digs; Carson Bowen 9 digs; Kyle Merchen 16 digs, 59 assists. Records: Buchanan 24-10, Clovis 28-8
This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Buchanan scores fourth straight boys volleyball title in high-stress duel with Clovis."