The Hollister men's volleyball team ended the regular season with a gut-checking victory, defeating the Spartans 11-25, 26-24, 25-12, 25-18 on April 30 at Seaside Beach. The win marks the Burrells' third consecutive year of success with an overall record of 21-15 and a 6-4 record for third place in the difficult Pacific Coast Athletic League's Gavilan Division.
Henry Schwartzwerder led the Burrells with 13 kills, but it took the entire team to defeat a home team that was excited on Senior Night. Carlos Garcia had 17 assists and Abraham Corona had 11 assists and added four kills for coach Adrian Masoni's 6-2 offense. Ivan Carmona, Ronnie Salas-Ramirez and Diego Martinez-Ruiz each had four kills.
Hollister's defense was led by liberos Adair Benavidez and Blake Maddux, each of whom saw action in different sets.
Hollister, which finished third in the league, will advance to a Central Coast Section play-in game on May 2 against PCAL Cypress Division Lower Division champion Everett Alvarez. The winner receives his automatic bid to the CCS playoffs. Masoni feels their success during a tough schedule has given them enough points to earn a bid should they lose to the Eagles in the CCS eligibility system. The brackets and combinations will be determined by CCS on Saturday.
On Tuesday, against a Seaside team that defeated Schwarzwerder by 25 goals and five sets on April 11, Burrells looked sluggish in the first set. The team then rallied to take a dramatic and tense second set, showcasing a decisive third set, and hold firm in the fourth to win.
“They were making a fuss. It was senior night for them,” Garcia said. “We knew we had to get it. Forget the first set and move on to the next set. Our energy turned things around. On the court and off the court. , we play as a team. Everyone is hitting the ball.”
Luis Ruiz and tall middleman Mason Fa'atuai led Seaside in the early going. The second set was close from beginning to end, with the Baylors trying to stay even in each set rather than falling into a 2-0 hole. Late in the set, Schwarzwerder and Griffin Albernaz had key double blocks, and Schwarzwerder and Martinez-Ruiz had big kills.
“Sometimes it just takes one play to turn things around, and that brings our energy,” Schwartzwerder said. Losing was not an option for him. ”
The match was tied at 1-1, and Hollister came out of the blocks with a dominant performance in the third set. Garcia started with two aces as part of an incredible 12-0 opening game. Corona had three kills and Salas-Ramirez scored two more goals in an early outburst as the red-clad Baylors surprised Seaside and the home fans. The Hollister faithful screamed with joy and HHS won 25-12.
“It took a lot of mental maturity to rebound after the first set and play the way we can,” Masoni said. “They proved they can do it. We mixed up the lineup a little bit, but mostly it was them hearing the message and seeing results. We started playing at the level we were capable of playing.”
Net play was excellent, the defense picked up the ball all over the court, and the offense was executed with high efficiency. When Seaside was unable to solidify its defense on the outside, Albernaz's frequent success in the middle opened the door for Schwarzwärder and others' pin attacks.
The fourth set was even pretty bad. At 16-16, Hollister pulled away and shut the door on the Spartans. Albernaz had two kills from the middle, Salas-Ramirez hit a crosscourt rocket for a winner, and Schwartzwerder hit an ace with a powerful topspin serve. The Baylors used a 9-2 rush to take the set and take home the victory.
In terms of season stats, Schwarzwerder leads the way with 395 kills and an impressive .303 attack percentage. He has the most blocks with 38 and contributes with his athletic defense when rotating to the back row. Martinez-Ruiz had 172 kills, Corona had 105, Albernaz had 95 and Salas-Ramirez had 82. Benavidez paces the defense with 3.4 digs per set.
“We're 6-2 with two setters,” said Masoni, who played on Hollister's first boys volleyball team in 1997. You can earn play time. they respond well to it. Winning programs need competition. And they all support each other. ”
Hollister has had profound success.He also had significant contributions from Giovanni Stotler, Manuel Ontiveros, Nicolas Haro and Gabriel Arredondo.
“It was a really good season,” Garcia said. “We got off to a tough start. We were a new team. Then we started to mesh.”
After starting 6-7, the Baylors won 15 of their next 23 games. Coach Masoni purposefully designed a competitive schedule to strengthen his team and give it experience that would help it win high-pressure points such as the end of the second set on April 30th and the playoffs.
“We got off to a tough start,” Schwartzwerder said. “We've made a lot of growth. We're able to play better together.”
The program's turnaround began with the 2021-22 team finishing fourth in the Monterey Bay League, Gavilan Division with a 19-15 record and a 6-6 record. Last year's team's record was 21 wins, 11 losses, and 9 wins and 5 losses in the PCAL Gavilan Division, good for 4th place. The Baylors lost to Evergreen Valley in the CCS opener.
“We're happy with our record and where we are,” Masoni said. “It was a harder schedule, but it helped in moments like tonight. Our goal this season is to have bigger fish to fry. We want to compete and win in the playoffs. .”