With other spring sports fighting for state titles and winning multiple district championships, boys volleyball has largely flown under the radar, struggling to post a winning record most seasons. This season seemed the same, but a three-game win streak pushed them to a third seed in the district playoffs.

“We have been all over the place playing some really great matches and some not so good ones,” libero Kaleb Heyliger said. “We need to become more consistent and eliminate the times where we lose momentum during games.”

The team’s first playoff matchup came against University on May 2, which started out rough. After falling behind in the first set due to better defense from University, the second set looked better with the boys having a seven point advantage, but University came back and beat them 25-23, putting the team at a 2-0 disadvantage moving into the third set.

The team didn’t lose hope and neither did the crowd, as they only got louder. The third set began to show off the synergy of the team especially with striker Marcel Clemens and Heyliger, and setter Giancarlo Rodriguez who propelled the Huskies to six unanswered points. The team won the set 25-20 keeping the pressure on University going into the fourth set.

The team did not falter, even when Clemens, Rodriguez, and Heyliger were subbed out, as junior Evan Lusher with his more technical over power striking and senior Aiden Cilladi’s defensive work who had six blocks in the matchup kept the comeback alive. After winning the fourth set the team would stay alive going into the fifth and final set after winning the fourth 25-22. The game had reached an energy peak from both sides in the crowd with chants fighting with each other of who can be the loudest, only making the final set more tense. This proved to be the easiest set of the whole match after a series of University miscommunication and Clemens’ spikes helping the boys win 15-8.

The momentum ran out two days later against top seed Timber Creek, who swept the team in straight sets, 3-0. However, the late-season win streak and win over University allowed the team to get into the regional tournament as the six seed, where they faced Freedom High School on Tuesday. The team lost the matchup 3-0, but despite the loss, this is the furthest the team has made it in the last couple of seasons.

“We have beaten some really good teams and we have made it very far in the postseason,” Rodriguez said. “To advance further, we need to minimize the mistakes we do during games and we have to be confident every time we step in the court”