After a sweeping win against the Redwood Giants Wednesday, April 27, the varsity boys volleyball team went to work in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) finals against Tam. After a hard fought match, they won in five sets, finishing off their season undefeated. 

The game started out back-and-forth but the Falcons pulled forward and led 17-10 in the first set. After that run, Tam called a timeout, as they seemed to have issues with serving and players doubling the ball. The two standouts in the first set were senior setter Owen Johnson and junior outside Alexander Lucich. 

Freshman middle Zach Wulff contributed to the Falcons’ lead against the Hawks. The Falcons defended opposing hits as the Haw’s fought for the lead. Ultimately, the Falcons’ defense led them to win the first set 25-13. 

At the start of the second set, during a long rally, Owen dove for the ball, setting it for Zach to hit it from the middle and leading to a point for the Falcons.

“[Owen Johnson] runs the offense, kind of like a quarterback of a football team he gets us in the right spot. It motivates everybody, so he’s a great leader,” said Coach Greg Jones.

Tam struck back, making the first tie of the night at 11-11. AWHS played well and were able to win the second set 25-21. This gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead, only needing one more set to take the victory. 

Tam started off strong in the third set giving them a five point lead, 2-7. Tam continued their attack leading 17-23. Tam took the victory in the third set of 21-25.  

Going into the fourth set, both teams were visibly tired yet they were still fighting hard. After back and forth points Tam was able to win the fourth set making it 2-2. 

“I took them aside and I said, ‘you guys have one game to win, the championship. So don’t worry about what happened before, we have one game right now. Let’s go win this game. You can beat these guys, you’re better than them. Just play your game and just relax and have fun,” Jones said. 

 Heading into the tie-breaking final set, going to 15 points instead of 25, the Falcons began a run, getting closer and closer to victory. The competition intensified when the score was at 12-13. The Falcons were able to pull off the win, making it 13-15 and the Falcons becoming the 2022 MCAL boys volleyball champions. 

“I thought it was a pretty intense game and I think we really rallied back. We were up two and then ended up going down two, we rallied hard and had really good energy as a team and we came together and just left it out on the floor,” said senior defensive specialist Finn Corr. 

The team had a momentous season going 15-0 in MCAL and sweeping countless teams. The team plays Tuesday, May 3 against Cardinal Newman, in the North Coast Section (NCS) game.