One of the Liberty men's volleyball team's biggest problems this season was its inability to shut out sets.
Castro Valley ended the Liberty's season with a 3-0 (21-25, 26-28, 20-25) loss to the Lions in the North Coast Section Division 1 semifinals Tuesday night at Castro Valley. As we wrapped up, the problem crept up again.
“A lot of things didn't go our way,” Liberty head coach Haley Bustamante said. “There was some frustration there, and that affected (Liberty's) performance to some extent. It feels like you're pushing a rock up.”
After dropping the first set 21-25, Liberty rallied and went on a 10-5 opening run in the second set, sparked by a kill and block by Zachary Czisny. However, the Trojans rallied with a 5-1 run to close the gap to one point, 11-10. After Mason Peddie's goal, the Lions fought back, led by an ace from Nicolas Bernal, to give Liberty a 16-10 lead.
However, Liberty's inability to complete a set once again crept in midway through the second set. Castro Valley rallied with a 4-0 run after the second timeout, sparking a 28-26 come-from-behind victory in the second set, but Bernal's serve missed the net at 27-26, ending the set. has ended.
“I was doing everything I could to lift the team,” Czisny said. “I've never worked harder in a game in my life. I just wanted my teammates to feel the same energy that I felt.”
The frustration of losing the second set spilled over into the third, as the Lions once again battled Castro Valley to within 11-11 but were unable to get the points they needed. The Trojans defeated Liberty 14-9 in the remaining games, taking the set and the match, advancing to the NCS finals.
“A lot of our young players, once they get shut down, they put their heads down,” junior Tyler DeGuzman said. “One of the big things we have to learn is to bounce back quickly after they make a mistake.”
Although the Lions' first trip to the NCS semifinals ended in a loss, the team remains positive for next season and will look to build on the experience from Tuesday night.
“We are already hungry,” DeGuzman said. “To experience it, to be swept away by it, it's a big thing that affects our emotions. We'll play better next year.”
“There will be another chance,” she said. “We just have to keep trying and fight to get every point and just forgive those mistakes.”