Men’s volleyball loses 3-1 to Elk Grove
PHOTO: Juniors Gabriel Crawford and Mason Rowell, and sophomore Nathan Bourne prepare for Elk Grove to return the volleyball over the net.
By Rowan Reising
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
The Blue Devils men’s varsity volleyball team endured a 3-1 loss against their rival school, Pleasant Grove.
With this loss, the Blue Devils dropped to 3rd in league with a 5-2 score. Last season, Davis defeated the Eagles 3-2 in all three games, making Pleasant Grove hungry for a rematch.
Davis started off strong with a 4-0 lead, sophomore Ryan Buzzbee getting an ace in the first two points. The lead quickly morphed into a back and forth match, with both teams muscling for points at the net.
The Blue Devils had a hard time digging themselves out of serve receive in the first set and ended with a 25-20 score Pleasant Grove.
Davis obtained and maintained a small lead over Pleasant Grove in the second set with consistent serving from Buzzbee, a strong wall in front row by junior middle blocker Mason Rowell, and hard hits by junior Gabriel Crawford and senior Ethan Wells.
“We’ve probably had the best hitting I’ve seen from Gabe and our setter, (senior) Liam Langley was smart with the setting and gave everyone equal opportunities,” Rowell said.
The second set ended, 25-23 Davis, with a controversial call by the referee on Pleasant Grove for a net violation.
Despite the back and forth play in the first half of the third set, Davis lost their momentum and lost 18-25.
“They just need to play their game,” junior and women’s varsity volleyball manager LJ Dixon said.
Fighting for a place in the match, the Devils started the fourth set with smart plays, consistent defense, and hard hits. Eagles stayed ahead the game by using Davis’ blocks to catch the defense on their heels.
Feeling the pressure with a 5 point gap in the latter half of the set, Davis fell into a rut and finished 16-25.
“Whenever we play a team that is close to our abilities and we lose to them, it is 100% due to our (inability) to focus on the next play,” head varsity coach Rachel Hinojosa.
The Blue Devils hope for a chance at redemption in their upcoming games against Elk Grove and Cosumnes Oaks.
