By Nick Lee
Executive Sports Editor
In the second round of the California Interscholastic Federation Division I state tournament, the Mustangs took on the Loyola Cubs in an away game, losing 3-2.
Costa was swept in the previous game against Loyola on March 20. This time, the Mustangs took Loyola to the fifth game. In the first game, the Mustangs made constant errors and missed many serves, causing them to fall behind and eventually lose, 25-17.
“We needed to get a feel for the atmosphere we were playing in,” junior libero Sam Jones said. “In the first game, we dug ourselves into a hole, and we were trying to dig ourselves out the entire game.”
Early in the following game, Costa came back with a steady lead and won the game. The Mustangs held the lead throughout the game with the help of junior opposite Jackson Wedbush’s seven kills, and Costa was able to win the second game, 25-16.
“When you start off down, you really have to make sure to play every point like it’s your last,” Wedbush said.
In the third game, the Mustangs lost their momentum from the previous match. The teams were neck-and-neck until the Cubs had a brake away. After the Mustangs struggled controlling the ball, the game ended, 25-17.
“We had some trouble with our passes throughout the game,” Wedbush said. “We needed better ball control, which was very crucial to this game.”
The score of the next game remained close until the 27th point. With the Mustangs leading the Cubs 28-27, senior middle Carter Kimble was up to serve. When Kimble served and the ball rolled over the net onto the Cubs’ side, Costa won the match, 29-27.
In the fifth and final game, Loyola built a two-point lead, making the score 14-12. At match point, Wedbush served and after a short rally, Kimble hit the ball into a block, causing the team to lose, 15-12.
“This year the team played really hard,” Jones said. “We had a great run, but there is always room for improvement.”
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