Mustang spikers snubbed of playoff spot for second straight
season after going 20-9 overall
GILROY – Even a 20-win season by the Mustang spikers – which was capped off by a three-game sweep of Palma on Friday – was not strong enough to get them into the Central Coast Section Playoffs this season.
The Gilroy High boys volleyball team finished with a 20-9 overall record and 12-2 second-place mark in the Tri-County Athletic League. Unfortunately, only league champ Live Oak received an automatic bid – leaving the Mustangs vulnerable to a snubbing in the 16-team playoff field that includes nine at-large bids.
“10 schools went on board and one school got scratched off and that was us. We got 17,” said second-year head coach Craig Martin, who attended the CCS Playoff meeting. “I’m not surprised. I’m a little disappointed. Last year was a complete shock. We were in disbelief.”
Last season, the Mustangs finished with an 18-14 overall record and they fell short of a playoff berth to the surprise of the coaches. This season, Gilroy had an even stronger record – losing only two league games against Live Oak. But Coach Martin knew since his team is a ‘B’ school, playing a ‘B’ regular season, it would still be hard to get in.
That’s also why Coach Martin scheduled his team to play a bunch of ‘A’ schools in tournaments and non-league games in order to get more power points. With Mountain View getting the final No. 16 CCS spot, Martin looked back to a tournament loss to Mountain View early on as one deciding factor.
“This definitely puts our kids in a challenge mode to do better,” Coach Martin said. “The challenge has been put in front of us the last two years. Last year, we were No. 17 and we were a ways away. This year, we were 17 and we just missed it.”
According to Martin, Gilroy was ranked 11th in win percentage for the entire section and 15th in points in CCS – but two other ‘B’ League Champs bumped them out of the playoffs.
“We were one of best 16 teams in CCS – but because of system, we didn’t get in. That’s OK. We just have to improve on the system,” Martin said.
The Mustangs finished off their 20-win season with a 15-5, 15-3, 15-10 romp of Palma. Senior hitter John Bowe led the team with seven kills, while senior hitters Scott Martin (six) and Jason Medenceles (six) combined for 12 put-aways. Senior setters Tucker Baksa (11 assists) and Matt Largo (10 assists) spread the ball around for the lethal Gilroy attack.
“We just dominated,” Coach Martin said. “This is the group that took this program out of extinction. Without this group of seniors, this program would have been dead. We put out the challenge and they also challenged themselves.”
The Mustang spikers played in a club league during the offseason to prepare for this T-CAL season.
“18-14 last year to 20-9 this year – there’s just not a lot more we could have done,” Coach Martin said. “It’s just amazing what this group of scrappy, little kids accomplished.”
