Whittier Christian Takes Title in Four : 2-A volleyball: Heralds avoid fifth game, defeat top-seeded Calvary Chapel. Sohegian’s two kills and an ace finish the match.

NORWALK — The last thing Aaron Sohegian wanted was another five-game marathon against the Calvary Chapel High School volleyball team.

So Sohegian took over at the end of the fourth game, leading second-seeded Whittier Christian to a 15-13, 15-6, 12-15, 15-9 victory over top-seeded Calvary Chapel in the Southern Section 2-A finals Saturday at Cerritos College.

Whittier Christian (18-2) and Calvary Chapel (17-3) split two five-game Olympic League matches this season.

But Sohegian, a 6-foot-5 senior outside hitter, made sure the championship game ended in four.

Calvary Chapel had cut a 13-5 deficit to 13-9, but Sohegian shifted the momentum back to Whittier Christian.

Sohegian had two kills and an ace to end the match.

“All I kept thinking about was that last game,” Sohegian said. “We wanted this for Coach (Dave) Herron. We wanted him to have that championship plaque up on the wall of his office.”

Sohegian had seven of his 14 kills in the fourth game. Brandon Blevins, a 6-3 middle blocker, had four of his five blocks in the game.

“The easiest point in volleyball is the block,” Herron said. “The game is played above the net. That’s what we wanted to do.”

Whittier Christian rallied from deficits of 12-8 and 13-12 to win the first game. Blevins and Sohegian each had a block, and Adam McIlhenny added a kill for the final three points of the game.

Calvary Chapel committed eight errors and four violations in the first game, which Eagles’ Coach Jim Downey said set the tone for the match.

“We don’t have any subs, and everyone has to play without mistakes,” Downey said. “Without the mistakes in the first game, it could have been a different match.”

The Heralds took control early in the second game. They built a 7-4 lead and capitalized on four Calvary Chapel errors to close the game with an 8-2 run.

Calvary Chapel fought off elimination in the third game. The Eagles raced to a 5-0 lead and held off a comeback by the Heralds.

Whittier Christian trimmed the deficit to 13-11, but Matt Beeman had a block, and the Heralds were called for a back-row violation to end the game.

“When they came back and won that third game,” Herron said, “I told our guys they had to step it up.”

The Heralds did just that, building leads of 7-2 and 12-4 before holding off the Eagles’ comeback.

McIlhenny had 14 kills and Blevins added 10 for Whittier Christian. Christian Kingery had 17 kills and Dan Neumann added 13 for Calvary Chapel.

The volleyball title is the first for Whittier Christian, a longtime football power. Troy Biehl, the team’s setter, played on the Heralds’ football team that won the section title last season.

Sohegian hopes the volleyball championship brings more attention to the sport.

“We’re hoping to make volleyball popular at our school,” he said.

Saturday was a good start.