RIVERSIDE — There really isn’t much Marcello Souza can’t do on the volleyball court.
Souza’s range of skills — hitting, passing, digging, serving and even ball-handling — were on display as Hillcrest squared off against Roosevelt in a nonleague match Thursday evening. The senior outside hitter recorded a match-high 25 kills to lead the Trojans to a 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 sweep.
Hillcrest coach Everton Souza gets to watch his son play more than anyone else, but there are times when even he is left speechless by some of the crazy plays Marcello makes on the floor.
Marcello was an offensive force throughout Thursday’s match, tallying eight kills in each of the first two sets and nine more in the third. He had only two hitting errors and finished with a .479 attacking percentage.
“He still surprises me, and quite a lot actually,” Everton said. “He was a setter for four years in club, but he does so many great things for us as an outside hitter. He has that experience as on offensive player, both indoor and on the beach, and I just have a lot of faith in him.”
Hillcrest (18-1) grabbed an 8-3 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Marcello Souza and fellow outside hitter Aaron Garcia combined for 13 kills and three aces in the frame.
Slow-motion capture of Marcello Souza’s 25th and final kill of the match https://t.co/JmNuzO3T3H pic.twitter.com/0L86gczES6
— Eric-Paul Johnson (@CallMeEPJ) March 24, 2023
Roosevelt (16-4) struggled with its ball control in the opening set, but the Mustangs cleaned things up in the second game. Senior middle blocker Nehemiah Jace was particularly efficient, registering five kills on six swings. Roosevelt’s only lead in the match was 8-7 in that game.
The score was tied at 21, but Hillcrest went ahead on a kill by Souza, and setter Leo Cruz dumped a ball over the net for another point. The set ended on a hitting error by Roosevelt.
The third set also was tight, with four ties early in the frame. Hillcrest went on a 6-1 run to take a 18-13 lead. Souza had a pair of kills and served up another ace during that crucial stretch. Souza’s final kill got the Trojans to match point, while Garcia’s 11th kill ended the match.
Hillcrest’s only loss came to Vista Murrieta back on March 1. The Trojans were still looking to gel at that time, as a handful of players had just joined the team after basketball season ended. Hillcrest has rattled off 11 consecutive wins and dropped only three sets during that winning streak.
“After that loss, we got back in the gym and really started to grind it out and put in work,” Marcello Souza said. “The chemistry is much stronger and those wins are building confidence.”
Jace finished with 10 kills to lead the way for Roosevelt. John Lopez and Elijah Lumbris had nine and seven kills, respectively, for the Mustangs. The two outside hitters were efficient (a combined .405 hitting percentage), but that duo had only 37 attacks, 11 fewer than Souza had in the match.
