By Zane Franklin
Staff Writer
After a win that Mustang players considered dangerously close against Peninsula last month, the Costa boys volleyball team got a chance to reassure itself at home on April 21 against the Panthers.
Although the team has seen almost nothing but success throughout the season, some players were discouraged by the closeness of their previous matchup against Peninsula, and the Mustangs demonstrated their gratefulness for the chance at redemption with three dominant wins.
Costa swept the Panthers with scores of 25-16, 25-11 and 25-16. In the Mustangs’ previous game, which took place on March 29, the boys won three games and lost one, but Costa coach Mike Ninnis deemed their performance “lackluster.” This most recent win helped the team prove that it has improved greatly since then.
“We passed better, our defense was significantly stronger, even serving was a lot harder,” Ninnis said. “It was a much better game than our last against Peninsula.”
The Mustangs currently sit on top of the Bay League standings at 5-0 and sport a 21-1 overall record. The team will be hosting and competing in the Varsity Classic Tournament today and tomorrow. It also played West yesterday, but results were unavailable at the time of publication.
Costa grabbed a quick lead in the first game versus Peninsula. Senior Zack Proctor bombarded Peninsula with spikes, which were soon followed by more kills from junior Karl Acres and senior D.J. White. A hit by senior Weston Carico finished the first game at 25-16.
“Everybody came out and played with a lot of enthusiasm from the beginning,” Ninnis said.
The second game started off with Carico and senior Kameron Bain running the court with hits and serves. The score was a comfortable 11-4 within the first few minutes. Strong blocks by junior Jackson Carr and Proctor helped the Mustangs raise the score. Junior Kevin Inlow finished the game with a kill at 25-11.
Peninsula gained a small lead early in the third game. A block and a kill by Proctor tied the game, and a block by Acres put the Mustangs back on the offensive. A towering block by Carr put the score at 18-9, after which Proctor and Carico took the score to 25-16 with sharp offense.
“I didn’t really play as much during the game,” White said. “I did most of my work in the first and others got a chance to play.”
Proctor led the Mustangs with nine kills and Carico followed closely behind with seven. Inlow and White also contributed five kills while Bain gave 12 assists.
Senior Jake Miller and junior Chris Orenic both sat out with injuries, which gave other Mustangs more playing time than usual.
“We’re looking forward to getting a couple kids back from injuries, but it’s been good to get some others more playing time,” Ninnis said.
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