Varsity boys’ volleyball (12-4 overall, 1-1 Peninsula Athletic League Bay), coming off a victory in their first league match, fell to Menlo-Atherton High School on Friday, March 14. After defeats in the first two sets, the Panthers regained control with a victory in the third, but were unable to extend the match with a narrow loss in the fourth set.
Facing a strong Menlo-Atherton team that currently holds the top spot in the league — and missing senior middle blocker CJ Reed — the Panthers seemed to have the odds stacked against them.
“We came in pretty scared, because [Menlo-Atherton] is probably the best team in the league,” senior setter Cole Ng said. “By the second set, we realized that [Menlo-Atherton] weren’t as good as we expected them to be, so we started playing better, and we almost took it from them.”
The Panthers got off to a slow start in the first set, losing 25-15 to a confident Bears attack.
In the second set, head coach Lawrence Ngai made a few rotation adjustments to help them regain momentum. However, it was not enough for the Panthers to tie the match back up, narrowly losing 25-23 in the second set.
“We actually mixed up the rotation a little bit — I don’t mind trying it early in the season,” head coach Lawrence Ngai said. “I was designing the rotations, and it didn’t come out the way I expected, which is okay. It didn’t hurt us, but didn’t benefit the way I thought it would benefit.”
In the third set, the Panthers rallied back, defeating the Bears 25-21 and keeping their hopes of an upset alive. Registering 15 kills throughout the match, junior and outside hitter Fabian Falconett’s constant attacks fueled Burlingame’s comeback, as well as crucial blocks from middle blockers Julian Lee and Miles McCormick.
“[Falconett] really turned up for the team, he had most of our kills, and he helped us battle through,” Ng said. “As our middles played more in the game, they started going up, swinging harder, scoring more, and becoming more of a threat to [Menlo-Atherton].”
Senior and outside hitter Lucas Stuart credited the team’s energy and morale as key factors in their improvement throughout the match.
“It really started with the energy of the team, and we just came together,” Stuart said. “We started off lacking energy, but we ended up with a lot of energy from the bench and on the court.”
In the last set, the Panthers were unable to complete their comeback, narrowly dropping the fourth set 25-22. Despite the tough loss, Ngai is proud of the team’s performance and hopes to build on their performances going forward.
“I expect these guys to continue to play, play well, and get better execution,” Ngai said. “When we have the full team here, I expect that we’re going to play even better the next time.”
Still early in the regular season, Ng is confident the close match versus Menlo-Atherton means the Panthers can beat anyone, and believes the team has the potential to clinch the league title.
“I think we have a really good chance at winning the league this season and going far in [the Central Coast Section playoffs],” Ng said. “There’s not a team in the league we can’t beat.”
