On Tuesday, the Metea boys volleyball team played well and defeated the Neuqua Wildcats 2-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-14). The Mustangs were able to pick up another win, bringing their season record to 8 wins and 8 losses.
In the first set, the Mustangs took points to start the match. However, the Wildcats didn't give up and scored two points. The first set was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams appearing to be almost evenly matched in attack and defense.
In volleyball, a set is won if you score 25 points and win by two points. If a team has 25 points but does not lead by 2 points, the set continues until either team scores 2 more points.
With the score tied at 23-23, and just as Metea was starting to get into a rhythm, Neuqua evaded Metea's blocker for a two-point lead. Neuqua won the first set 25-23.
So the Mustangs needed to score in the next two sets to pull away from the Wildcats. The Mustangs fought off the first set and won the second set 25-17. Junior Shriyans Bhatula totaled nine kills in the match, and the Mustangs had a good feeling heading into the third set.
The Mustangs gained momentum in the third set and took control of the game. The Mustangs easily dominated the third set thanks to both the attacking and blocking efforts of senior Shafiq Mohammed and senior Kyle Petrush. The final score of the set was 25-14 in favor of Metea.
The Mustangs picked up another win in Tuesday's game, moving them into third place in the DuPage Valley Conference with a 1-1 record.