The Carlmont JV boys volleyball team swept the Sequoia Ravens, winning 2-0 during their preseason matchup on Wednesday, March 12.
With the Scots having maintained a strong 6-1 record throughout preseason, they went into the game with confidence in their abilities.
“All of us, from the players to the coaches, are looking forward to the season. We have a really strong team this year, and we finished third in our first tournament, but we’ve been seeded first in one of our upcoming ones,” said freshman setter Kyan Mayenkar.
Other teammates shared the same optimism, letting the results speak for themselves.
“We’ve pretty much been destroying all of our opponents,” said freshman middle Patrick Keho.
The Scots dominated the game, taking an early 6-1 lead just a few minutes in. They set the game’s tone, winning many points with aces, something that they had previously been inconsistent with.
“Our team definitely served well. We’ve had games where a lot of us missed serves which resulted in a lot of missed points, but we did a lot better this match,” Mayenkar said.
The Ravens were unable to match the Scots in this regard, as many times after winning a point, they would immediately give the ball back to the Scots due to a poor serve, often not making it over the net.
With great performances all around, but especially from the outside hitters, the Scots were able to comfortably win the first set with a score of 25-9.
“My outside hitters, did a wonderful job, my centers did a wonderful job, and my freshman stepped up,” said head coach Andrew Serrano.
Having coached for many years, this is currently Serrano’s second year working at Carlmont.
“This is my 55th competitive team, my 45th year coaching,” Serrano said.
Beginning the second set with the same intensity as the first, the Scots again took the lead, with the Ravens failing to make any significant plays happen. The chemistry between the Scots players was extremely strong, setting them apart from the Ravens.
“We’re doing very well, the boys are gelling, we’re having a good time,” Serrano said.
With the Scots taking control over the game, they were able to freely rotate their subs without a drop in quality.
“We’re pretty good individually, we have a lot of players that have played before and are experienced,” Keho said.
The Scots won the second set 25-14, ending the game with a final score of 2-0. Still hungry for more, the Scots continue to work hard and improve, having big goals for the rest of the season.
“My goal for the season is to take the championship, win as many contests and tournaments as we can, and develop the boys so they’re ready to play varsity. I’ve done a lot of high school and college coaching, but everybody here at Carlmont is wonderful,” Serrano said.
