Boys' volleyball creams Churchill on Senior Night

NELSON H. KOBREN GYMNASIUM, APRIL 27--

Following an emotional Senior Night ceremony decked with colorful leis, balloons and bouquets of flowers, the Blair boys' volleyball team (10-1) got ready to take on the Churchill Bulldogs (7-4). After Blair's seniors took the court, senior Rick Narcisse pitched the volleyball over the net on the opening serve. When Churchill bumped it back over the net, senior Andy Zhang slammed the ball home, setting off a chain of plays that led the Blazers to a resounding win on Friday night. Blair eventually defeated Churchill by final scores of 25-10, 25-10 and 25-17.

The Blazers opened the match, 6-0, with flawless serving from Narcisse. Although they miscalculated one of the Bulldogs' hits, they were able to bounce back. With the help of four consecutive aces by Zhang, Blair quickly vaulted to 17-2.

Despite the huge deficit, the Bulldogs fought back. They cut away at Blair's lead until it was 22-8, when senior opposite hitter Austin Liou accidentally set the ball for the Bulldogs. However, even with that slip-up, Blair was able to close the first set, 25-10.

The Blazers carried the momentum from their first set into the second set, pulling ahead, 9-3, within the first few minutes. Although they had the lead, they were not perfect, and Churchill capitalized on Blair's missed serves and netballs. However, Blair was still able to finish the set, 25-10, with a handy ace from Zhang.

By the third set, the energy from the crowd was palpable. Fans from both schools were cheering as hard as they could and applause could be heard after every point. With almost all second string players on the court, the Blazers got off to slow 5-5 start, losing points due to technicalities. Although the Blazers remained competitive, they were unable to crush the Bulldogs with the same intensity they had in the first two sets, even losing their lead several times.

Liou, who finished the game with five kills, was disappointed with the way Blair played during the set. "Our bench could have been better. We expect them to come in and maintain our level of play," he said. However, due to excellent service from Liou and Zhang, the team was able to overcome this setback and won the third set, 25-17.

Narcisse, who finished the game with two aces and five kills, was impressed with level of skill from the team. "I think our serving was a lot better this game than most other games, also playoffs are right around the corner so everyone is doing their best to play at a higher level," he said. In addition, Zhang led the team with nine aces and 12 kills, and senior Eric Huang chipped in with two aces.

Looking forward to the Blazers upcoming away game at Quince Orchard and the playoffs, Liou believes that the Blazers can do extremely well as long as they focus and have a chip on their shoulders. "I think we have the potential to go deep into the playoffs since we've won a lot of games, but that doesn't mean we can go into them overconfident," he said.

Despite their upcoming obstacles, the Blazers took a moment to savor the win. Since the game was Senior Night for the boy's volleyball team, the win was more special than others. "It's nice to leave our last home game with a win," Liou said. Narcisse echoed his teammate's statement. "Winning on Senior Night is just a great feeling," he said.

The boys' varsity volleyball team's first playoff game is To Be Determined.