On April 25, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) Barons’ varsity volleyball team played their final regular season match against their league opponent, the Mar Vista High (MVH) Mariners. Going into the game, the Barons were heavily favored to win as they were crowned Mesa League champions earlier that week. After an upsetting loss in the first set, BVH would deliver on their expectations, ending their season with a dominant senior night victory.
The night would kick off after an emotional assortment of senior walk outs, highlighting the accomplishments of each of BVH’s eleven senior players. With a starting lineup of seniors on the court, BVH would gain an early lead through a mix of strategy and luck. Early in the game, it seemed as if the Mariners constantly drowned in the pools of their own mistakes, with a multitude of miscommunications resulting in missed points. However, midway through the set a shift occurred that was crucial to the away team’s success, with their defense spontaneously locking in.
“MVH is a really good team. They get the ball up every single time, so no matter how hard we hit it, they always find a way to recover,” BVH outside hitter and senior Lance Janssen (15) said.
Despite the defensive prowess of MVH, the Barons would find ways to expose any holes that they could find on the court. One instance of the Barons’ improvisation came when outside hitter and senior Joseph Rondario (5) received a spike, bumping the ball at the perfect height for outside hitter, opposite hitter, team co-captain and senior Daniel Robitaille (22) to slam into the Mariner’s territory. BVH varsity boy’s volleyball Head Coach Luis Contreras explains how he planned against MVH’s defense by strengthening his own.
“We started planning around their defense by aiming for their deep corners and by bolstering our own defense. When it comes to really good defensive teams that keep the ball in the air, we need to answer back as best as we can, especially by being just as strong on our defense,” Contreras said.
Despite the late set changes made to BVH’s strategy, MVH would pull off an upset and secure the win for the first point of the game. Where at once they sat at a hefty deficit, the Mariners pulled inches ahead of the Barons to a 24-23 lead. The tension of the game would snap once MVH successfully aced the Barons—scoring a point off of a serve—and took their set lead. With their senior night on the line, BVH kicked off the second period in full gear. The Barons would score six unanswered points before the Mariners could structure their rebuttal.
“We really got back into rhythm by diversifying our players on the court, usually relying on our usual six starters but then subbing in other players to get their chances when we had greater leeway,” Contreras said.
Throughout the set, the Mariners couldn’t thrash the Barons’ voyage to victory, and it was smooth sailing from then on. Oftentimes, MVH would haphazardly shoot themselves in the foot, failing to receive and hitting outside the bounds on multiple occasions. These incidents of weakness would add up and result in the Barons tying the set score after trampling the Mariners 25-14. There was no time to waste going into the third set, and BVH would comfortably gain the upper hand with their flowing offensive system and revolving door of energized players.
“Throughout the season, I enjoyed the rotation of our team because it allowed us to have different strategies for every game. A really big advantage of having this rotation is that the other team never really knew what was going on because we had three unique setters,” setter and senior Dawsone Keith Tuazone (2) said.
Leading the third set 18-10, BVH’s list of seniors would show flashes of why they became such a dominant force in the South Bay. Diving saves from the likes of libero, team co-captain and senior Noah Kircher (3), sharp kills from Robitaille, and tricky tips from Janssen would elevate the team to new levels. The final point of the set was scored by opposite hitter, outside hitter and senior Hector Silva (9), who placed the ball perfectly in between MVH’s blocker and the net, making it unrecoverable.
“Most of these seniors have been here for a really long time. At one point the main things that we tried coaching them on was their fundamentals and playstyle, but now it’s on their communication and leadership,” Contreras said.
The final set kicks off and the Barons are reminded of their mistakes from the past. For a brief moment, MVH got a 6-4 lead over the home team. The lead soon turned into a tie when Silva snags a loose ball bumped by the Mariners. With 8-8 on the board, the Barons carefully plan their offensive strategy for the coming points. Tuazone goes on to explain how he, as a setter, examines the court before the start of each rally.
“Before every rally, I’d check how MVH arranges their blockers and take note in my head to set to their weakest area, usually the one with the shortest person blocking,” Tuazone said.
Following their tie, BVH leaves MVH in the dust, taking 8 points with no obvious rebuttal from mar vista, gaining a 16-8 lead over their opponent. The Mariners try to resist defeat, but BVH middle blocker, opposite hitter and senior Kaleb Mayorga (50) heeds his opponents protest with a hit that puts BVH up 20-13. Eventually BVH racks up 24 points, and all pressure is put on Rondario, who prepares his serve. Rondario then leaps and shoots the ball onto the other side of the court, and his dagger twists upon contact with the Mariners, who fail to recover the ball. The conclusive 25-14 victory over MVH is one to note, says Janssen, who explains what a challenge MVH usually is.
“Usually [when we play MVH], the score will be neck and neck. [In previous games] we’ve had close victories at scores like 25-22, they’re a really challenging team to beat.” Janssen said.
Through the successful outcome of the game, BVH’s final regular season record stands at a whopping 28-6, with a 7-0 record in league. Such a season results in BVH gaining high seeding and a home field advantage for their upcoming DII CIF playoffs, which Contreras and the team look forward to.
“I really hope that we can win CIF so that all of our work throughout the season results in something big. Having a home field advantage throughout playoffs is really huge and we’re definitely going to have to take advantage of that, but our real end goal is winning it all,” Contreras said.
