By Hannah Lazarte
Cheers erupt through the crowd as each name is said. Two lines of cheerleaders and members of the junior varsity and frosh volleyball teams raise their hands and clap, forming a walkway for seniors to walk through.
Starting with senior Ben Braithwaite, the senior players walk past them. At the same time, each player’s recap of favorite memories and who they owe their successes to is announced.
The recognized seniors: Braithwaite, Bryon Nguyen, Chris Pham, Kyle Prum, Rhett Anderson and Alec Pinedjian.
Eventually, the Barons were able to defeat the Lancers in the close game on Friday, winning three out of the five games.
Starting the game, sophomore Trevin Le served but the Barons didn’t get a point. As the game continued, the two teams matched every point from the other team.
After a serve point by Pinedjian, the score changed to 5-4. Continuing their momentum, a block by Pham extended their lead to 6-4 but the Lancers stopped them short in the next round.
As the set continued, junior Billy Watkins was revealed as one of the key players in the game. Watkins scored three points in the first set, one point and assist in the fourth set and three points in the final set- including the winning point.
The Lancers scored four consecutive points before the Barons got back on their feet after a serve by Prum. As the two teams continue to rally, the Barons call their first timeout on a score of 9-13. This timeout proved helpful as Watkins scored a point for the Barons.
The Lancers kept up their defense and scored multiple points before the Barons stopped them short with a score from Watkins. Following this, the Barons began to catch up with the opposing team- ending with a block from Pinedjian and Watkins before the Lancers called a timeout at score of 16-17.
After a series of plays, the Lancers got back their momentum and regained their lead, getting to a score of 18-22. Both teams gave it their all as the set ended on a score of 21-25.
The second set started well as a score from Braithwaite secured the first point. The Lancers countered this point as the score became 1-4. The Lancers and Barons rallied back-and-forth, and the score tied at 8-8.
The Barons got back on their feet and scored multiple points during serves by Prum. In retaliation, the Lancers called a timeout at a score of 14-11. As the Barons began to tire out, they kept a lead throughout the game as substitutions were made. After numerous rallies, the Barons proved victorious with the second set’s final score ending as 25-22.
Beginning the third set, Le served but the Barons didn’t get a point. The next exchanges of points proved tiresome for the Barons as the score turned to 2-7.
Soon, Sean Pham substituted Braithwaite while Nguyen was substituted for Le. These changes proved to be helpful as the Barons secured three points and changed the score to 5-8. At a score of 8-13, the Barons called a timeout to get their team organized.
As a final effort, Kayden Tran scored a point for the Barons before the Lancer’s next three points resulted in a win. Ultimately, the final score of the third set was 13-25.
Although the Lancers started the fourth game, the Barons got the first point. This set showed light at the end of the tunnel as the Barons scored twice before the Lancers fought with a point before being cut short from a spike by Watkins.
This set started to look up for the Barons as Christopher Pham and Kayden Tran scored points before the Lancers called a timeout. Proving helpful, the Lancers nearly caught up to the Barons at a score of 10-9 before another timeout.
The Barons and Lancers exchanged and traded points every round as they were toe to toe in the set. As the score became 21-19, the Barons gave it their all. Blocks by Watkins and Nguyen proved helpful as the Barons called a timeout at the score of 24-23 to regroup. Finally, the set ended at a score of 25-23.
Reaching the final set, both teams made every effort to score and win the game. The Barons scored the three points, foreshadowing the end of the game. Watkins and Pinedjian demonstrated a strong team as they were able to block two balls, resulting in points.
At a score of 8-3, the Lancers called a timeout. The teams went back and forth numerous times before Christopher Pham scored a point. Sean Pham substituted Braithwaite before the Lancers scored three more points. As the game came to an end, Watkins scored the winning and final point.
“We did well at not allowing their good points to completely affect how we were playing. We just stayed consistent [and] played the whole time,” head coach Rebecca Cheltenham said. “We definitely struggled in communicating [the] first few sets, so we definitely could have done better [there].”
The Barons will play again on Friday at 5:45 p.m. against Corona del Mar at home in their sixth league game.
