May 15, 2010
Southern continues Shore dominance

By CHRIS CHRISTOPHER APP STAFF WRITER May 14, 2010

STAFFORD  The Southern Regional boys volleyball team's mystique lives.
The Rams ran their all-time record against Shore Conference opponents to 115-1 with a 2-0 win over CBA in the Shore Conference Tournament championship match Friday night.
"There is a lot of tough competition in the Shore Conference," Southern senior libero Rob Solorzano said, "but it's ultimately about us. We play our game and work toward our goal of winning the state title."
The Rams captured the state crown last year.
Southern has fashioned its streak under the direction of Eric Maxwell, its 11th-year coach who founded the program.
"We feel pressure when we play Shore Conference teams," said Southern senior right side Drew Maxwell, the coach's nephew. "We feel we have to win. We know we are the better team. If we play our game, we win."
The record has not escaped the eyes of Eric Maxwell.
"It keeps us focused on the daily grind of the season," he said. "We almost feel we can't afford to lose to a Shore Conference team. It's good there are more teams that are very competitive. It makes us better."
The top-seeded Rams are 17-0 this year against Shore Conference adversaries.
"We have a mystique," Eric Maxwell said. "There is no question about it. Some teams do fear us. I tell our guys, 'Let's get up 5-0 and 6-1.' We come out strong and on fire. Teams realize they can't hang with Southern Regional.
"The streak keeps us working hard and it keeps me going. We talk about it once in a while."
The Rams ousted fifth-seeded Wall, 2-0, in the semifinals before besting the No. 3 Colts.
"We wanted to send a message to Wall that this is what Southern Regional volleyball is," Maxwell said. "We wanted to let them know we are the top team in the Shore Conference."
The Colts last year snapped Southern's streak. The Rams avenged the loss with a win in the first SCT final. The two are perhaps the biggest rivals rivals in the Shore Conference.
"We respect their players and staff each time they come out on the court," Maxwell said. "They play with fire and emotion. I was pleased to see them win in the semifinals (against Marlboro) because we bring more energy and emotion for CBA. They force us to play at a higher level." Southern (28-4) won the first game, 25-22, and prevailed in the second, 25-14. Southern's lead mushroomed to 10 points, 19-9, in the opener. The Colts replied with a 13-6 run to produce the final score. The Rams opened the game with a 6-1 burst.
"They served real hard," CBA coach Monica Slattery said. "Our passing was not as on as it's been in the past. They play hard. They block hard. They play to win.
"In our rally, we made good passes and had good placement of our serves. We did a good job of blocking."
For Southern, senior outside hitter Jeff Jones notched seven kills and five digs. Drew Maxwell added seven kills. Junior middle blocker Chris Miglin contributed three kills and three blocks. Senior middle blocker Andrew Concepcion put up three kills and one block.
Southern senior setter-defensive specialist Rob Gleason finished with 15 assists and Solorzano made 11 digs.
"Jeff definitely was a big part of the win," Miglin said. "We had real solid blocking at the net. Our defense was phenomenal."
"We played great defense," Solorzano said. "On every ball that came our way, we put an arm out. We clicked on defense and our offense started going."
For CBA, junior outside hitter Brian Cali finished with nine kills and one dig. Junior setter Matt Vallone added 10 assists.