Racing across the court, junior setter Mohan Duvvuri maneuvered through his teammates as he tried to set up a play during a tough match against rival Los Gatos on March 15. He dived for the ball and back-set perfectly to senior outside Derek Chiou, who smashed the ball down for a point.
Although the boys have had a rough start — starting the season 2-3 — this kind of teamwork is what makes the Falcons believe they can rank within the top three in their league for the fifth year in a row. They hope to qualify for both CCS and NorCal championships as they have in the recent past.
“The team this year has really good potential; we just need to work hard because we are such a young team,” Chiou said. “Despite being young, everyone is very talented.”
Although the game against Los Gatos ended in a 3-1 loss for the Falcons, they believe they gained valuable experience they hope to learn from the next time they face the Wildcats. The first set, which the boys won 25-18, was led by senior outside Usman Khan’s quick hits and strong blocks. However, the boys were unable to keep up their momentum, losing the second set 25-20, third set 25-15, and fourth set 25-17.
On March 13, the team fell short again to Harker 3-0. The team was unable to fully gain rhythm as a team.
“Harker is one of the top teams in the league, but I know we have the potential to beat them,” senior opposite hitter Joshua Lee said. “Because we are a young team, we are focusing on building our trust and solidifying our fundamentals.”
Earlier, on March 6, the Falcons won 3-1 against Cupertino. The Falcons easily won the first two sets both 25-14 with Lee’s backrow attacks, however the Falcons has trouble with passing during the third game and fell short 25-23. The boys were able to pick it up in the fourth game, winning 25-20.
Though the Falcon’s had a tough time blocking the first two sets against Homestead, they were able to win the third and fourth set with Chiou and Lee’s alternating hits winning 25-18 and 25-17. However, they were unable to continue their momentum falling short 15-9 in the last match.
In their first match of the season on Feb. 27, the Falcons won 3-2 against Lynbrook. This tight match was keyed by junior libero Cameron Chow and Duvvuri due to Chow’s great coverage on the back court and Duvvuri’s alternating sets.
“Because this is my first year playing libero, I knew it was very important to show my teammates they could trust my passing,” Chow said. “I passed as best as I could and I’m glad it paid off.”
Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon could not cover the games against Monta Vista on March 20.