In the second game of the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) season, the boys varsity volleyball team defeated Hillsdale High School in three consecutive sets. The Bears started the season on a high note by beating Mills in three straight sets in their first league game of the season. The Bears now continue their 8-2 winning streak in the second season of M-A boys volleyball.
In the first set of the match, the Bears started strong and led the game 18 to 8 against the Knights. Juniors Bryan Kang and Lukas Rash and seniors Edward Falefa and Jack Posthauer contributed two points each to the team from aces. Falefa had three kills in the match, followed by Rash and Posthauer with two each, and sophomore Cortney Weintz scored one. Kang led the team defensively with four crucial digs, followed by Falefa who dug three hard-driven swings, as well. Keeping this intensity throughout the set, the Bears were able to close the first game 25 to 10.
M-A leads 18 to 8 in the first set of the boys volleyball match against Hillsdale! Keep it up Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 17, 2016
The Bears began the second set of the game with five aces from Falefa, setting the tone for the rest of the match. The Bears continued to shut down the Knight’s serve receive, resulting in a total of fourteen aces across the second and third sets. Falefa, Posthauer, Weintz, sophomore Colin Shen, and junior Eddie Ives contributed a total of eleven kills in the last two games from sets by sophomore Schuylar Knapp. M-A won the second set 25-10, and the third set 25-12. The Bears have now won a total of 9 matches out of 11 this season.
The Bears won the boys volleyball match against Hillsdale 25 to 12 in three sets! Great game Bears!
— M-A Chronicle (@TheMAChronicle) March 17, 2016
The team is overjoyed with the progress they have made from the beginning of the season. Rash is proud to see that “every player has developed in their own way from the start of the season. [Everyone] has a lot of potential to do well over the next couple months if [we] keep working hard and improving.”
Junior Bryan Kang was also amazed at how “everyone is learning the game really fast and getting better at their respective positions.” Knapp added that the team “will continue to develop as the season goes on.” Knapp says that the team’s main goal for the season, “is to be the first M-A boys [volleyball] team to win PAL and represent the school in Central Coast Section (CCS).”
Coach Ron Whitmill is proud of the improvement he has seen “in several areas since the beginning of the season.” He shared, “Our ball control has gotten better along with our serving consistency. We also have individual players that have improved throughout the season. But most importantly, they are starting to believe in themselves and have confidence in their ability to play against teams that are more experienced than we are.”
Come support the team (http://www.bearsathletics.org/main/team/id/3538368)as the Bears continue their journey toward success and create M-A history!
