After a four-match losing streak, the boys volleyball team rebounded during its senior night home match against Yorba Linda High School and clinched second place in the inaugural Crestview League, qualifying the Lancers for a CIF playoff spot.
Winning in straight sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17, the Lancers (18-10) took over sole possession of second place in the inaugural Crestview League season with a 5-1 league record. They will join Anaheim’s Canyon High School, which placed first with a 7-1, as the only two schools to make it to CIF playoffs, whose schedules will be released at the end of the league season.
Boys volleyball head coach Albert Soliguenas was pleased to see his players overcome their losing streak.
“I think our mindset and mentality after those prior losses really kind of highlighted some of the things that we needed to work on,” Soliguenas said. “It was our intention to have our senior players with the mindset to win and be competitive.”
The Lancers headed into the first set against the Mustangs (0-5), trading serve points back and forth until outside hitter senior Augustine Cho solidified the first two-point margin at 7-5. Later, the Mustangs fell farther behind by four points at 16-12.
Yorba Linda’s serving errors also contributed to giving up easy points that eventually led to the lancers winning the first set.
“One of the biggest themes that we have as a team is to play consistently,” the head coach said. “Early on, we can maybe win or lose a couple of points, but once we hit the mid-game, we find our rhythm, and we just dial in.”
This playstyle was displayed during the second set as the Mustangs chipped in an early score of 0-2 with their serve. The lead only further continued to 3-6 unforced errors by the Lancers.
However, opposite hitter senior Seth Lee shifted the momentum, returning from a three-point deficit to a score of 7-6, winning three consecutive points with two finishing spikes and an ace. The Lancers carried that through the rest of the second set as middle blocker senior Ethan Lee closed it out, 25-20, with a block after a long rally.
“When we were down, I just knew that if we stayed focused and took our responsibilities, we would eventually even out the playing field,” Seth Lee said. “Especially since it was senior night, losing a lead only meant that we would try harder as a team.
Unlike the previous stanza, the Lancers took an early 2-0 lead against the Mustangs in the third set, with Cho serving an ace on the right corner line for that second point, which followed setter senior Roen Forbes’ kill for the first point.
“I had to show something different today because it was senior night,” he said. “The crowd was full of energy, and my whole family was watching, so I had to make sure that I was giving it my best to win the third set.”
The Lancers maintained an advantage until the Mustangs pulled even at 10-10. After the Lancers took a one-point lead by the opponents’ net fault, middle blocker senior Matthew Barta helped the Lancers score another point by stopping a spike from one of Yorba Linda’s hitters. The Mustangs weren’t able to recover after that, as they finished the set at 24-17.
Following the 3-1 win over the Roosevelt Mustangs (16-9) in their non-league match on Monday, April 14, the Lancers will end the regular season against the Crean Lutheran Saints of Irvine (12-11) in an away affair on Wednesday, April 16, at 5:45 p.m.
