By David Gobel
Struggling through league play, the boys’ volleyball team has lost six out of its last seven games, including two close losses to Loyola. In order to make CIF playoffs, the Wolverines might need to win their last three games, including a match Tuesday that occurred after press time. However, the team is optimistic that about its chances of making the playoffs.
“We have Notre Dame, Crespi and Alemany left, and with the personnel that we have, I think we have a pretty good shot of beating those teams,” varsity head coach Adam Black said. “It all depends on whether we come out ready to play, and if we can perform well every single play.”
Black attributes the team’s recent struggles not to a lack of talent or injuries.
“We made a few more errors than we would like to have made,” Black said. “Although in any game you’re going to make errors, we want to try to minimize our mistakes more to tip the odds in our favor.”
In late March, the Wolverines played an extremely close game against rival Loyola, the third ranked team in the nation. The Wolverines fought hard against Loyola, working back from a 16-9 deficit in the fourth game to win it 25-23. However, they were beaten in the sudden-death fifth game 15-8 and lost the match.
In their next match, the Wolverines dominated Crespi.
Following the Crespi game, the Wolverines have gone on a slump losing their last four matches.
After a close 3-2 loss against Alemany, the Wolverines lost against Chaminade 3-1 and followed that up with another loss against Loyola.
The Wolverines lost their fourth game in a row against St. Francis Thursday, and their league record fell to 3-6, leaving them at fourth in the Mission League.