On April 17th, the boys’ varsity volleyball team faced off against Marin Catholic (MC) in a Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) game. The Giants entered the game 1st place in MCAL’s with a record of 7-0. Seniors Cormac Erving and Auden Baker celebrated senior night festivities before the game by embracing their coaches and teammates for the last time in their MCAL careers.
The Giants struggled off the start, falling 7-8 in the first set. However, they went on an incredible run thanks to two fantastic spikes from junior Beckett Shewey. Sophomore outside hitter Grady Armstrong emphasized Shewey’s impressive play.
“[Shewey] can bomb a ball away whenever we need him too,” Armstrong said.
Shewey’s presence was certainly felt throughout the first set as he was unstoppable blocking MC’s spikes on back-to-back plays. Additionally, sophomore Evan Wang provided great sets and a key spike as the Giants surged to a 21-16 lead. However, MC crawled back into the game with the Giants now only up 24-23. Junior Charlie Gehrman then hit a crucial spike to win the deciding point to end the set, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead in the match.
Sophomore Luke O’Donoghue, middle blocker, knows his team’s success this season is due to great teamwork.
“We all play well together and we know how to communicate well with each other on the court,” O’Donoghue said.
To start the second set, the Giants kept up their dominance. They took the lead early in the second set and never looked back. Phenomenal blocks and spikes by freshman William Garland allowed the Giants to extend their lead throughout the set. The Giants had full control as they won the set 25 to 16, giving them a lead of 2-0 in the match.
The Giants led 2-0 heading into the third set. Sophomore Grady Armstrong believes their first two sets gave them momentum.
“It was important to win the first two sets because we got to play with a lot more freedom and everyone got to play in the third set,” Armstrong said.
After the Giants extended the lead to 11-5. O’Donoghue hit important spikes as the Giants increased their lead to 19-12. Throughout the third set Armstrong and Wang continued their phenomenal play as they were able to help the Giants find match point up 24-19.
Although the Giants had a five-point lead, the lead quickly shrunk as MC started to come back, scoring four straight points, cutting the Giants’ lead to only one. However, the set ended when MC failed to convert the serve, giving the Giants the win in the set and ultimately winning them the match 3-0. O’Donoghue felt it was a critical win going into the playoffs next week.
“This was an important win because we kept our flow going into the playoffs. So, we are ready for important games next week,” O’Donoghue said.
The Giants improve to 8-0 in MCAL league play and secure the first seed in the MCAL playoffs. Next up is the MCAL playoffs against Terra Linda on Wednesday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m.
