By Demetria Ma, Staff Writer
Boys volleyball played the Newport Harbor Sailors on Friday, but unfortunately lost in three games.
Varsity played strong defense and had several highlights throughout the game but lost 0-3, scoring 22-25, 22-25, and 11-25.
Libero Luke Jacobsen (’15) dug hard-driven hits with ease and dove for every ball, which gained momentum for the team on several point runs. Freshman hitter Mitchell Bollinger (’18) played smart at the net, utilizing a dump against the Sailors in the first game. Front-row hitters Will Thibodeau (’16) and Hunter Todd (’15) scored many points for the Barons with clean blocks.
“I believe we played our best during the Newport game but we could’ve played much better by changing things up a bit between the starters and the bench,” said varsity player Jonathan Vy (’15).
Despite their strong defense, however, the Barons made several service errors that cost them winning points in the first two games. Serves either fell short into the net or went long past the back line on the other side.
Several points throughout the night were also lost due to a lack of communication between the back row passers. Although there were a couple of stand-out plays made with smart moves from the back row, many hits from Newport sailed between the passers into the corners of the court and left them exchanging confused looks.
“The rest of this season will play out upright regardless of our losses. However, we have a lot to work on as a volleyball team,” said Vy.
Since their last home game at the beginning of the season, the boys seemed to play together with improved synchronization, better anticipating each others’ moves.
“We have all the right pieces we just need to make sure we use them throughout our entire match,” said assistant coach Amber Ridens.
