LBCC’s men’s volleyball team missed the mark on being crowned number one team in the 3C2A state championship finals during a battle against Golden West on Saturday, losing all three sets 25-17, 25-23 and 25-19.
The Vikings had a strong first impression on the first set, with outside hitter Alden Jacobs getting the first point of the game and other outside hitter Manu Lill keeping the ball in the Vikings possession due to his strong serving performance.
The performance, along with a mid-set substitution of middle blocker with Ethan Hammond, helped the Vikings gain an edge at the net and stringing together key points.
“A key player specifically would be Ethan from his transition from outside to the middle throughout the season, and he popped off this game, I can’t lie,” said outside hitter Ezekial Sablan.
However, the Vikings success was short lived after losing a serve that gave an advantage to Golden West who scored 7 straight points, causing the loss of the Vikings first set 25-17.
The second set looked more competitive early on, but Golden West quickly regained control behind a dominant run of aggressive serving and well-timed blocks at the net.
Throughout the set, the Vikings struggled to maintain possession and couldn’t establish a consistent offensive rhythm until a late push brought them back into contention.
It wasn’t enough and the team eventually lost their second set 25-23 despite some strong rallying efforts near the tail end of the set.
The third set featured the Vikings having a constant two point trail behind Golden West, never being able to catch up with them until losing the battle completely and losing 25-19 and the state championship title to Golden West.
Making it to the finals was on the radar of the Viking players and coaches this season and that prediction kept their motivations high throughout the season.
“It was the first day of practice, it goes all the way back there and seeing the guys in the gym, how much they’re willing to compete and put their hearts forward, we knew we were going to the finals or at least somewhere,” said Ethan Hammond, middle blocker for the team.
Despite missing the mark this season, the Vikings players and coaches are already looking forward to the next season striving to get that coveted #1 position.
“A lot of these guys are coming back, we have a majority of our starting lineup coming back and have some great people to help fill in those spots…we won’t have to build so hard next year compared to this year,” said Vikings head coach Joshua Nehls.
Though the next team’s lineup was already decided according to the coaches, it was clear that the current team will always be remembered to them.
“We had such a good family this year, lots of guys who knew each other off the court, they’ve played together in the open gyms and even with me, I’ve known a lot for a long time it’s something hard to replace,” said Travis O’Gorman, assistant coach, this was his first season with the Vikings.
