On Thursday, March 20, the Archie Williams boys’ varsity volleyball team faced off against the San Rafael High School Bulldogs in a thrilling matchup. Despite a slow start in the first set, where they struggled to find their rhythm, the Falcons bounced back by improving their serve and communication throughout the game. The Falcons ended up winning the game, at home, 3-1 in sets.
The first set was a tough start for the Falcons, who quickly fell behind early in the game. The Bulldogs stayed ahead for the entirety of the set and seemed to catch the Falcons off guard. Throughout this set, Archie Williams struggled to keep the ball inbounds and was slow to react to San Rafael’s rapid start.
Despite the passion from the Falcons near the end of the set, going on a 7-3 point run, Archie Williams narrowly lost with a score of 20-25. Archie Williams junior setter Max Brasler addresses the early struggles in the game.
“The first set was a little rough, but once we got out of our heads, we really played well. I think we can improve by practicing harder. If we improve in practice, we’ll show up better on the court,” Max said
The second set marked a significant turning point for the Falcons. With an early 7-4 point lead, they continued to score until the end of the quarter, resulting in a 14-7 point lead. Junior Duco Nieulant made a powerful block, securing another point for the Falcons and boosting morale.
Then, freshman hitter Skye Hermans spiked the ball over the net, ricocheting off two San Rafael players, resulting in an additional point. Freshman Nash Freeman acquired three aces throughout the game and Max had four. The significance of their serving throughout the game was emphasized by Coach Alex Perelson.
“Our serving definitely improved throughout the game, we had that mentality. Everyone went for every single ball,” Perelson said.
The Falcons dominated the third set, ending with Archie Williams winning 25-8. Despite winning with a two set lead, the Falcons still believe they could have improved their performance. Nash described the team reacting to San Rafael after the first set.
“At the beginning, we were a little slow to react, [but] towards the end, we got into a rhythm,” Nash said.
Skye was shown to be a key player for the Falcons in this win against San Rafael. He was seen in many different positions working well with his teammates and showing up for his team when they needed him.
“I want to shout out Skye Hermans,” Perelson said. “He was playing a couple positions [he’s] never played before, so he was able to get passes, get kills, get sticks, [and] get serves.”
The Falcons will use this game and learn from the first set to prepare them for games in the future. Their next game is Tuesday, March 25, at Terra Linda High School against the Trojans.
