By Julian Prime
Sports Editor
Photos by Matt Scholtz
After claiming their first league win of the season against La Cañada on Thursday, March 26, the SPHS boys’ volleyball team swept the St. Francis Golden Knights in three straight sets, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21. Senior Richard Yu showed he was in midseason form, leading the Tigers on offense.
Both teams came into the game with a very casual mindset, as the game wouldn’t count against their league record. Because of this, the Tigers had trouble getting their offense moving in the first set. In addition to struggling with serves, the Tigers were marred by many errors on the offensive side of the ball. The Knights kept the game close, holding onto a small lead for the first half. Yu had a huge putback kill to tie the game up at 11-11, erasing the lead the Knights had held. The game went on in this fashion until the Tigers took over near the end of the set. South Pas claimed the first set by a score of 25-22.
The second set was similar to the first, but this time with the Tigers holding the lead. Junior Greg Luck had a nice kill to put the Tigers up 19-13, followed by a tricky putback kill from junior Max Luck. Yu had another kill to extend the Tigers’ lead to a comfortable 21-16 margin. The Knights fought back, however, and gave the Tigers a scare near the end of the set. After holding the Knights off, the Tigers took the set by a score of 25-23.
The Knights took immediate control of the third set right from the get go. The Tigers’ starters took a backseat to some of the bench players who began to come into the game. The Knights held a considerable lead for most of the set, until Yu came through with a pair of huge kills to put South Pas up 16-14. Max Luck had another powerful kill, followed by a Greg Luck ace. The Tigers managed to take a 21-19 lead, where they finished St. Francis off 25-21.
The team’s next game will be on Tuesday, April 7 when the Tigers take on the rival San Marino Titans at home.