On May 2, the Aragon (15-18 overall) boys volleyball team squared up against the Hillsdale Knights (11-17 overall) in a long-awaited rivalry match. The game stretched on for five sets, resulting in Aragon finally taking the lead in the last set, winning 3-2.
Tensions were high as both teams struggled to maintain the advantage, victories in each set switching off between both sides.
Spirits were high heading into the match, contributing to team energy and preparation.
“Since it was senior night and a rivalry game, it had us hype and talking about what to do and expect in the game,” said sophomore Peyton Chiang.
Head coach Meliame Hala’ufia also emphasized the importance of this game in particular, including the mindset she envisioned.
“I worked on reminding the team to leave it all on the floor and go all out. It’s a [key game], you got to want it,” said Halaufia.
This thought process resonated with many of the players as they prepared for the psychological aspect of the rivalry game.
“Mentally, [we] just had no doubts we were gonna lose. We came into the game knowing that we were going to win” said sophomore Ethan Ho.
They were short a few players, putting them at an apparent disadvantage, but they were able to pull it through.
“I don’t think we were expecting to win because we were missing our best players but in between sets our coach motivated us and helped us regain confidence,” Chiang said.
Despite this setback, the team worked well at the net, connection and communication being two key factors contributing to their success.
“My connection with my setter really clicked, was great and everything was flowing really smoothly,” Ho said.
This connection showed, as they put in effort to work around the Knight’s defense.
“As long as we sent the ball over most of the time they wouldn’t be able to run a play,” Chiang said.
Furthermore, cohesion between the players was evident, as Abnik Singh and Jeremy Lim worked to move the balls to their hitters, with nineteen and twenty-three assists respectively.
Aside from this, the defensive front was strong, with Tadem Szeto with 10 digs and Chiang with 15 digs on the night.
There were definite highlights behind the line as well, including a series of four aces executed by Tyler Rivera and two by Abnik Singh.
As a whole, their performance from a serving standpoint showed major improvement over the course of the season.
“We have been struggling with serving all season…We missed six in the first set [but] for the remainder of the match we only missed two more. I think the team finally turned it around and focused on keeping it in play,” Hala’ufia said.
Offensively, they worked on targeting the weak points of the Knights strategy, which involved a new rotation strategy. This allowed them to adapt on both fronts, and the results were apparent.
“This game we targeted specific blockers that weren’t as good and it worked. We also played smart tipping around the block or tooling it” Ho said.
In terms of the stakes, they certainly pushed the team to their limits as everything came together for the win.
“They played together and just left it all on the court. I finally saw the team play at their full potential,” Hala’ufia said. “Overall it was a team effort to come back after being down 1-2. [They] really came together and played all out that night.”
Their season has officially come to a close, ending with their loss to Lynbrook, but the team looks forward to honing their craft and coming out strong again next year.
