The boys volleyball team defeated the Carlmont Scots in four sets, 25-15, 19-25, 25-21, and 25-21, on Wednesday evening.
The Bears started off strong with a round of consistent serves from junior outside hitter Ben Warner*, giving them an early 5-0 lead. The Scots fought back with a few hard hits, but struggled on serve receive, allowing the Bears to stay ahead.
Senior outside hitter Dominic Auer followed this up with tactical serves, continuing to pressure Carlmont’s defense. Using this momentum, senior setter Peter Chriss dominated the Scots by winning a joust, setting the score at 21-13. A topspin serve to the sideline by Warner ended the first set 25-15.
The Bears went into the second set confident, starting off immediately with a kill from Chriss. Carlmont was then called for a few doubles and net violations, bringing the score to 5-3. Despite this, Carlmont was able to build some momentum by pressing M-A with multiple hard swings and aces. The Bears’ lack of communication gave the Scots a chance to take the lead, making the score 14-8.
The Bears called a timeout to regroup, but were met with unyielding serves from Carlmont. After three consecutive aces, the Bears were forced to call another timeout. Determined to take the set back, the Bears cleaned up their defense and took chances with hard swings.
Freshman libero Nick Sandoval fought back with a round of consistent serves, closing in on Carlmont’s 18-14 lead. Unfortunately, the Bears got stuck in serve receive again, and the Scots took the second set 25-19.
“We didn’t have a lot of energy, we weren’t playing as a team, and we weren’t playing great defensively, as opposed to them, they were picking everything up, so we lost the second set,” said senior opposite hitter Jonny Kerr.
The third set started off shaky for the Bears, with Carlmont immediately putting pressure with a round of power tips. Sophomore setter Coen Chou and Kerr helped the Bears gain footing with well-placed tips and hard serves, making the score even at 7-7.
Long rallies between the teams resulted in a tight race to gain the lead. Senior middle blocker Luis Licea shut down Carlmont’s aggression with a monster roof, pulling M-A ahead 17-14. A string of solid blocks from Auer, Licea, and Chriss forced Carlmont to call a timeout at 23-18. Warner surprised the Scots with a backrow kill, and a well-placed tip from Auer wrapped up the third set at 25-21.
Carlmont started the fourth set determined to bounce back, making it hard for the Bears to gain a lead. Despite Carlmont’s fierce offense, Sandoval’s defensive covering allowed the Bears to get even at 6-6.
A sharp swing down the line from Chriss disrupted the Scots’ rhythm, and M-A gained a 9-7 lead. The Bears were committed to finishing the game strong, and a middle kill from junior middle blocker Millo Skhiri stretched their lead to 17-11. Chriss was able to set up multiple attacks, dominating the Scots at 22-15.
Despite the Bears’ energy, Carlmont came back with a streak of kills that distracted the Bears and led to a series of unforced errors. However, the Scots’ momentum was short-lived and M-A ended the match at 25-21 with a tip to the line.
“The first set, we swept them, because I think they weren’t ready,” Kerr said. “The second set is where we really struggled.”
“It was an intense game, but I think we did good,” Sandoval said. “I think we did really well recovering.”
The Bears will return to the home court on April 16 at 5:45 p.m.
*Ben Warner is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
