by Brian Schunk 

The LGHS varsity boys volleyball team put on a very strong showing at the Willow Glen Tournament on Mar. 22. They were firing on all cylinders as they won three matches on their way to finishing second out of twelve teams.

Their first match was against Prospect High School at 8:30 in the morning.With many players tired after going to the Sadie Hawkins dance the night before, the game provided a chance for the boys to wake up, stretch their legs a little bit, and get ready for the more challenging matches that were soon to come. Los Gatos won in two sets, 25-16, 25-10.

The next match challenged the Wildcats far more. They played Valley Christian High School, a talented team they had lost to during the previous year. This match decided which bracket Los Gatos would enter in the afternoon; a win would put them in the gold bracket with a chance to play for first place in the tournament, while a loss would put them in the silver bracket with the best possible finish being fifth place overall. The lead went back and forth in the beginning of the first set, but Los Gatos pulled away thanks to a serving run by junior Henry Moss to win 25-16. The next set was much closer, though Los Gatos held the lead from the beginning. Valley Christian began to slip as they became outraged with the referees. Though Valley Christian showed some late life, Los Gatos hung on to win 26-24.

After a lunch break, the boys readied themselves to play the host of the tournament, Willow Glen High School, in the semifinals of the gold bracket. The match would determine who would play Monta VIsta High School in the championship game. Los Gatos fought hard and relied heavily on senior Rory Abraham for offensive contributions. Abraham got ten kills in thirteen attempts as Los Gatos won a tight match in two sets, 25-22, 25-23.

Los Gatos fought hard in the finals but lost to Monta Vista. Monta Vista was by far the best team the boys have played this season, and it showed as the boys were overpowered by the Monta Vista offense on their way to losing in consecutive sets 11-25, 11-25.

Despite the loss to Monta Vista, the boys were proud of the success they had in the tournament. Junior Jacob Patterson said, “Coming in second was a great way to prove both to ourselves and to the rest of CCS that we are a great team that can win tough games.”

Though they are proud, their success has not left them feeling satisfied. Los Gatos will use their loss to Monta Vista to motivate them as they move on to play two more matches and host a tournament within the next week. Moss said “The Willow Glen tournament went great this year; everyone contributed and had high energy all day. We will keep up our hard work in practice and see if we can get a win against Monta Vista next time we see them.”