On Monday night, the varsity boys’ volleyball team faced off against the St. Xavier Tigers. Although the team lost three sets, the Crimsons did not go down without a fight, ending with a thrilling third set.
“Overall, I think we showed the best effort we possibly could. St. X is such a big team to go up against. They’re a superpower of the league. And for what we did, I think we held out very well for a team that has just recently formed,” Seth Niemann (#3, 11) said.
First Set:
The game began with Luke Boggs (#20, 12) serving the ball, and the Tigers scored the first point. Boggs set the ball up for James Lincoln (#25, 10), but St. X blocked him. Boggs and James tried the same technique but achieved no result.
Following a good set of passing between the teams, the Crimsons eventually slipped, letting a St. X ball through. Manual received their first point after the Tigers serve went out of bounds. Both teams had multiple out of bounds serves giving the other points.
After a timeout, Brandon Chu (#23, 10) came back strong, spiking the ball through the Tigers’ wall. St. X served, but their ball hit the net, giving Manual another point. Boggs came through for the Crimsons, setting the ball for Jonathan Vu (#11, 10) who then scored. Boggs almost scored another point for Manual but fell just short. The score of the set ended 25-11 for the Tigers.
Second Set:
The Crimsons started the second set off on the right foot, scoring the first point. The Crimsons’ good momentum fell short as Lincoln tried to spike the ball but was blocked. Boggs tried to slide and save it but was unable too.
The Tigers served the ball, but it went out of bounds. When Manual was given the ball to serve, it hit the net. Niemann spiked the ball, securing another point for the Crimsons followed by yet another point.
Manual scored again after another timeout. Although the Tigers were leading the scoreboard, the Crimsons stood their ground. Boggs and Patrick Galla (#1, 10) had a good block followed by Manual scoring another point.
The second set ended after a lot of back-and-forth. Ultimately, St. X was able to score more points before Manual could catch up. The set ended 25-11.
Third Set:
Boggs served the ball to start the third set. As St. X tried to spike, the ball went out of bounds, giving Manual a point. Manual kept their initial pace up and scored three more times after the first point.
The Tigers were able to keep up and scored two points consecutively. Lincoln made a good save to give Manual another point. St. X went to save multiple out of bounds balls but were unsuccessful, giving the Crimsons a bigger lead.
As the set continued, the teams gave their all. For every point made, the other team would reciprocate. The teams tied at 17 points before the Tigers eventually began to take the lead. After St. X had scored 20 points, a timeout was called.
Manual had almost caught up with a nice set up by Boggs for Niemann, but the Tigers responded. St. X eventually made their match point while Manual only had 21 points. At this point, a St. X coach spoke with the referee, causing a pause in the game. Before play could resume, an official timeout was called.
The Crimsons scored one more point but were unable to tie the game again before the Tigers scored the final point to end the set. Manual lost three sets, giving St. X the win.
“I thought we greatly improved throughout the whole match. I think our last set was more true to who we were, as in who we are as a team. So, I’m happy with the way we ended, ” head coach Emma Jackson said.
The Crimsons’ next match is against Eastern High School on Tuesday, March 31. The game is set to begin at 5:30 and will be held at Eastern.
