Three sweeps in a row raise volleyball team’s hopes as new members fill important roles

As the volleyball plummeted from the heights of the gym, freshman outside hitter Brennan Pak soared up over the net, spiking the ball straight onto the ground in front of Fremont’s players. Such plays happened continuously through this game against Fremont on March 17, and the Falcons won 3-0 behind Pak’s nearly 15 kills.

As of the end of March, the team had a 5-1 record after four consecutive 3-0 wins, their most recent one coming at home against King’s Academy on March 30. On March 24, the Falcons faced off against Palo Alto at home. That game remained close through every set, with the Falcons going on a late run with multiple points in a row in the first set to win 25-23. 

The match was intense — the two teams exchanging heated words with each other,  and junior setter Kali Duvvuri even received a yellow card. Amid the pressure of the match, the Falcons were able to win with several crucial points, sealing the win with a 26-24 victory in the third set. 

Led by coach Lori Gragnola, the Falcons claimed another memorable 3-0 victory against Los Gatos at home on March 22, with the large crowd turnout constantly roaring during the intense back and forth of the game. 

In the last few games, Pak played a large role, constantly putting up shots and scoring points. 

Pak’s excellence in the sport began at age 12 when he was introduced to it by his older sisters, sophomore Emerson and senior Alexandria. He started off playing at a relatively small club, the City Beach volleyball club, and joined the Redwood Middle volleyball team, winning the league championship in his 6th grade year. Due to the pandemic lockdown, he did not play in 7th grade but returned as an 8th grader to win second place in the championship.

In middle school, Pak met sophomore Ryan Backhus and juniors Eric Norris and Duvvuri, three current varsity volleyball players at the school. All three of these players recommended that he train at the volleyball club they attended, Bay to Bay, to improve his skills.

“After hearing about the club I really wanted to get into it to improve my game,” Pak said. “After joining Bay to Bay everything really started to take off for me.”

Pak signed up for the club during his 14s age group year and was introduced to competitive volleyball. Pak’s Bay to Bay 14s team was ranked first in the nation and placed fifth at nationals. In addition, Pak’s volleyball performance has already attracted Division II college interests.

Coming into high school, Pak immediately signed up to play for the school team and had to quickly adapt and learn to cooperate with the upperclassmen on the team. With his relatively tall height at 5 ft 11 combined with his speed, high vertical and powerful spiking ability, Pak was immediately placed onto the varsity team. 

“At first it was a little nerve wracking, but after being introduced to everyone, the environment felt really cool,” Pak said.

With the team coming off an underperforming, injury-plagued 0-14 season, Pak believes the Falcons should aim for CCS this year after coming on with a much better start. Along with team goals, Pak has the personal goal this year of getting the NorCal freshman of the year award and advancing his ambition of playing Division I volleyball in college. 

Despite the competitiveness of the sport, at its core, Pak enjoys how it has taught him to work with people and build relationships. 

“I like the lessons that team sports teach you and also being able to set goals for myself,” Pak said. “I love the feeling of being under the spotlight while I play.”