The Carlmont JV boys volleyball team lost to the Lynbrook Vikings with a score of 2-1 in their second preseason game at Carlmont High School on Friday, March 1. This game marks the first win for the Vikings, while the Scots remain winless.
“I think that we played pretty well, but there are still things we need to improve on. We need to keep working more on our passing and blocking to win more games,” said junior Alexander Mahadew.
During the first set, the Scots came out strong. Mahadew’s consistent blocks and sophomore Mateus Duvai’s unpredictable float serves contributed to their early success. Leading by more than five points throughout the entire set, the Scots dominated the Vikings with a final score of 25-15.
The Vikings played intensely during the second set, destroying the Scots momentum. Scots head coach Andrew Serrano called a timeout as his team went down 3-1 early on. After eight points in a row from the Vikings, Serrano substituted multiple players to attempt to regain control of the match. The Scots failed to outwit the Vikings, losing the set 25-18.
“We had an excellent first set, but our physicality and intensity in the second set dropped tremendously. So, I did a complete substitution of kids I wanted to see play, but we still need to work on our mentality and staying focused,” Serrano said.
In the third set, the Scots were determined to win and take home the victory. But, they struggled to adjust to the Vikings tempo and quickly trailed behind. With the score slowly inching apart, many players lost hope. The Scots could not catch up, ending the third set with a score of 15-9 for the Vikings.
“I think we had the better showing, but we fell off in the second and third sets. I think it’s just a mental game we need to get fixed,” said team captain Justin Wong.
The front row was very successful in winning many points for the Scots. Freshman setter Alan Fadeyev was pivotal in the victory of the outside and opposite hitters. On the other hand, the Vikings were very effective in their back row as they were able to recover many spikes from the Scots.
“We had really good offensive play, but we need to make sure that the team is always communicating because we had some confusion on positioning sometimes,” Wong said.
With the rest of the season ahead, the Scots hope to repeat last season’s success and follow in the footsteps of the varsity team.
“Our big goal is to win all of our games and make sure every player improves,” Serrano said.
