Boys’ volleyball wins a five-set thriller against La Cañada

Photos by Alicia Alderete
Associate Photography Editor

The boys’ volleyball team prevailed victorious on April 12 with a come from behind victory against La Cañada. The teams played for five sets before the Tigers emerged victorious 3-2.

This five-set victory did not come easy for the Tigers. The Spartans proved to be difficult opponents, particularly in the first two sets of the game. In both instances, La Cañada took the lead early and held it for most of the set and even powerful blocks and strategic tips from seniors Reno Goudeau and Maxton Lam could not prevent them from emerging victorious. After the second set, it looked as though all was lost for the Tigers. La Cañada held a daunting 2-0 lead.

Though it looked tough, the Tigers were not ready to give in yet. They took the court by storm in the third set, with a block from Goudeau putting them on the board early. However the Spartans swiftly came back, evening the score. As the game progressed, the two teams remained incredibly close. Great plays from juniors Jason Barrientos and Paul Pan kept the Tigers within striking distance, but the Spartans initially held the lead. That all changed when senior Cole Schroeder tied up the game with a kill and set up Pan to take the lead. After that it only took back to back kills from Schroeder and a block from Goudeau to win the set 25-22.

After the third set, South Pas seemed to find the rhythm of the game and played strong throughout the fourth set. La Cañada scored first but the Tigers came back and soon took the lead. A well thought out kill from junior Addison Hsiao and a block from Lam helped the Tigers pad their sizeable lead. The Spartans were playing aggressively, but they soon began to make mistakes and the Tigers were able to capitalize on their errors, winning 25-20.

With two sets taken by the Spartans and two by the Tigers, it all came down to the fifth and final set. The Tigers scored first, but La Cañada followed almost immediately behind, tying it up again. It was clear that this would be no easy victory for either team. The Spartans held the lead for some time, but the Tigers came back after an intense battle up front. Soon, the Tigers were at match point with the Spartans trailing by only one point. The final play of the game was an intense volley that went on until the Spartans failed at an attempt to block a spike from Schroeder and the ball went out of bounds, which secured the victory for South Pas.

The Tigers’ next match is a rematch against Temple City on April 17 at Temple City High School.

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