After losing first two games, GHS spikers rally to win next two
but still fall to Balers in five
HOLLISTER – After losing in their first two games against San Benito Wednesday night, the Mustang volleyball team battled back before losing in five games.
Gilroy (3-6 TCAL) was defeated 18-25, 20-25, 25-22, 24-21, 13-15.
“We just came out real slow,” said Gilroy coach Craig Martin. “We made way too many errors. It is just a learning process for us.”
Senior Kyle Loving was the big hitter for Gilroy with 16 kills, and senior Angkoon Pothong had seven.
Kyle Fowles, a senior, led the Balers with 16 kills.
In the fifth game, San Benito (9-13, 5-4 TCAL) took a 4-1 lead after Peter Prak came up with a power kill, forcing Gilroy to call timeout.
But Gilroy tied the score at seven and forced the Balers to call timeout after Calvin Kretz dropped in a string of his floating serves.
Gilroy took leads of 10-9 and 11-10. But San Benito got a big over-the-net call and used it to gain a little momentum.
Tomas Rebecchi had a block on Loving for a point. And a little miscomunication allowed a ball to drop on Gilroy’s side between two players to force the Mustangs to call a timeout, down 14-13.
But Hollister was able to close it out after Jake Buzzetta made a lunging save in front of the net to keep the rally alive. And Loving tried to pound a ball down, but it fell just wide.
San Benito gained a little momentum in the first games after several unforced mental errors.
“It seems like we are taking two steps forward and one back instead of three forward and one back,” Martin said. “We’ve had trouble putting together a consistant lineup this year.”
In the second game, San Benito was up 9-3 at one point, but Gilroy came back to tie at 17-17 after a big block by Nick Mason.
But Jeff Hawks served the Balers to a 21-17 lead.
Although the Balers dug a big hole in the third game, they still had a chance to win.
Rebecchi bounced a spike off Kretz to tie the match at 19-19 and draw a Gilroy timeout. After the timeout, the Mustangs responded with a couple quick points to pull away.
“They got better, that’s really what it was,” Martin said about the change from the first game to the second game.
