By Hannah Lazarte
In a game against the Calvary Chapel Eagles (8-4), the Fountain Valley High School Barons (7-1) increased their winning streak to two wins on Wednesday. The final score of the game ended as (3-0), showcasing the Barons’ dominance throughout the game.
Key players were juniors Billy Watkins and Arion Wang, who showed their skills throughout the first set. Watkins scored three times, while on the defense Wang saved the ball multiple times. Through their efforts and the team’s, the Barons won the set with a final score of 25-19.
Starting the second set, the Eagles served to no avail, allowing the Barons to get two consecutive points. Shortly after, the Eagles got back their energy and scored their first point of the set, taking an early lead of 2-1. This wouldn’t last long as the Barons would score another four points.
As the teams continued their rally, the Barons extended their lead to 10-5. On a serve from the Eagles, Watkins got another point, changing the score to 11-5. The Eagles fought back and closed the scoring gap to three points before senior Christopher Pham scored another point for the Barons. The Barons kept up their defense and scored three more points, coming from huge offensive plays by sophomore Peter Pham.
On a serve by Wang, the Eagles scored another point but the Barons countered it with three more points, extending their lead to 18-9. Back to the Barons, a serve from senior Kyle Prum, the Barons were called for a foul, giving the Eagles another point. Soon, the Barons called a timeout on a score of 19-11. The Eagles’ offense started to overcome the Barons’ defense, scoring six points to three.
The Barons kept up their defense while the Eagles kept attacking and Watkins soon obtained the final point of the set. Although the Eagles’ offense made it a tough match, the Barons’ early lead carried them to a 25-23 victory in the second set.
Starting the third set, Le served and the Barons maintained the first two points through sophomore Kayden Tran. The Barons scored two more points before the Eagles secured their first point of the set. The Barons had an early lead of 6-1 before the Eagles received an opportunity to score their second point of the set. Peter Pham trades points with the Eagles, advancing the score to 7-3.
As the teams faced off, the score shortly turned to 9-4. The Eagles closed in on the Barons trading back and forth with hard-fought plays. As the teams rallied, the score closed to 13-11. The Eagles quickly countered in response, with two quick plays securing them two more points.
Watkins scored three more times with his blocks and the Barons’ lead increased to 19-15. The Barons’ offense proved to be too overwhelming for the Eagles’ defense, cracking through to end this set with a final score of 25-19.
“My hopes and my goals [were] to play well as a team [and] to come out with some good energy,” coach Rebecca Cheltenham said. “We had a little bit different lineup for today due to some injuries. I think we did a great job at setting our middles tonight.”
Cheltenham also gave a shout-out to Watkins for his overall court awareness.
“I think we did a good job of keeping our serves in and did a pretty good job at playing with defense [and] the main focus will be on staying consistent,” Watkins said.
The Barons will play again at home on Monday against Garden Grove at 5 p.m. for a non-league game.
