Campolindo boys varsity volleyball took on a blazing rivalry against the Acalanes Dons on April 20. The final score in sets was 3-2, with the Cougs coming out on top by pulling off the reverse sweep.

During the beginning sets the crowd was sparse, but by the 4th and 5th sets fans were there in full force. Acalanes was able to barely win the first and second sets, leaving Campolindo unsure of their ability to make a comeback.

In the first set, the Cougs weren’t expecting the Dons to come out so strong, at one point they were even down 17-10. However, the Cougs battled back and were able to tie the game in the 20’s later in the set. However, even with the effort put forth, Campo ended up losing this first set 25-22.

During the second set Campo fell behind again. The energy was there, however, critical errors were made that allowed Acalanes to take a small lead. The set was soon tied at 17-17, with both teams battling back and forth to win the lead. After a close battle, the second set ended with the Cougs losing 26-24.

The Cougs rallied back during the last few sets, with notable kills and blocks from senior Andrew Pak that helped carry the team into making a comeback. Additionally, digs from libero senior Diego Davila Gil helped gain that winning momentum for Campo as well.
Junior Adrian Brown said, “There was definitely a mentality shift, we thought we were going to destroy them, but we ended up down 2 [sets] to none. Then we made a lineup change, and kept getting 1 point after another.”

The third set was close in the beginning, with the Cougs not wanting to be swept on their home court. Rallies of points gave the Cougars a 23-18 lead, which ultimately allowed them to win the set 25-19. With the energy on the Cougs side, the 4th set started slow but eventually picked up as Campo started to dominate, winning the 4th set.

Dealing a slew of potent serves, junior Will Marusich said, “Going into the fifth set, we definitely felt a lot more confident and we were able to finish the game because our team dynamic was better.”

Even though the Red C did not show out until near the end of the game, the 5th set was won by the Cougs with a score of 15-9 after both teams battled back and forth to get a lead. In the end, the Cougars pulled off the reverse sweep, by winning the last three sets, and kept their 10 game winning streak alive.

Libero freshman Andrew Hanhan said, “The crowd came out and supported us and it’s a big reason why we won.” The crowd was very encouraging which was impactful because it gave the team the momentum to pull out the win in these last few sets. The crowd helped the Cougs lift themselves up after losing the first 2 sets, which caused them to win this rival game.

Hanhan continued, saying, “I think we have a pretty good chance at winning [NCS] but there are a lot of teams we need to get through first.”