The crowd watched eagerly as the volleyball bounced back and forth across the court, both Westview and Poway fighting to sink the ball on the opposing side. The ball was sent to Westview’s side, and setter Jamie Bae (12) saw his opportunity. He set the ball up for outside hitter Logan Lim (12), who spiked it over the net. The crowd erupted in cheers as Lim’s kill secured Westview the first set win of the game.
Despite an early lead, boys volleyball fell to Poway, 3-2, in their first league game of the season, March 25. After winning the first two sets, 30-28 and 25-23, respectively, Westview was swept in the final three, losing 21-25 and 17-25, going into the fifth set. The Wolverines’ defense ultimately struggled against Poway’s strong offense, losing 15-10.
Lim said that the team’s strong offense carried its first two victories.
“The team’s mindset was very positive at the start, and we played loosely,” Lim said. “We had nothing holding us back and we were able to win the first two sets. Everyone had some really good hits.”
In the next sets, Lim said he saw gaps in the team’s defense that let Poway take the advantage.
“I feel like we were just too inconsistent,” Lim said. “Our hitting and setting [were strong], but our passing and defense needed work. They had a 6’9 outside that our block couldn’t really stop, so we had to be more disciplined on our defense to not let him score on us so much.”
Westview also struggled to adapt to the new lineup Poway brought out in the last couple sets, according to libero Ryan Higginbotham (11).
“During the first three sets, we were energetic and working together, but Poway fired up, and we couldn’t respond properly,” Higginbotham said. “Poway kept their best players on the bench for the first sets, so it was hard for us to adjust to the new lineup [they brought out].”
Westview has gone up against Poway in prior seasons, and Bae said they always tend to be evenly matched. Westview came out on top in five sets last year.
“Every time we face Poway, we always go into five sets, and we sort of have that mindset where we need to play [good] since Poway has well-trained players,” Bae said.
In preparation for this game, the team focused specifically on defense during practices. Bae said that Poway, in particular, has very tall players on offense.
“The drills we did at practice before the game were mainly about blocking and serve-receive,” Bae said. “We needed to work on blocking against the outside because Poway has a very tall outside. We had to make sure we were playing good defense against [them].”
Despite the outcome, libero Evan Moon (12) said that players performed well as a team. Over the years, they have built trust with each other, allowing them to play with more confidence on the court.
“I think that our connection from off the court definitely helps us trust each other more and helps us make plays,” Moon said. “I have been playing with these guys for the last three to four years now and our connection really just comes from how long we have known each other and our experiences together.”
According to Moon, the team will use this game to identify areas of growth and begin to prepare for future games.
“I’m going to get our coach to start implementing the drills we need into our practices,” Moon said. “The team will [also] watch film to look for our unforced errors and then focus on those parts of our game in future practices.”
In his last year with Westview, Moon said he hopes to see his team play to the best of their capabilities, and finish out the season with a championship.
“As a senior, it feels surreal to be playing my last season for Westview so I want to make every point count,” Moon said. “I am most excited for the playoffs, where we will look to bring home a division title.”
