Ceres High’s boys volleyball team earned bragging rights with a 3-0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-5) win against crosstown-rival Central Valley on April 9 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
“It’s unfortunate,” Hawks’ first-year head coach Julio Madrigal said. “We really worked hard at practice. It showed in the first two sets. Kudos to Ceres High. They earned it.”
“I like the result,” Bulldogs’ senior Gio Sio stated. “But we didn’t play to our full potential.”
Fourth-place Ceres High (9-8, 6-5) topped sixth-place Central Valley (3-17, 2-9) twice this season.
The Bulldogs won the first meeting 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-23) versus the host Hawks on March 17.
Central Valley’s Garrett Akiona had 14 assists, 12 blocks and three digs during the second meeting.
Elias Espinoza had 11 blocks and one kill.
Isaias Quijano had 10 blocks.
Nicolas Garcia had eight blocks, three kills and two aces.
Diego Mendoza Camparan had five blocks, four kills and two digs.
Zachary Silva had five blocks and two kills.
Nathan Vang had five blocks.
Dominic Gudino had four kills and two blocks.
David Luna had three blocks and three digs
Sebastian Pelayo had three digs and one ace.
Ricardo Roa Barragan had two digs.
Sergio Molina had one ace and one dig.
“I know a few of their players,” Sio said. “A win like this is very satisfying.”
“We didn’t expect that outcome,” Luna added. “It’s very sad. It stings more that we lost because we’re rivals.”
Momentum shifted back and forth during the first two sets of last week’s rivalry match.
Ceres High held on for a 25-22 win during the first set. Down 21-17, Central Valley evened the score with a 4-0 run. The Bulldogs accounted for four of the next five points to close out the set.
The Hawks staved off five match points before dropping the second set 28-26 to the Bulldogs. Central Valley had an opportunity to win the set. Ahead 25-24, the Hawks were outscored 4-1 rest of the way.
“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Sio said. “Even if they won the second set, I had confidence in my team.”
Ceres High dashed Central Valley’s hopes for a comeback by winning the third set by a score of 25-5. The Hawks never posed a threat.
“Emotionally, they were drained,” Madrigal said.
“To bite the dust like that really hurts, especially because I’m a senior,” Luna stated. “We lost our energy and confidence. We just kept making mistakes.”
“I was surprised,” Sio added. “I thought they were going to keep it competitive. Our mindset changed the momentum of the game. The last set shows how good we can play.”
Newcomers to the WAC, Central Valley will play Ceres High twice each year.
“It’s awesome,” Madrigal stated. “It means so much to the kids.”
“The majority of our players are friends,” Luna added. “It makes the atmosphere way more competitive. The fact that we’re crosstown rivals adds a level of anxiety.”
