The boys volleyball team dominated the Gunn Titans in three sets, 25-13, 25-23, and 25-17, on Wednesday evening.
The Bears started the game off with high energy and great performance. Although Gunn took the lead with the first point, errors at the net allowed M-A to catch up quickly and gain three points, putting them in the lead. “We suffered a bad loss yesterday. So I think it was really about rebounding and getting our confidence back up,” sophomore libero Nicolas Sandoval said.
The Bears ran a strong offense, spearheaded by junior setter Coen Chou, who led the team with quick movements and precise sets, allowing senior outside hitter Ben Warner* to hit multiple powerful spikes.
M-A sustained a secure lead, and aces from junior middle blocker Ryan Cunningham raised the score to 13-6.
Kills from Warner kept Sandoval at the serving line, helping escalate the score to 20-9, giving M-A a high advantage in the game.
“Our passing is starting to get a little better. Getting to the ball as well, it’s definitely improved, but we still need to practice more,” junior middle blocker Jullian Haddaway said.
Powerful kills from Haddaway, Warner, and Chou were augmented by strong defense from Sandoval. The Bears kept their momentum until the end of the set, closing it out 25-13.
The second set kicked off with back-and-forth rallying and alternating points, but the Bears stayed strong and kept fighting. “The bench was really loud. Fans were really loud. After every point, we would huddle together and encourage each other, even if it was a mistake, we would keep going,” Cunningham said.
Throughout the first half of the set, points were kept close to each other until a pipe kill from Warner put the score 8-7, strengthening the Bears’ momentum and energy to push through the set.
With pressure to win the game, M-A quickly brought up the score to 18-13 with a kill from senior opposite hitter Quinn Robbins to have a strong lead in the game. This led the Titans to call a timeout to rejuvenate in an attempt to come back with new energy.
The Titans failed to respond, and M-A kept the lead with sneaky moves from Chou’s outstanding setter dumps, as well as effective blocks and hits from the front row. “I think our middles did a lot better,” Sandoval said. “[Blocking’s] been something that we’re working on and I think they did a really good job today.”
The Titans started to catch up near the end of the set, leaving the Bears to put in all their effort to conclude the set with a kill from Warner, setting the score 25-23 in the Bears’ favor.
The third set started with the first point given to the Titans, but the Bears remained positive and rapidly brought up the score, maintaining a steady lead of 6-2 thanks to many consecutive errors at the net from the Titans.
Following a kill from Gunn, the Titans’ momentum appeared stronger, and they started catching up, tying the score at 13-13. Despite the intensity of the plays, the Bears managed to keep their lead with a strong offense, bringing the tally to 17-13.
With the support of each other, the Bears continued taking big swings and making moves toward the ball. “Whenever I see someone make, like, a good play, and the rally keeps continuing, I’m just thinking like, I want to get the point for them, or like, I want to get this dig for them,” Sandoval said.
The last couple of points had great rallies and energy levels, leaving the Bears to finalize the third set 25-17 with a kill from Warner.
Next, the Bears will compete against the Oakland Wildcats away on Friday at 6 p.m.
*Ben Warner is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
