Boy's Volleyball | 11/5/2024 1:02:00 PM

Mt. Pleasant, SC – When the Oceanside Collegiate Academy Boys' Volleyball team takes to the court this evening against Philip Simmons in the SCHSL playoff semifinals, the Landsharks will be looking to take a major step five years in the making.
 
Oceanside enters the matchup against the Iron Horses with a 24-3-1 record on the 2024 season. Two of those three losses came against Philip Simmons, which enters the showdown at 6 p.m. with a 22-8 mark on the year.
 
The winner will advance to the Class AAAA state championship match, which is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be played at A.C. Flora High in Columbia.
 
For Oceanside, a berth in the championship match would mark a high point for the program, which started just five years ago as a club team.
 
"Most of the kids we have here now started played volleyball in middle school here in Mt. Pleasant," OCA coach Doug Smith said. "When they got to the high school level, there were no teams for them to play on, so we asked our principal and athletics director if we could start a club team. That is what we did, and other schools in the area started the same way."
 
Now, Smith said the area has become a hotbed for boys volleyball with exponential growth of the sport in area middle schools, which will continue to translate into better high school programs.
 
"There are 12 to 15 middle schools playing boys volleyball in the area now, and all of those players are getting better coaching and are getting to high school playing at a higher level," Smith said.
 
But, even with the success the Landsharks have had on the court, volleyball is still a second sport for many of the athletes on the team. Most play soccer or baseball or lacrosse in the spring as their primary sport, and some play basketball in the winter.
 
"Most of the best athletes want to play football in the fall, so that takes a lot of kids out of the picture for volleyball," Smith said. "We are hoping to open the door to allow some of those football players to be dual sport athletes in the future. We think it will work because football is played on Thursday and Friday, but more of our matches are on Monday and Wednesday."
 
The focus for now is on the match against Philip Simmons tonight. The teams are very familiar with each other, having scrimmaged in the preseason before playing three times in the regular season. PSHS won a five-set match back on September 24 on its home floor and then won 2-0 to clinch their home tournament four days later.
 
The Landsharks took a 3-0 victory on October 7 at the OCA gym to set the stage for tonight's showdown.
 
"This is the one game we are really focused on," Smith said. "The first two matches came down to one or two points either way, and I expect that will be the case tonight. Whichever team makes the fewest mistakes will probably win."
 
Smith said he has a lot of confidence in his club because of the way they have been playing of late, having won four straight games since dropping a five-set match at Lucy Beckham on October 17. It is the core four of the team, who Smith calls the Four Horsemen, who lead the way.
 
"Wyatt Berchtold is a junior and has only been playing for two and a half years, but he is out leading hitter and has been a huge part of our success this year," Smith said. "Caleb Smith is our senior setter, and he has been playing for seven years. He has really taken control of the team and is very consistent with his setting.
 
"Gabriel Riesgo-Rivera has the most experience on our team and is the little brother of our assistant coach, Jorge, who was on our very first club team five years ago. Gabe has been phenomenal and is the most well-rounded player we have. Senior Drew Swyt is our middle hitter and he has been amazing all year. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes."
 
It obviously takes more than just four players to carry a team to a championship, and Smith highlighted others who have become major contributors. That group includes junior Nolan Hammond, who has been the Landsharks' primary Libero this year.
 
"He is just a second-year player and when we first got together for the season, I told him that was going to be his job and he needed to figure it out," Smith said. "I am really proud of what he has done."
 
Others who have been major contributors are Michael Camacho and Calvin Rollins, seniors, and junior Sullivan Mann along with senior Jed Christie, who is primarily known as a member of the OCA soccer team.
 
"He is a right-side hitter who has played soccer his whole life," Smith said. "He has at least one foot dig or kick save every match because his soccer instincts kick in and he just reacts. Calvin gives us a different look from the right side because he is left-handed. I am amazed at how this entire group has jelled together and played up to their abilities this year."
 
A victory over Philip Simmons tonight will send the group to the promised land in high school sports with an opportunity to bring home a state title.
 
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiateAcademy.org and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.