The Carlmont Scots varsity boys volleyball team was victorious against the Burlingame Panthers on senior night, winning 3-1 at home on Tuesday.
Though the Panthers were ranked one spot higher than the Scots, this didn’t faze them. Last year, the Scots destroyed the Panthers with two 3-0 victories. The Scots were confident they could continue their winning streak against them this year.
The Scots started off the game by scoring the first point. From there, they dominated the rest of the first set. Both the Panthers’ offense and defense were lacking. This enabled the Scots to quickly end the set, winning 25-12.
“I think we had some great moments on defense. We had really good coverage and communication,” said Carlmont senior Rohan Rajagopal.
With the start of the second set, the Scots gained an early lead again. However, this time, their lead didn’t last as it did in the first set. The Panthers worked their way back and kept the score tied until the end. Despite this, it wasn’t enough, and the Scots won the set 25-22.
“I don’t think Burlingame was playing to their full potential in the first few sets. However, we obviously saw that they can play some good volleyball,” said Carlmont head coach Daniel Nelson.
Heading into the third set, things started out differently. The Panthers scored the first point and held the lead. Playing like a completely different team, the Panthers’ offense and defense were on a whole new level. In the end, they managed to hold off the Scots and win the set 25-23.
Going into the fourth set, the Scots knew they had to win this one. Just like in the third set, the Panthers jumped out with an early lead. However, the Scots later caught up and the entire set consisted of both teams trading points. The score was tied 24-24. The gym was tense, with both parents and players on the edge of their seats. Though the Panthers fought hard for the win, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Scots, who won the set 26-24 and took the match, three sets to one
“Our energy and morale were really low at the beginning. We turned it on in the third and fourth set, but it wasn’t enough unfortunately,” said Cole Ng, a senior at Burlingame High School.
After this win, the Scots have good momentum going into the Central Coast Selection (CCS) playoffs. However, Nelson still has things in mind the Scots need to work on.
“We did this well last week against Hillsdale, but we really need to work on how things are flowing. Sometimes we get segmented on the court and the other team scores a series of points on us before we can score again,” Nelson said.
