Loud music, heightened energy and pitched screams met with a special night encapsulated in the BVH gym Tuesday evening. On Apr. 28, the Barons volleyball team hosted their annual senior night versus the Eastlake Titans, honoring the eight seniors who currently play on BVH’s volleyball program. Freshman and JV player, Aarnav Gurung, expressed how bittersweet it was seeing the seniors leave.
“I felt really sad for all of the seniors that I know. I cannot believe that I barely got to know them this year but I am so happy that I met them. [They] have been such a great asset to our team and it is insane that they are already leaving,” Gurung said.
In the spotlight for the evening’s game consisted of seniors middle Jamison Jones (6), outside D’Orin (DJ) Ayres (7), defensive specialist Thomas Perez (18), defensive specialist Evin Guidry (16), middle Aiden McPherson (13), setter Isaac Maldonado (10), libero Aiden Sunga (20) and outside Roberto Chaidez (8). Posters plastered with senior photos, printed pictures and silhouettes surrounded the court, with numerous fans chattering clamorously in anticipation for the game.
“It was pretty sentimental. It feels pretty good being up [there] in front of all of my friends with my family celebrating my last game with my teammates,” McPherson said.
After the ceremonies, the game began with big cheers from both the crowd and benches—Titans getting the first serve. In a back and forth match, both teams seemed like they were exchanging points within the set; Barons earning one, with the Titans earning another. Ayres conveyed a feeling of satisfaction, describing how the players and the fans contributed to the energy on the court.
“[The tension] was high in this match, and we had a great time as well. This was a fun [set], a lot of people came out to watch us, and we tried to play our best,” Ayres said.
Neither team could afford to make any errors, as any additional point given to the other team was a step closer to danger. With the crowds drowning the gym with roaring cheers, both the Barons and the Titans clenched for air gasping in desperation for any hope on the line. Fans watched in anticipation, not knowing who would win the set, until Bonita started slipping away from their crutches with a three-point margin, who eventually called a timeout. Junior and opposite Joshua Manaligod expressed frustration with how easily Eastlake rebounded.
“At the beginning of the game, our energy levels were low. There was still intense gameplay but at the end of the day it was not the best,” Manaligod said.
Returning back into the match, it seemed as if the Barons deviated away from their tight margins, with the Titans earning consistent points getting them one-step closer to winning the first set. Although it seemed as if the Barons were gaining their reins back, the Titans took the win 25-21 for the first round.
“We played with good intensity but other times we really let ourselves go and got in our own heads. We left that intensity and it died down a lot,” McPherson said.
The Barons, after a three minute break-period, entered into the second round with a 1-0 disadvantage against the Titans. Nevertheless, the same intensified energy from the first was seen going into the second set, where both teams were exchanging points to see who could come out victorious.
“Once the sets have gone on in the game, like our second set, the game intensified and we realized that we were playing to our full potential,” Manaligod said.
With the same sentiment of the first half spilling into the second, the Barons were once again slipping away from their usual one-point margin versus the rival, with the Titans earning another set-win. The Barons were now down 2-0, and the Titans were finally able to gain the upperhand. Guidry indicated how defeating it was having lower vigor than Eastlake.
“[Eastlake] had high energy, we had low energy. It was really back-and-forth. We would balance it out, and the enemy always wants to take the spotlight and they did that,” Guidry said.
Tensions against the referees began rising halfway into the set, as a “touching the net” call against Eastlake favored the Barons. The Titans were enraged, with parents throwing their hands up in the air in disagreement and players challenging the call. This one simple call, gave the Barons one of their largest momentums of the match—now leading by six points. Serve after serve, the Barons finally gained a point on the board, achieving another set.
“[Our energy] changed in the third set. When we went on a really long run, we were down a couple points, and we came up,” McPherson said. “We were strong, and went on a long-serving run.”
The back-and-forth seeped into the fourth set, with the Titans hungry for simple leads. Titans, learning their lesson from the previous set, gained the early upperhand by three-point margin. The Barons were slipping away, giving Eastlake the exact dominance they needed.
“Our consistency was bad today. We were not really thinking,” Manaligod said.
From this point forward, the Titans just kept continuing to inch closer to their 25-point threshold. Each point that the Barons earned, seemed like a false sense of security with Eastlake showing no mercy. In the end, the Barons ceded the match 3-1.
“Our issue of just getting into our own heads really killed us, and we could not get back out of there,” McPherson said. “We started off good, but we just slipped.”
The outcome of this match, however, did not lead to the forgetting of the true stars of the show, that being the seniors. While the outcome of the match was not the result that Bonita wanted, the players held their heads high as they closed off the night.
“We should always play with confidence and to always be loyal to our team,” Ayres said. “It was a fun game and I know my team that way.”
