On Thursday, Mar. 10, the AWHS Varsity boys volleyball maintained its dominance over its Marin County Athletic League (MCAL), beating Marin Catholic (MC) in a three-set sweep at their home court. The Falcons are now 4-0 in league play and 6-0 overall. The team is now ranked fifteenth in the country, according to MaxPreps.

The first set began with both teams trading points, but the Falcons quickly pulled away and maintained their lead, winning the set 25-15. Led by team captain Owen Johnson, the team controlled much of the play by effective serving and blocking. 

“We maintained our intensity throughout, which is something we’ve been focusing on,” said Greg Jones, head coach of the Varsity boys volleyball team. 

Jones’ team persisted with their intensity as they moved into the second set, taking an early lead and dominating control over the ball. As the second set progressed, the Falcons continued their dominance with impressive serving from senior Ziggy Rees, who displayed an incredible three ace streak. Blocking from the Falcons’ middle blockers and outside hitters disallowed many kill attempts from the Wildcats. The Falcons closed out the set 25-17. 

With the Falcons up comfortably by two sets, the team headed into their third and final set of the evening. The MC Wildcats demonstrated their most notable performance of the matchup at the beginning of the third set, sustaining a slight advantage until the Falcons tied the score 12-12. The Falcons rallied, scoring 13 more points and holding the Wildcats to seven , winning the set 25-19.

Owen is confident in his team’s MCAL potential and says they have a shot at a state playoff run. Jones is similarly confident and puts it up to his team to decide how successful they will be. 

“I think they’re the best team in the league and it’s a matter of how far they want to go, how hard they want to work, and how much they want to play together as a team,” Jones said. 

As the Falcons realize their potential, Jones works to limit their mistakes, a key to Thursday’s win.

“We’re really good, we’re better than most teams, so sometimes we play down to their level. We didn’t do that today,” Jones said.

The Falcons head to San Marin next, where they will face the Mustangs on Mar. 15. The team hopes to continue its MCAL dominance as it looks forward to state playoffs.