Coming off a close 3-2 loss to Lynbrook High School on March 23, the Varsity Boys Volleyball team fell to Mountain View High School 3-0 in its fifth league game on Friday, March 25, bringing its overall league record to 3-2 and making them third in the league. Mountain View is currently ranked 22nd in the nation. The Matadors were able to remain neck-and-neck with Mountain View during the first set, which they lost 25-21. However, Mountain View’s defense improved in the second and third sets, which they won 25-18 and 25-15 respectively.

Junior Jesse Li says that the team’s awareness of their opponents’ strengths added to the pressure the team was feeling, which reduced the players’ confidence as the game progressed. Li added that one potential area of improvement for the team is in covering their own blockers, which will allow the Matador’s to keep plays going for longer durations. In addition, Li states that the team’s energy level also impacted their performance.

“We can definitely improve on our energy,” Li said. “That’s one thing that we didn’t have much of in this game.”

Sophomore Varchas Athreya agrees that the heavy pressure due to Mountain View’s rank contributed to the team’s loss. He also says that although the team was strong in blocking and serving, its loss could ultimately be attributed to a weak offense and defense, which made them unable to combat Mountain View’s powerful hits.

“We [were] just a little bit more scared,” Athreya said. “They’re a bigger team and they’re ranked higher in the state. As a team, we need to build more chemistry in order to get to just know each other.”

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Anna Jerolimov

Sophomore Varchas Athreya leaps into the air to serve the ball.