Boys’ volleyball: Jordan shows just how far program has come

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The first undercard leading up to tonight’s City Section Championship Division match is over as L.A. Jordan swept Sun Valley Poly, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, to win the Invitational title at the Matadome on the campus of Cal State Northridge.

Soon, the second ‘preliminary bout’ gets under way, with top-seeded Northridge Academy meeting third-seeded Foshay for the Small Schools Division championship. That will be followed by the main event at 5 p.m. between heavyweights Palisades and El Camino Real in the Championship Division final.

Jordan built huge leads in each game, then weathered furious comebacks by the Parrots (11-7), who finished fourth in the Sunset Six League. Middle blocker Tyair Robinson and outside hitter Flavio Arellano led the Bullodgs’ attack and brothers Yovanny and Carlos Manzo, both defensive specialists, were brilliant on the back row.

It was a milestone victory for Jordan Coach Leland Wong, who started the program four years ago. The Bulldogs reached the playoffs for the first time in school history last season, losing in the second round of the Invitational Division. Today’s victory capped a remarkable 2008 season during which Jordan won 18 of 19 matches. Its only loss was a five-gamer to Fairfax in the first round of the City playoffs, which dropped it into the Invitational Division.

‘We won our two preseason matches and we only lost two games in 12 [Coliseum] league matches,’ Wong said. ‘Our setter went down in the fourth game against Fairfax and we still barely lost.’

If the Bulldogs keep improving, they might find themselves playing in -- and not watching -- the main event before too long. ‘The way we played today, we’d be competitive in the Championship Division,’ Wong said. ‘I’m not sure how far we’d get, but I think we could’ve competed.’

-- Steve Galluzzo