The boys volleyball team battled through four brutally close sets, 23-25, 24-26, 27-25, and 17-25, on Monday evening.
Senior defensive specialist Jaden Clark offered the first serve, but a quick kill on return made it clear that Los Altos was there to put up a fight. This was followed by a brief series of M-A errors, punctuated by a couple of bad serves and net violations from the Eagles that brought the score up to 5-3 in favor of Los Altos.
However, the Bears didn’t falter, as sophomore outside hitter Sean Anderson got a crucial point for M-A to swing the momentum. Junior setter Coen Chou followed this up with two unreturned serves, tightening the game with the Eagles ahead, 8-7.
Despite long rallies and swift kills from senior outside hitter Ben Warner*, neither team could scrape together a significant lead, and the score was soon tied at 15-15.
The Bears’ defense was quick but wracked with miscommunication. Despite this, M-A’s offensive prowess kept the game close, and the total rose to 18-18 without either team able to gain a definitive advantage.
Warner and the Eagles traded commanding kills while the Bears’ back row dove to save well-placed balls time after time. Play remained fast-paced and close to the net as Los Altos racked up points, and trailing 23-21, M-A took a timeout to refocus.
After a series of clutch saves and long rallies, the Bears regained their footing and found themselves only one point behind, with the score reading 24-23.
Despite the comeback, Los Altos mustered one more kill that M-A just barely couldn’t save. The set ended 25-23, a tough start for the Bears.
“[We need to improve our] communication. We need to talk if we’re gonna get the ball and make sure we’re there,” Haddaway said.
The Eagles started the second set with a nice rally between the teams, which ended in a tool to give Los Altos the early lead. However, the Bears didn’t back down, and Warner won back the serve with a dominant kill. M-A displayed excellent defense, including a pancake save by sophomore libero Nicolas Sandoval, but final errors in play let Los Altos go on a run, leaving the Bears down 7-4.
M-A gained some momentum after a timeout, sparked by a kill from Chou that was shanked by Los Altos, and followed by a hard block by Haddaway that sent M-A fans cheering as the Bears went up 12-10.
M-A pushed through, with aces from Clark and Warner, but the Eagles landed several perfectly placed kills and tips, bringing the score to 19-19. Warner recorded another imposing kill, which Los Altos had no chance of saving, but a miscommunication on defense let a soft tip fall on M-A’s side, putting the Bears’ lead at 24-23.
However, with a hard kill by the Eagles and two more defensive errors from M-A, the Eagles swung the lead, winning the set 26-24.
The Bears entered the third set with renewed energy and determination, understanding the must-win circumstances. Blocks from junior middle blocker Ryan Cunningham shut down the Los Altos offense, and M-A quickly racked up a 6-3 lead.
Trying to capitalize on their momentum, the Bears attempted to pull away, but a series of long rallies went in the Eagles’ favor, and Los Altos made a steady comeback, eventually securing an 18-10 lead over M-A.
Despite this, the Bears continued to apply pressure. An ace from Clark and a lightning-fast kill by Warner put M-A back in the game, shrinking Los Altos’ lead to 19-15.
The Eagles struggled with net violations and missed serves, upping the total to 23-19. As the score reached match point, M-A kicked it up a notch. Four Los Altos errors and an excellent block from Warner tied the teams at 24-24.
The energy was palpable as the teams engaged in an extremely long rally with extraordinary saves from both teams. As the intensity rose, the Eagles’ defense cracked and they failed to return Warner’s kills. The set ended 27-25 in favor of the Bears, keeping their hopes alive.
“Even though our energy was pretty poor we were pretty resilient,” senior opposite hitter Quinn Robbins said. “In the third set we came back and won after a pretty impossible last set. We made a good run at the end.”
The Eagles took a dominant start in the fourth set, taking the first two points after long rallies and expert blocks that M-A was unable to return, but a kill by Warner showed the Bears’ perseverance.
Los Altos continued to apply pressure, making relentless kills and capitalizing off misses by the Bears to put the Eagles at a 7-3 lead. M-A continued to fight despite the setback, but a couple of missed receives and a net violation allowed the Eagles to further their lead.
Despite the Bears taking a timeout to regroup, a series of miscommunications allowed the Eagles to continue their lead 19-8. M-A was able to take a couple points back with a tip and another kill by Warner, but Los Altos continued to hold pressure and keep their lead, 21-10.
M-A persisted, and after a series of standout defensive plays by the Bears and mistakes by the Eagles, they were able to up the score to 21-14. Despite this temporary momentum shift, Los Altos quickly regained control through commanding kills and blocks, ending the set at 25-17 and concluding a narrow loss for M-A.
“The team as a whole started off slow and then picked it up,” Clark said. “All the sets were super close so I think we definitely could have took another one to get to a fifth. We came back until the last set and we just kind of lost energy.”
This concludes the Bears’ season, with an overall record of 21-12.
*Ben Warner is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
