Anna 
Santa Barbara High School emerged victorious in a battle of unbeaten Channel League rivals, sweeping San Marcos 28-26, 25-22, 25-23 on Tuesday night at the Thunderhut.
The Royals entered the match riding high after a first-place finish at the Dos Pueblos Invitational and a league win over the Chargers. However, inconsistency plagued them against the Dons, who capitalized on their opponent’s struggles.
“I knew they were coming in hot after winning the DP Invitational and playing a tough schedule,” said Santa Barbara coach Chad Arneson. “We had to jump on them early. Winning that first set was huge, and we never looked back.”
Balanced Attack Leads Dons to Victory
Santa Barbara’s offense was fueled by outside hitter Luke Zuffelato, fresh off the basketball court, who led the team with 12 kills.
“We have the best athlete in Santa Barbara,” Arneson said of Zuffelato. “I thought it was a great team effort.”
The Dons also benefited from strong performances by Benicio Duarte, who tallied eight kills, and Hayes Costner, who added nine.
Set one was a back-and-forth battle that went into extra points before Duarte sealed it with an ace. Santa Barbara carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 9-5 lead behind a block from Henry Becker and Chase Holdren. The Dons extended their advantage to 18-11 and clinched the set with a clever off-speed tap by Zuffelato.
San Marcos fought back in the third set, with Matteo Burdick—who finished with a match-high 16 kills—giving the Royals an early 5-1 lead with a powerful cross-court spike. However, unforced errors proved costly, as San Marcos committed six service errors in the final frame.
“We had stretches of great play, but then gave away too many points,” said San Marcos coach Dave Goss. “You can’t afford to do that against a solid team like Santa Barbara.”
Santa Barbara completed the sweep when Becker delivered the final kill.
With the win, the Dons improved to 8-2 overall and 4-0 in league play, while San Marcos fell to 11-7 overall and 3-1 in the Channel League.
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