The last time Roger Kuntz coached boys volleyball at San Marcos he guided the Royals to a Channel League championship and the semifinals of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs in 2015.
Kuntz has returned to the sideline and has the Royals off to a terrific start. They are 7-1 with a consolation championship at the Redondo Union Tournament. Their lone loss was in a three-set tournament match against Granada Hills Charter. In the 15-point deciding set, the final score was 26-24.
“You guys thought you got rid of me four years ago, but I hit my head and took back the head of the boys volleyball program at San Marcos, Kuntz joked during his return to the podium at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon on Monday.
Kuntz has an experienced team, led by the three seniors in brought to the press luncheon: setter Tanner Stevens, middle Parker Bittner and outside hitter Arman Banan.
“We’re excited about this year and I’m excited about coaching again.”
The first person to welcome Kuntz back to the volleyball coaching ranks was Chad Arneson of rival Santa Barbara High.
He, too, has a strong squad.
Arneson introduced three key players: setters Peter Tebbe and Henry Haber and opposite hitter Sam Meister.
Here is a rundown of what the coaches said about the student athletes they brought to the press luncheon:
San Marcos Volleyball
Kuntz on Arman Banan: “He’s become for a specialist for us. He’s been very effective on the back line and led us to a lot of our victories last week.”
On Tanner Stevens: “One of the best, if not the best setter in the area. Great motor, outstanding hands, great decision maker.”
Santa Barbara Volleyball
Coach Chad Arneson on setter Peter Tebbe: “He is a smart setter who is always up for competition. He has a 4.5 GPA.”
On setter Henry Haber: “He’s stepped it up and shown that he’s dedicated and eager to prove that he can run our offense as a 5-1 or possibly a 6-2. He has a 4.9 GPA.”
On sophomore opposite hitter Sam Meister: “Sam is one of those players who can turn it on and show that he can be the best player on the court. Sam is very athletic and has the highest vertical, and we can rely on Sam to come through when we’re not setting Will Rottman the ball.”
Westmont Women’s Basketball
Coach Kirsten Moore on freshman center Sydney Brown: “She is not only an incredible basketball player, she represents everything we stand for at Westmont. She is a phenomenal student. On Sundays, she’s down at Ocean Hills Church helping with the kids ministries. That’s kind of who she is, the kind of complete person she is.”
Santa Barbara High Swimming
Coach Mark Walsh on senior Sofia Markiewicz: “She’s a very versatile swimmer, a very good backstroker. She’s had some shoulder issues but they’re coming along and we’re hoping she can do a little butterfly for us this year. She’s just a great swimmer and we’re lucky to have her in our program.”
On senior Theo Patterson: “He’s a breaststroker and individual medley swimmer. He’s kind of a self-taught swimmer and he did outstanding last year, became one of the best breaststrokers in our league.”
On senior Morgan Crenshaw: “He can do quite a bit. He’s got a good 200 freestyle body, but he’s also good in breaststroke. He’ll also do a lot of things for us this year.”
San Marcos Girls Swimming
Coach Chuckie Roth on freshman Holly Woodhouse: “She might be the most versatile athlete I’ve had at San Marcos in swimming. She can swim every stroke. Her IM time is very good. I think she’s going to make a big splash. Looking forward to a great freshman season and beyond.”
On Angie Drake: “In the 6×50 relay at the Channel League Relays, she was at least three-quarters of a body length behind, and it was pretty awesome to get her back in the water and do what she does. She out-touched the other and was able to get the win. I’m excited for Angie and I’m excited about where this is going to go this year for us.”
San Marcos Boys Swimming
Coach Peera Sukavivatanachai on Asher Steelman: “He’s a freshman newcomer to the team, but he’ll be contributing some big swims and big points for us later down the road.”
On Matt Mills: “My favorite thing is to watch people’s reactions when they’ve never seen him swim before and they’re just amazed and awestruck. I’m really excited to see what he brings this year.”
Dos Pueblos Baseball
Assistant coach Dan Rohde on Nico Martinez and Mason Boelter: “Both these guys had a big part in our win over Santa Barbara. Nico pitched six innings for the win and Mason closed it out in the seventh inning. It was great way to start Channel League.”
Dos Pueblos Softball
Dan Feldhaus, speaking for coach Mike Gerken, on Allie Speshyock: “She’s very consistent and has been a strong pitcher for us. We’re really looking forward to see what she’s going to do in the circle this year.”
On Josy Uyesaka: “One of our leading offensive powers. Another consistent player; a dual-sport athlete who also plays soccer.”
Carpinteria Swimming
Coach Sergio Castaneda on Nathan Endow: “An absolutely solid athlete; has tons amount of grit. He literally redefines what the term ‘I’m dead’ means to me during swim workouts. It’s super gnarly and you get super tired. I’ll say, ‘Hey Nathan, how you doing?’ He’ll say, ‘I’m super dead, super tired,’ and then absolutely shreds the next set. I draft some of my workouts around him.”
On Piper Clayton: “Absolutely stellar. She does an amazing job in the water, especially as a freshman. She’s super quick. She beat Endow in a 200 workout.”
Carpinteria Baseball
Coach Pat Cooney on seniors Noah Nuno and Chase Mayer: “Both played key roles in our 6-5 win over Nordhoff. Both had two-out, two-run hits each. Chase was on the mound and won the first game. And, we were lucky to have Noah for that first game because he was able to provide some even keel to our group.”
Luncheon Notes
»Westmont’s Kirsten Moore said her Warriors will play the winner of the Arizona Christian-Menlo game in the semifinals of the GSAC Tournament at Menlo on Friday.
»UCSB assistant volleyball coach Vince Devany said the fifth-ranked Gauchos have won 10 straight since a three-set loss to UCLA, including a pay-back win against the Bruins at Rob Gym.
The Gauchos play host to UCSD in their second Big West match on Friday
“The Big West has proven to be the power conference, with Long Beach, Hawai’i and UC Irvine in the top three in the country,” Devany said. “We look forward to testing our mettle agents those teams in the coming weeks.”
»Zac Demarcus of Westmont sports information reported that the Warriors baseball team is off to its best start in history at 11-2, which including a 10-game winning streak. Defense is big reason for the team’s success. It’s committed only three errors in 13 games.
»The Westmont men’s basketball team closes out GSAC regular season play on Thursday at home against Life Pacific.
Coach John Moore said the result “will determine where we fit in the playoffs.”
The GSAC Tournament is at William Jessup in Rocklin.
»UCSB baseball coach Andrew Checketts said the program has been raising funds to install lights at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, but after the Gauchos’ original home opener was moved to Loyola Marymount because of the rain, he might want to change plans.
“I want to call all the donors and tell them we’re putting in turf now instead of doing lights,” he cracked.
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