Orange Lutheran High School

It was only the fourth season for Orange Lutheran's boys volleyball program, but after some tough postseason losses and a relentless display of drive and resolve, the Lancers captured the school's first CIF championship in spring 2005.
 
A talented roster filled with multi-sport athletes who took a chance on a new sport on campus, OLu's 2005 boys volleyball team will be honored this summer as one of eight inductees in the Orange Lutheran Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
 
When former head coach Marc Laulhere arrived at OLu in 2001, he was tasked with building the boys volleyball program from the ground up. Laulhere began with an open call for athletes and held training clinics to help establish the team. He assembled a group of players – many of whom were freshmen – who had raw talent and potential, but not much experience on the court.
 
Despite the fact that most of the roster was new to the game, the Lancers put in the work and made the CIF playoffs in their first season. After being handed a swift, first-round exit by Laguna Beach, the team was clearly outmatched. But they knew they could be better, and the loss may have been exactly what the young group needed.
 
"Laguna was a top program," said Laulhere. "But that was probably the best thing because those kids that were freshmen that year witnessed it and then ended up winning the title three years later."
 
After the program's first postseason appearance, the level of play ramped up for the Lancers, and the team won the Empire League title for the next four straight years. Some began to play club volleyball to improve their skill set, but most of the roster was comprised of multi-sport athletes.
 
Travis Pinick was a standout basketball player who went on to play for Yale. Chris Frey was a football lineman. Blake Lucas was the Lancers' starting quarterback. And each spring, they and other OLu athletes came together to play volleyball. In the program's second year, the Lancers advanced to the second round of CIF where they lost to Estancia in straight sets.
 
That loss fueled the Lancers even more, sparking a three-year rivalry between OLu and Estancia that became a key part of their championship journey.
 
In spring 2004, the third year of the program, the Lancers defeated Oxnard in five sets in the semi-finals to advance to the CIF championship game where they again faced Estancia and lost in an emotional and tense four sets.
 
By the time spring of 2005 arrived, the Lancers were returning every starter from the previous season, and this time, there would be no denying them a CIF title. Laulhere admits that while he may have had more skilled teams over the span of his volleyball coaching tenure, he never had any that were as focused on achieving one goal.
 
"If I was to say one word about this team, it's grit," says Laulhere. "I have never had a group that was that determined, that gritty. I've had better teams, but I've never had that. Between the chemistry, the determination, the grit…it was insane how much they pushed each other."
 
The Lancers entered 2005 bigger and stronger and with a roster that was senior-heavy, including many players who had been with the program since its inaugural season as freshmen. There was no accepting anything but winning the championship as a team. It was that or bust.
 
"That was their mindset," said Laulhere. "They just collectively got it. There was so much drive that you can't really single any one player out."
 
The Lancers ran a 6-2 offense with six attackers and two setters, including two left-handed opposites – Pinick and Branden Bollweg – a system that made them tough to defend. Lucas and Jason Clayton played outside, Adam Beavor was at setter and Frey, along with Cory Hindemit, were the team's middles.
 
Talented and on a mission, this group of Lancers also had big personalities, the right mix of players who knew when to bring the passion and when to bring the levity. It was a combination that helped to fuel their chemistry on and off the court, and ultimately, their run to a championship.
 
"It was a good balance and a good mix," said Laulhere. "That was the dynamic of that team."
 
In the 2005 CIF postseason, OLu came in as a top seed, earned a first-round bye, and cruised past opponents on their way to the semi-final game, where they once again faced Estancia.
 
The Lancers went on to dominate their longtime rival, sweeping Estancia in straight sets. The animosity and tension held for the last three seasons was replaced by joy as OLu punched its ticket back to the championship game.
 
"That game was one of the most fun games to coach," said Laulhere. "We were clicking, we really were. We were just on all cylinders."
 
On May 28, 2005, at Cypress College, OLu faced Oxnard in the title match. In a back-and-forth battle, the Lancers dropped the first set, won the next two, and lost the fourth, forcing a decisive tiebreaker. With a roster full of athletes who likely never expected to play high school volleyball, they came together to deliver the school's first CIF crown.
 
"I remember after we won, I just looked up at God and thanked Him," says Laulhere. "For the boys, you could see just the passion. They were so goal-minded. If we wouldn't have won that year, it would have been such a disappointment because they put so much into it…There was just something else there. It was so rewarding, and it's very hard to put that feeling into words."
 
The 2005 Orange Lutheran boys volleyball team made their mark on the program with grit and determination. Built on a foundation of strong coaching and talented athletes, it was a team that had a shared focus and turned a promising season into a historic one. Their CIF title wasn't just a first for OLu, it was an example of what can be possible when effort meets belief, and a team comes together at just the right time.
 
"It was so unique," said Laulhere of the 2005 team's title run. "They were so focused and driven. They had this refusal to lose. I can't explain it, but that was something special." 
 
The Orange Lutheran Boys Volleyball 2005 CIF Championship Team roster includes:
 
Players:  Adam Beavor '05, Branden Bollweg '05, Bradley Campbell '05, Jason Clayton '05, Chris Frey '05, Travis Pinick '05, Brett Sternad '05, Blake Sullivan '05, Andrew Talebi '05, Taylor Yurtin '05, Cory Hindemit '06, Blake Lucas '06, Cameron Trowbridge '06
 
Head Coach: Marc Laulhere
Assistant Coaches: Kevin Bradley, Erin Shevlin, Jeff Sutherland, Kayla Oril