Overcoming Big Obstacle, Highland Reaches Final : Boys’ volleyball: Bulldogs sweep into the Division II championship match with three-game victory over Thousand Oaks.

QUARTZ HILL — Mac Wilson and Ryan Millar weren’t about to let a little thing like a 6-foot-11 middle blocker stop them from their goal.

Wilson and Millar are the biggest hitters for the Highland High boys’ volleyball team, and even the presence of Thousand Oaks middle blocker Paul Brandt didn’t stop the Bulldogs from sweeping the Lancers, 15-12, 15-13, 15-10, Wednesday in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division II playoffs at Quartz Hill High.

Millar had a match-high 21 kills and Wilson added 14, including no hitting errors in the last two games to give Highland (18-0) its first trip to the final.

Highland will play Royal for the title Saturday at Cerritos College.

Highland used one of its best weapons, the quick set, to reduce the effectiveness of Brandt and 6-7 1/2 Jason Hartman. Most of Millar’s kills, including 10 in the second game alone, were right down the middle of the court.

“In the last two games, our passing was unstoppable,” Millar said. “When our passing is unstoppable, we are unstoppable.”

Highland was able to counter Brandt with some size of its own. Wilson stands 6-8 and Millar is 6-6.

Brandt had only one clean block and the Lancers were held to six blocks.

The only problem Highland had was sticking to the rules. Setter Toby Sides passed the ball well but was penalized several times for lifting the ball during the closely called match.

“It got me down and a little frustrated but there’s not much I can do,” Sides said. “I just had to make sure we had to get it right.”

Thousand Oaks (16-2) was led by Hartman with 16 kills and three blocks.

All three games were closely contested but the biggest turning point for Highland came late in the second game.

The Lancers had rallied from a 10-7 deficit to a 13-13 tie was on serve.

After a Bulldog timeout, Hartman uncharacteristically flubbed a serve, then hit the next ball wide on a kill attempt.

After trading sideouts, Millar closed out the game with a kill off a quick set for an insurmountable lead.

“All the games were close, it was a matter of who wanted it more,” Thousand Oaks Coach James Park said. “We weren’t passing or digging and those little things catch up.”