The boy’s volleyball team entered Friday, May 1. with a 22-4 record. They were coming off a 3-0 district semi-final victory over Freedom High School and could practically taste a district championship. They were one win away for the third straight season, and only Cypress Creek High School stood in their way.
“Winning the district title would be a great achievement for this year’s team. We have accomplished a lot this year. We just need to talk and limit our mistakes to beat Cypress Creek,” said senior Andy Lopez.
The Wolves started the first set strong, taking an early double digit lead. It led to an easy 25-14 victory.
In the second set, the Bears fired back and took an early lead of their own. Down by six, coach Cameron Stevens became openly frustrated with his team making unforced errors and called a timeout.
The Wolves were able to fire back and force Cypress Creek call a timeout of their own throughout the set, but the Bears knew how important it was to not fall behind two sets to none. They were able to eventually close the set out 25-20 and tie the match up 1-1.
“They were a scrappy team,” said Stevens after the match.
But the Bears scrappiness would only carry them so far. The Wolves easily won the third set 25-14 as seniors Jassiem Obie and Kyle McPherson, as well as junior Michael MacGillivary, dominated the net up front. The three finished the match with a total of 34 kills.
The fourth set was similar to the second, with the Bears scrappiness on full display. They gave the Wolves a run for their money and were desperately volleying in the final points to force a fifth set.
However, they came up short and the Wolves’ talent ultimately finished the job, winning 25-22.
The team was district champions for the first time since their immaculate 2009 state championship season. After losing the district championship in 2013 and 2014, the Wolves finally got to lift the district title trophy.
“It means so much to these kids and they deserve it,” said Stevens.
As for the rest of the season, the boys move onto regionals. Tuesday, May 5. they have a rematch with volleyball powerhouse Lyman High School. After losing to Lymann just two weeks ago to drop their record to 20-4, they have won three straight including two playoff matches.
“We had good moments and bad this week in districts,” said Stevens. “If we play consistently next week, we’ll be ok.”
