Racing across the court, freshman setter Mohan Duvvuri maneuvered through his teammates as he tried to set up a play during a tough match against Cupertino on March 15. He dived for the ball and back-set perfectly to senior outside Joel Schneidmiller, who smashed the ball down for a point.
Although the boys have had a rough start — starting the season 3-4 — this kind of teamwork is what makes the Falcons believe they can win their league for the third year in a row. They hope to defend both their CCS and NorCal championships from last year.
“The team this year has really good potential; we just need to work hard because we are such a young team,” Schneidmiller said. “But despite being young, everyone is very talented.”
The game against Cupertino ended in a 3-0 win for the Falcons. The first set, which the boys won 25-18, was led by Schneidmiller’s quick hits and strong blocks. The boys were able to keep their momentum, winning the second set 25-17 and the third set 25-20.
On March 10, however, the team fell short to Homestead 3-1. The team was unable to fully gain momentum.
“Homestead has some pretty good players,” Schneidmiller said. “But the next time we play them, I think we can definitely win because everyone was nervous as it was my first game back.” Schneidmiller had been playing basketball with the varsity team.
Earlier, on March 8, the Falcons lost 3-1 against Mountain View. Though the Falcons had trouble passing in the first game, the boys were able to pick it up in the second game, winning 25-18. But lacking Schneidmiller in the lineup, the boys didn’t have their usual firepower and fell short in the third set.
In their first match of the season, the Falcons won 3-0 against Oak Grove. The win was keyed by sophomore libero Derek Chiou and Duvvur due to Chiou’s great coverage on the back court and Duvvur’s alternating sets.
“This is my first year playing for the school team, and I really love our dynamic,” Duvvuri said. “We are very hyped for the season and everyone wants to win league.”
Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon could not cover the the games against Homestead on March 29. They play Cupertino away tonight.