Carlsbad delivers at Best of the West volleyball tournament, a year later…
In last year’s Best of the West Boys Volleyball Tournament, Carlsbad looked at times like it didn’t want to be there.
The Lancers finished tied for 19th place, an unimpressive showing for a team that featured two 7-footers both committed to college teams currently ranked in the top five in the nation.
The 2025 Lancers lost one of those big men — Parker Tomkinson, now starting at USC — and his father, now-retired coach Andy Tomkinson.
But what remains is Roman Payne, a cast of veteran seniors, a new coaching staff and an energy that carried the Lancers to a tie for third place in Saturday’s Best of the West tournament hosted by Poway High School and held at Alliant University.
“We’re creating a culture where we play really hard and we’re having so much fun, and I think it shows,” said coach Annette Bashford, who previously coached in Arizona and is an English teacher at Carlsbad. “Lots of people have been commenting on the energy that our team puts out, and we’re just having a good time.”
The Lancers (13-2) were the highest-finishing San Diego team, followed closely by defending CIF Open Division champion Torrey Pines, which finished tied for fifth after losing in the other semifinal. In the final match of pool play Friday, the Falcons (5-2) had match point in the second set against San Clemente, but lost 19-25, 27-25, 18-16.
Torrey Pines has new starters at several spots but are as solid as anyone in the county behind senior middle Bjorn Hawe, junior outside Declan Flanagan and sophomore libero Griffin Dieter.
“They’re doing a great job, and it’s a process that we’re going through to get better,” Torrey Pines coach Nick Rubacky said. “These are the best kinds of losses because you can learn from them.”
Carlsbad’s two losses on the season are to Mira Costa, ranked No. 1 in the nation and led by 6-11 opposite Grayson Bradford, a UCLA commit. In Saturday’s semifinal, Carlsbad fought off several set points in the first set to tie it at 24. The Lancers eventually lost 31-29, 25-14.
“We’re just going to keep developing our passing and our defense because we can all hit the ball,” Payne said. “Last year, I think we expected to win because we had two big recruits. But this season, we’re playing more as a team, and I think we’re all just having fun out there.”
Loyola beat Mira Costa for the championship. Host Poway (12-4) had an impressive showing with a 25-17, 25-20 loss to Santa Margarita in the Silver Division title match.
Del Norte (10-4) and Bishop’s (6-4) finished tied for fifth in silver.
The biggest surprise of the tournament came from Classical Academy, which parlayed a second-place finish in pool play to a ninth-place finish overall. The Caimans (8-6) lost to Carlsbad on Saturday morning but fought back to beat Tesoro, 25-18, 25-23, and Buchanan, 15-25, 25-14, 15-12.
“For (Poway coach) Charlie (Jackson) to bring our team into the tournament this year was amazing,” Classical Academy coach Ariel Milo said. “I always try to stack my team up against some of the best teams to see where my seniors will stack up this year. I’m super proud of how we played this weekend.”
The Lancers could be the most complete team in the county this year thanks to a supporting cast that features Harvard commit Oliver Doty at the other middle, Ben Sauerwine at setter and outside hammer Derek Bashford. They’ll also get Sage Creek right side transfer Charlie Salmon later in the season to join a senior-heavy squad.
Doty was named to the All-Tournament team along with libero Zach Reesor. Dieter also made all-tournament as the San Diego representatives.
“I think the biggest thing this year is our chemistry,” said Derek Bashford, whose mom stepped in to coach this year. “We do a lot of team dinners and hang out together. I think that’s a big factor for me at least in developing that trust in our teammates.”
One of the observers Saturday of the high level of play was UCSD men’s coach Brad Rostratter, who continues to be impressed with the growth of the game specifically in the San Diego region.
“You get some of the best players in the nation all in one gym, and they’re also competing in different roles and different aspects of their game, so you get to see so much more about what they’re like as players,” said Rostratter, who has commitments from seniors Will Bartelt (Del Norte) and Lathan Fry (Granite Hills). “Volleyball in San Diego continues to grow and develop. It’s awesome to see the San Diego
