The John F. Kennedy High School varsity boys volleyball team defended their home court in an exciting and competitive home opener against the Hiram Johnson High School Warriors, winning the match 3-1.
Kennedy came out strong in set one, finishing with a solid 25-18 win. The momentum carried into set two, where they continued to control the pace and secured another victory, 25-21.
However, the match tightened in set three as Hiram Johnson fought back hard. In a close battle that went beyond the usual 25 points, Kennedy narrowly fell 26-28. Determined to close out the match, Kennedy regrouped in set four and finished strong with a 25-18 win, sealing the 3-1 victory.
After the game, senior Troy Vue (#2) and senior Hiram Garcia (#8) both emphasized that teamwork made the biggest impact on the game. When asked what play had the greatest effect, they shared the same response of their collective teamwork being the greatest.
When asked when the team struggled the most, Garcia simply answered the third set.
Vue added more detail, explaining a loss of momentum.
“We lost a bit of our momentum,” Vue said. “But in the fourth set, we gained it back and won.”
(Leah Herndon)
Their ability to reset mentally and physically was key in finishing the match strong.
When asked who made the biggest play of the match, Vue gave credit to his teammate, Hiram Garcia.
Senior Josh Vang (#12) also highlighted the team’s chemistry and energy as a major factor in the win.
“Just the team and the energy,” Vang said. “Like when you get a kill, your team would just say ‘good kill, good kill’ and listen to the bench supporting us.”
Vang was honest about where the team faced difficulties. Speaking on when they struggled most, communication.
“We struggled on communication,” he said. “On the court when we miss a serve, we just get past that stuff, when we could come together and like ‘How do I just talk about that?’ or ‘We got to get this out, we got this come on.’”
Despite those moments, the team was able to stay composed and push through.
For the biggest play of the match, Vang credited both of his teammates, Troy Vue and Hiram Garcia.
Overall, it was a strong and competitive home opener for Kennedy.
With powerful teamwork, regained momentum after a tough third set and strong leadership from seniors Troy Vue (#2), Hiram Garcia (#8) and Josh Vang (#12), the team set the tone for the rest of their season with a 3-1 victory.
