Santa Cruz High’s boys volleyball team dominated Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play in the spring and won its third straight league title. Unsurprisingly, it also dominated during all-league selections. Gammon Nilssen, a 6-foot-4, junior outside hitter, was selected as MVP by league coaches, and was one of five Cardinals named to the seven-player first team.
Mount Madonna setter Solomon Coleman was named Frosh of the Year, and Santa Cruz’s Justin Bates was voted Coach of the Year by his peers. The Cardinals (39-3 overall) were more than the top team in the area, they were one of the best teams in the state. They finished ranked No.
2 in the Central Coast Section, No. 16 in California, and No. 50 in the nation by MaxPreps.
com. All three of their losses came to a pair of West Catholic Athletic League schools. The Cardinals were seeded No.
1 for the prestigious CCS Open Division playoffs and lost 3-1 to No. 3 Valley Christian of San Jose in the final. The teams earned a split of their four meetings on the season.
And in the CIF Division I NorCal Regional playoffs, the Cardinals were seeded No. 4 and were upset by No. 8 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose 3-1 in the semifinals.
It was the Cardinals’ lone loss in their fourth matches against the Monarchs. “It means a lot, judging that we (had) no volleyball banners,” said Nilssen, a third-year starter, “so being part of a team that puts three there, and be the MVP of that team, that’s an honor, really.” Nilssen said be.