Men's volleyball's last chance for a championship appearance was in the 2022 Division II playoffs, where they faced Narbonne Gaucho in the finals and lost 3-0.
However, their gameplay only got worse over the next year. Last season, the first opponent they tried to beat was the Monroe Vikings. Unfortunately, the Wolves lost 3-0 and were eliminated in the first round.
After finishing the regular season with a middling record of 14 wins and 13 losses, the Wolves moved beyond Division 2 and qualified for the Division 1 playoffs, making the competition even more intense. The team was excited to play in the playoffs and were looking for revenge and to have a better season than the last.
As the day of the first round approached, it was Poly High School, whom the boys faced on Tuesday, April 29th, that stopped them from advancing.
In the first set, Poly Parrots took the lead 25-20 due to lack of defense. However, the Wolves began to flip the script as they began to focus more on defense and thwart the Aums' vicious attacks. This and the team's strong offensive chemistry led the team to win his next three sets in a row, and he ultimately won 3-1.
The team gained confidence heading into the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 2nd against Carson High School.
The Carson Colts trailed the Timberwolves for much of the first set, but the team used some incredible dumps and strong kills to pull through and win 26-24.
Although their defense crumbled in the second set and they lost 25-13, the Wolves began to remember what they were playing for and bounced back in the next set for an astonishing 3-1 score. won. Junior Christian Kalos and seniors Devin Brown and Noah Bek were big contributors in this game, with Kalos setting the ball perfectly on the spikes of Brown and Bek.
Having advanced from the quarterfinals to the semifinals, the team’s hopes of winning the entire tournament were at an all-time high. Unfortunately for them, they did not know at the time that these hopes would later be shattered in the semifinals.
They faced Venice High School in the semifinals on Monday, May 6th, and finished the regular season with a 36-15 record. For the most part, the Venetian Gondolas led the entire set and dominated the Wolves by a score of 3-0. The men's volleyball team fought hard to win each set, but their efforts were repeatedly thwarted by the gondola captain.
The loss marked the end of a great season for the Wolves, who were much further along in the playoffs than last year. Many of the upperclassmen and underclassmen were filled with sadness knowing this would be their last chance to play with each other. Still, they made many cherished memories.
They have come this far, so if they stay focused and keep working hard during the off-season, they can expect to advance to the finals and even win the championship.
