Music plays loudly in the background as both Bonita Vista High (BVH) and Patrick Henry High (PHH) boys’ volleyball teams warm up. Minutes away from the first game of the boys’ volleyball season, the team huddles up, giving each other pep talks and finishing it off with a shout of “Barons!” 

On Feb. 27, in the BVH gymnasium, BVH boys’ varsity volleyball goes face-to-face against PHH. Barons were able to secure the first game of the season with a 3-1 win after four sets. Outside hitter and junior Daniel Robitaille (12) shares how he felt coming into the game.

“I felt a little nervous coming into today’s game, but it’s normal, any feeling someone gets before playing a game. Otherwise, I would say I was calm coming into it,” Robitaille said.

Starting off the first set, setter and senior Kevin Ituriaga (9) serves the ball, slightly touching the net. The opposing team thought it wasn’t going over, causing BVH to score the first point. As the crowd cheers on the Barons, middle blocker and senior Jesus Figueroa (15) lightly taps the ball over the net leading the score to 8-4. Ituriaga mentions how the team had prepared for the game.

“We have been practicing a lot, [and] are in the gymnasium from six to eight p.m. after school. Honestly, we have been running a lot of repetition and spending a lot of time together in the gym,” Ituriaga said.

Continuing in the first set, BVH is on a roll, not allowing PHH to catch up to them. Ituriaga sets the ball up in the air for Figueroa in which he spikes down the ball at a straight angle towards PHH’s side scoring 23-9 and eventually making it to 24-9. With only one more point left in the first set, outside hitter and senior Colin Larson (13) blocks the spike from PHH winning the first set 25-11. Boys’ varsity volleyball coach Luis Contreras shares his thoughts on how the players will be moving on after the game. 

“I personally think the game went really well. I got to see how everyone works on the court. The kids are getting used to each other playing in front of our home court and the BVH student section. We really are trying to find chemistry together, so I am excited to see where we go,” Contreras said.

During the second set, the BVH student section filled with staff, students and parents chanting “Let’s go Barons!” PHH starts off and once the ball reaches BVH’s side, Robitaille receives the ball and spikes it down, earning BVH’s first point of the set. Later on in the second set, opposite, defensive specialist and senior Jesse Goff (8) goes for the serve and the ball softly passes the rim, earning the point 9-5. After a couple rounds of back and forth, PHH attempts to spike, but opposite, outside hitter and senior Walker Nelson (3) immediately blocks it, making the score 16-13. PHH starts closing in on BVH, becoming a very close and nail-biting set, but ultimately finishes with PHH winning 22-25. Following the set, Ituriaga reflects on how he felt it went.

“I think we did really well. However, I also think we could have communicated a lot more during the sets and passed better. But other than that it was good,” Ituriaga said. 

Going forward into the third set, BVH starts with the ball and comes off strong as Robitaille spikes down the ball and earns the first point. However, PHH closes in on BVH and the points start to become very close. Ituriaga sets into the hands of middle back and freshman DJ Ayres and spikes it down on PHH’s territory, now at 10-8. Ituriaga mentions how the loss of the second set improved their game play for the following sets.

“After the second set, it was very upsetting. We felt that we shouldn’t have lost, but I didn’t take it to heart,” Ituriaga said. “Going into the third set, we learned from the second set, learning what we did wrong and fixing those mistakes so we applied that to the next set.” 

Continuing onto the third set, Larson makes a powerful spike, resulting in the score being 23-18. BVH’s student section chants for the Barons as they are inches away from winning the third set. Robitaille closes the third set out, winning 25-21. 

“Honestly losing the second set wasn’t too bad since we were able to pick it up. Winning three [sets] was preferable, but overall, we experienced playing together and learning to play like a team,” Robitaille said.

BVH student section chants “Finish this Barons!” as the fourth and final set begins. PHH starts with the ball, but BVH earns the first point. BVH leads, but PHH is right on their backs. Larson goes in for a serve earning BVH a point, the score being 8-7. BVH starts with a lead, causing PHH to take a timeout at 14-8. Robitaille receives the ball and spikes it straight down to PHH’s side, making the score 21-9. As BVH gets closer and closer to winning their first game of the season, PHH goes for a serve at 24-12. The serve goes out of the lines, serving up the Barons’ first win 25-12. Robitaille points out how the team will learn from their first game together.

“I think this game was a great starting point. We have a long season ahead of us,” Robitaille said. “There’s definitely a lot of room for improvement, but we have a long time to improve throughout the seasons which is really great.”