A loss is never the desired result, but Gilroy boys’ volleyball
coach Scott Martin can find a small silver lining.
GILROY – A loss is never the desired result, but Gilroy boys’ volleyball coach Scott Martin can find a small silver lining.
Dropping a match against visiting Archbishop Mitty in four sets Thursday night – 32-30, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19 – the Mustangs were missing starter Sam Howard, who showed up late to the game, but did see its interior blockers, Steven Valdez and Thomas Costa, step up in a big way.
Valdez had seven kills and seven blocks while Costa recorded 10 kills and six rejections.
“Our middles played phenomenal and that’s been one of our inconsistent spots all season,” Martin said. “Steven and Thomas had probably the best matches they’ve played (this season).”
Gilroy’s Greg Calimpong put forth another all-around performance, handing out 30 assists to go with 10 digs and five kills. Alfred Medenceles had eight kills and five digs for the Mustangs.
Still, the defeat, which followed a 3-0 win over Seaside last Tuesday and drops GHS to 14-4 on the season, means there’s more work to do.
“It’s a little reality check for us,” Martin said. “It kind of brings the guys back down to earth, makes sure they go back and realize we’ve got work to do. It’s a perfect time to reinforce fundamentals, reinforce what we’re trying to accomplish.”
A Tri-County Athletic League title remains the objective, which will require a win over visiting Monterey at 6:30 p.m. tonight to keep the Mustangs (6-1) within contention. San Benito is currently first in league at 7-0.
“This match could pretty much determine if we make playoffs,” Martin said. “The top two in TCAL are guaranteed playoff spots. Right now we’re in second, but Monterey is right there and they’re looking for a open door and we need to make sure we shut it.”
In their last meeting with Monterey (10-8 overall, 5-2 TCAL), the Mustangs won a five-set instant classic on the road.
Correction: The date of Gilroy’s game with Monterey was incorrectly reported in the original version of this article. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Dispatch regrets this error. Please send all future corrections to sp****@************ch.com.
