Gilroy High’s varsity boys volleyball team put up a good fight,
but on match point number five of the fourth set, there was nothing
left to but say good night.
Gilroy High’s varsity boys volleyball team put up a good fight, but on match point number five of the fourth set, there was nothing left to but say good night.
The Mustangs lost their first Tri-County Athletic League contest Tuesday to Monterey: 25-23, 18-25, 22-25, 29-31. Gilroy dropped to 7-5 overall, 2-1 in the TCAL, while Monterey improved to an identical record.
Players on both sides of the net were familiar with one another, as many play together on club teams during the offseason, Gilroy coach Sue Grogan said. Part of that may have contributed to some of the Mustangs’ early jitters despite winning the first set.
“I don’t know if they had that confidence,” Grogan said of her players. “They definitely had the desire, though.”
Confidence grew in the final set for the Mustangs as they climbed back from as much as five-point deficit at 19-14 to tie the game 23-all. From there, both teams earned points and both teams gave them away.
“There’s a good spirit with (our players) as far as not giving up,” Grogan said. “When it was over they still weren’t ready to give up.”
Kevin Bruce finished as the Mustangs’ leader in kills with 15 to go with nine digs and three blocks. Michael Leininger had 31 digs for Gilroy while Steven Archibald had 11 digs and 17 service points, including four aces. The Mustangs’ Thomas Costa pitched in seven kills and Greg Calimpong added two kills and 10 digs.
Monterey was led by Andy Locklar and Michael Vincent with 15 and nine kills, respectively.
Gilroy will be back on the court Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Seaside (4-2).
