Bellarmine is about as good as it gets when it comes to high
school boys’ volleyball around these parts. But when the Gilroy
takes on the Bells in Thursday’s first-round Central Coast Section
playoff match at 7 p.m., the Mustangs’ biggest obstacle might just
be mental.
SAN JOSE – Bellarmine is about as good as it gets when it comes to high school boys’ volleyball around these parts. But when the Gilroy takes on the Bells in Thursday’s first-round Central Coast Section playoff match at 7 p.m., the Mustangs’ biggest obstacle might just be mental.
“Its going to be a tough match for us, but we’ve proven all season long we can play with big name teams, whether it be Los Gatos, Homestead, Willow Glen – anyone,” Gilroy coach Scott Martin said. “We can play with them if we believe we can play with them.”
Only a few teams have been up to the task this season. According to maxpreps.com, Bellarmine enters the playoffs with a 25-7 record, including a three-set victory over No. 2 seed St. Francis to win the West Catholic Athletic League tournament. The Bells are ranked 31st in the nation by ESPN Rise.
“You have to actually come out and play like there is nothing to lose,” Martin said. “In actuality, for us, there is nothing to lose. We just need to play with everything on the line and see it where it goes.”
Gilroy, receiving a six seed to Bellarmine’s three, was actually given a healthy dose of respect from other Division I coaches, who designed the bracket at Saturday’s CCS meeting. Instead of hosting a first-round game, the Mustangs were considered strong enough to start their playoff run in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Gilroy, the gift of the bye came in the form of Bellarmine, which is loaded at pretty much every spot on the floor.
“We were in a tough position because we’re right in the middle,” Martin said. “We’re better than a lot of teams, but we’re not good enough to be ranked above the elite teams in CCS.”
Finishing second in the Tri-County Athletic League with a 12-2 record (22-7 overall), Gilroy ended the season on a three-game winning streak after beating Salinas in three sets last Tuesday and Seaside in four sets on Thursday.
Martin has not seen the Bells this season, but he has been collecting scouting reports.
“We’ve had some mutual opponents and I’ve talked to [those opponents] and heard what they have to say,” Martin said. “A team of that caliber … there’s no weakness on [Bellarmine]. There’s nothing that’s weak about how they play the game. It’s going to be about what we do to our strengths … and making them go away from what they’re most comfortable with.”
Regardless of tactics, though, Martin thinks the game will come down to confidence.
“The main thing is the boys gotta believe that they can play with them,” he said. “The only thing that matters is the six people on the court believe they can play with anybody on the other side.”
Gilroy’s Greg Calimpong has proven to be amongst the section’s elite setters this season, averaging more than 9 assists per set. Other Mustangs such as Thomas Costa, Steven Valdez and Samuel Howard have also proven they can put shots away when playing confident.
“If we get Sam going hot and Thomas going hot, we could do something,” Martin said.
Junior Varsity Note:
Gilroy’s junior varsity boys’ volleyball team ended its 2009 season with a win over Seaside on Thursday. With the victory, the Mustangs won the TCAL championship with an undefeated 12-0 record (19-3 overall).
Albert Villarreal-Chavez led the Mustangs over Seaside with 11 kills and two aces. J. J. Lam played a key role with 17 assists and 4 aces. Also, Ronney Morales had five kills and three serving aces, Ryan Tabilas had four digs and Lucas Gravell had three digs for Gilroy.
In addition to the above mentioned players, the following were on the conference winning JV squad: Chris Catanzaro, Javier Chavez, Liam Eriksson, Adam Escobar, Conner Escobar, Robby Filice, Augustin Padilla, Brad Sigl, and Voltaire Valencia. Craig Martin, Kevin Bruce, and Jay Baksa were the coaches of the JV team.
