Varsity Boys Volleyball took on Aragon High School for the finals of the CCS DII tournament on Saturday, May 11. After earning a first-round bye, MVHS easily tackled their opponents in both the quarterfinals and the semifinals, not dropping a set the entire time.
This is MVHS’ second finals appearance since 2022, giving the upperclassmen of the team their second championship win with the team. Junior and setter Praneel Shah says this win feels more satisfying to him.
“I was being carried from the seniors in 2022 and they were the main four people that were responsible for the title, but it felt good,” Shah said. “Knowing that this title I was a starter and I actually contributed to the win felt amazing.”
MVHS was able to hold onto a lead throughout the entire game, winning three straight sets 25-16, 25-19 and 25-19. Senior and outside hitter Varchas Athreya credits the team’s win to their long service runs.
“We did a lot of good serving today,” Athreya said. “Our serving is probably what got us to win today because the other team wasn’t able to pass well and we were able to get a lot of points that way.”
Head Coach Paul Chiu also mentions the team’s strong overall gameplay and preparedness going into the match.
“We were just very steady all the way through,” Chiu said. “They executed the way we talked about it in pregame and just stayed remarkably steady like we did on Thursday. These were the two best back-to-back matches we played all year.”
Shah agrees the team was very prepared for this game. He also notes the sense of focus that the team had.
“When it came time for CCS, we made sure that with the hustle that we had, we still worked on technique and execution, so we could make sure we put the ball in play,” Shah said. “So then if the other team makes those mistakes we know we could handle it on our side.”
Athreya believes that this new level of focus taken on by the team improved their gameplay, especially for the championship.
“There are a couple of times in the second or third set where we had points that we gave to the other team and we started fumbling,” Athreya said. “But we made sure to lock in and I’m really happy that the other players locked in as well.”
While the Matadors have won the CCS title, the team is not done with their season yet. They secured a spot in the NorCal playoffs as a result of its win against Carmel High School in the semifinals. While its seed hadn’t been announced yet at the time of the game, Chiu believes the team will still do well, no matter who they face.
“Who knows what NorCal is going to bring,” Chiu said. “They play like this, we’ll you know, we’ll be fine and we’ll compete.”
Shah is excited for the NorCal tournament with this team, but he still wants to make sure to put emphasis on the things they have been practicing. He believes if they are able to execute that, MVHS will do well in the playoffs.
“We’re just hoping to bring that same energy into NorCal’s,” Shah said. “It is going to be much tougher competition. So again, same thing. Put effort on the defensive end to make sure that we don’t lose focus, and the rest will just come.”
