Loving tallies career-high 27 kills, but Mustangs fall in five
to Chieftains
SALINAS – Sometimes the stats do lie.
Senior hitter Kyle Loving tallied a career-high 27 kills, senior teammate Nick Mason added 13 kills, and senior setter Jay Ahumada recorded a season-high 41 assists.
But the Mustang spikers’ losing streak still was extended to five matches, as they fell in five games to host Palma in Tuesday’s T-CAL contest, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19, 17-25, 13-15.
“I’ve never seen stats like this. I’ve never coached a game where one kid had 27 kills and another had 13, and we go 85-for-91 from the service line,” head coach Craig Martin said. “The stats you look at and go how did we lose. But as coaches we’re thinking, ‘Maybe, we’re going to turn this around.'”
The Mustangs (2-5 in T-CAL) also had 125 block attempts where they got at least a touch on the ball and combined for 52 overall kills.
“Big-time battle,” said Martin of Tuesday’s contest. “We actually played some really good volleyball. The team is taking the steps. It just needs to get back on the winning side. To win two games was huge.”
Another bright point for the Mustangs was the defensive performances of senior Ankoon Pothong and junior Patrick Largo, who rarely let the ball touch the floor.
“They played outstanding defense tonight,” Martin said. “They just kind of took control of our whole defense in the back.”
Nonetheless, the Mustangs still could not end their recent slide.
“We just made some mistakes at the wrong times, but it’s OK. We’re happy,” Martin said. “We’re happy with how we played. Now, we just have to figure out how to win, again.
Gilroy, which returns to league action April 15 at Salinas High, will get some chances Saturday in the Alisal Tournament.
“We’re going to have fun and just go for it,” Martin said.
