By Anh Thu Truong
Friday night energy is electric — a wave of loud and enthusiastic energy ripples through the student section as boys’ volleyball stands steady on the court, gearing up for their first league match-up of the season.
The Fountain Valley High School boys’ volleyball team (11-1) powered through the Marina Vikings on Friday without dropping a set (3-0). While the scoreboard showed ease, the two-time consecutive CIF quarterfinalists put up a strong fight with clean defense, powerful offensive hitting and quick communication.
Key players were seniors Alec Pinedjian, Ben Braithwaite, Christopher Pham and junior Billy Watkins consistently scored multiple kills for the Barons throughout the three sets. Junior Sean Pham set up precise offensive plays for the Barons as well as junior and libero Arion Wang, who anchored several deep digs to extend tight rallies.
The Barons’ offensive players dominated the first set under the pinpoint setting of sophomore Trevin Le. Braithwaite hammered down three kills, with Pham and sophomore Peter Pham trailing behind with two each. The Barons kept a comfortable lead for the rest of the set, setting the momentum for the rest of the match.
The Barons remained contested for the rest of the set, but in the last play, the Vikings smashed the ball deep into the court to make it 24-15. Yet sophomore Kayden Tran made a bold comeback with a kill that bounced off the Vikings’ block out of bounds, ending the first set with a decisive 25-16 victory.
After a quick intermission, set two was up and running with the Vikings struggling to keep their serve in bounds, allowing the Barons to keep their advantage early on. The Vikings were able to find a couple of holes in the Barons’ defense, yet they were quickly countered by Watkins and Tran’s blocks to deny them any points.
After a serve from the Vikings snuck out of the Barons’ grasp, Pinedjian soared above the net for his third kill of the set to make it 20-9. Leading by over ten points, the Barons’ confidence spiked with the rampant energy from the crowd.
With the Barons’ match point in sight at 24-12, Pinedjian threw the ball up, jump-serving to end the set off with an ace.
As set three rolled around, the Barons’ momentum continued to burn bright with their offense and defense firing up to swiftly finish the set. Le opened the set off with an ace and continued to score two more to keep the Barons in the front.
“I think we did really well playing as a team, and not letting individual mistakes bring down the morale as a whole,” Braithwaite said.
Sean Pham shined with his quick adjustments to set outside hitters, setting up Pham for a dead-center kill to make the score 11-7. The Barons’ defense played at their top performance in set three, with the duo Watkins and Braithwaite becoming a wall to block any passes from the Vikings. Wang made a valiant effort to dive for stray balls and to receive deep serves, especially during extended rallies, when free balls gave the Vikings an opportunity to strike through the Barons’ defense.
Watkins and Tran also jumped for a massive block after two consecutive Viking kills, leading up to match point at 24-18. Yet after a brief setback from a closely missed serve, Braithwaite sealed the set off with a kill that deflected off the Vikings’ block, swiftly defeating the Vikings with a score of 25-19.
“I really loved the way we kept the energy throughout the whole match and trusted each other to execute our roles effectively. I’m really excited to play the power schools in our league and to test our team’s skills and strengths,” Braithwaite said.
The Barons will play their next match against Pacifica at home on Wednesday at 4:45 p.m.
