The Tigers faced off against the Poly Panthers and took home the victory. South Pasadena won the second, third, and fifth sets.
Story by Anna McDonnell
Staff Writer
Photo by Helena Easterby
Photography Editor
Boys’ varsity volleyball faced off against the Poly Panthers on Friday, March 6, in the SPHS gym. The teams were surprisingly well matched and played for a total of five sets. In the end, the Tigers took the win, beating Poly in three out of the five sets.
The first set was close, with an end score of 23-25. The Tigers had strong attacks, but their sloppy defense allowed Poly to take the win for the first set.
During the second set, both teams played conservatively, earning most points on the other team’s shanks during serve receive. It became clear that neither team wanted to risk anything. However, the Tigers made a couple of exceptional surprise spikes that flustered the Panthers, resulting in a point for the Tigers. Poly, too, had killer serves, but the second set concluded with a Tiger victory.
Total Tiger domination was displayed in the third set when SPHS humbled Poly. The final score for the third set was 25-15. During the third set, the Tigers started off strong with a lead of 9-3, exhibiting killer serves and consistently diving for every ball. The score eventually increased to 15-8, and once the score was 17-15, the Tigers consistently took each point until the set ended. The Tigers led the match 2-1.
The fourth set was tense, as the teams were tied for the majority of the set. Fans from both teams were on the edge of their seats in anticipation. If the Tigers won this set, the game would be over, and if they did not, the teams would have to battle it out during a tiebreaker fifth set. At the beginning of the fourth set, the Tigers struggled to take the lead due to slow serving and missed plays, which allowed Poly to jump ahead. These mistakes ultimately led to Poly winning the fourth set with a score of 25-19. So, the game continued on to the fifth and final set.
Quick and thrilling are two words that would describe the fifth set of the game. During the set, both teams played very aggressively, and players were serving, spiking, and diving for balls with more urgency, speed, and strength. The final score was 15-9, and the Tigers took home the win.
Boys’ volleyball will play Temple City at South Pasadena during Tigers league opener on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m.