Boys’ volleyball mounts successful comeback versus El Rancho

Photos by Alicia Alderete
Associate Photography Editor

Boys’ volleyball achieved a hard-fought victory over the El Rancho Dons on Tuesday, March 27, with a score of 3-2. The game stretched to five sets as both teams traded set victories for multiple hours.

The Tigers were attempting a new rotation in the first set, and it was clear that they were not quite used to their new strategy. El Rancho earned and maintained an early lead, capitalizing on the South Pas’ discomfort and mistakes in receiving serves. However, the Tigers were able to stay competitive thanks to strong kills from seniors Cole Schroeder and Maxton Lam. Despite a flurry of attempted South Pas comebacks, the Dons took the first set 25-20.

Now accustomed to their new rotation, the Tigers emerged stronger in the second set. Gaining momentum, they fought back against the Dons and won the set by a score of 25-21. One of the key players in this set was junior Paul Pan, who was constantly gaining points for South Pas.

South Pas’ tight grip on the game continued in the opening moments of the third set. The Tigers were confident and aggressive; a mentality manifested by a quick five-point lead. However, El Rancho was not down for the count. The Dons retaliated, tallying eight points against the Tigers and taking the set 25-17.

Trailing by one set, the Tigers knew they would have to win the final two sets in order to attain victory. Fortunately, South Pas immediately capitalized off of El Rancho’s mistakes and gained an early lead. Thanks to kills by Schroeder, Pan, and senior Kyle Woo, the team was able to win 25-20. By that point, the momentum was entirely in the Tigers’ favor, and they easily took the fifth and final set with a score of 15-7 to win the game.

The Tigers’ next challenge is an away game at Gabrielino on Thursday, March 29.

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