While Senior Night provided an extra bit of emotion for San
Benito, it was Monterey which managed to eek out three straight
games en route to a TCAL sweep
— 26-24, 25-23, 26-24.
HOLLISTER
Let the record show: The San Benito Haybalers really wanted to help the Gilroy Mustangs on Thursday night in Hollister.
“In a very odd, funky, crazy, weird sense, yeah,” San Benito head coach Erica Richardson said.
With just a week’s worth of matches left in the regular season, and both Gilroy and Monterey each boasting one-loss records atop the Tri-County Athletic League standings, the third-place Balers had the opportunity to provide the rival Mustangs with a leg up entering the final week, only if they were able to upset the visiting Toreadors on Thursday night.
But while Senior Night provided an extra bit of emotion for the hometown team, it was Monterey which managed to eek out three straight games en route to a TCAL sweep — 26-24, 25-23, 26-24.
“Since it’s our last time playing here, I just wanted to go out with a bang,” senior Roy Powell said. “We came close to beating them every single game.”
Although both Games 1 and 3 were knotted at 24-24, and Game 2 sat tied at 23-23, the Toreadors found the extra edge each time, most notably behind 15 kills from outside hitter Drake Malone.
“We just need to finish,” senior Alex Alvarez said. “We can’t just say it in the huddle. We actually have to do it and believe it.
“There are a lot of small mistakes that we’re still doing, and with a team like that, you can’t make mistakes like that.”
In Game 1, for instance, the Balers actually led 24-23 following a kill from Powell. But Monterey’s Ty Dudley-Mann knotted the first set at 24-all with a kill of his own, provided a one-point lead for the Toreadors with a service ace, then followed with a second straight ace as San Benito managed to dig out the serve receive, but could not keep the ball in play.
“Regrouping, play as one,” Powell said. “I know we have to come together a lot more, celebrate a lot more and play as one and not as individuals.”
Small mistakes by the Balers plagued the second set as well. With San Benito leading 21-17 after several hitting errors by the Toreadors, Monterey erased the gap with five straight points, one of which came off a service ace by Ryan Rappa.
After a timeout, Alvarez pounded down a kill to give the Balers a 23-22 lead, but two kills and a San Benito double hit awarded Monterey the all-important second set.
“We were on a run. But they get a side out and we lose our focus,” Richardson said. “We’re not playing to the best of our ability. If we kick it up a notch, we should be good to go.
“I’ve seen the boys when they get up and go, and it’s beautiful to watch.”
Tuesday’s win over Palma — a four-game victory (25-16, 19-25, 25-23, 25-12) for the Balers — showed San Benito’s intensity, Richardson said, as the Chieftains were fresh off an upset win over Gilroy, supplying the Mustangs with their first loss of the season.
“They played the block, chased down the digs and it was great to watch,” the head coach added. “It popped up (on Thursday). We would go on a little run, but then they would side out and we’d give up the momentum.”
It was the Balers who carried the momentum late in Game 3, though. Trailing 23-17, San Benito went on a 7-1 run behind strong play from Powell and James Flook, and scored a set-tying block from senior Jakob Rice to knot the game at 24-all.
But the run ended there, and emotion, especially from the seniors — Powell, Alvarez, Rice and Christian Silvas — spilled over on the sidelines afterward.
“Monterey is our biggest competition and a lot of our guys play club with them,” Alvarez said. “It’s always a big rivalry, and as seniors, this was our last (home) game.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s a hard one to lose.”
Playing with that emotion may just be the missing ingredient for the Balers, who will need to win their last two remaining matches in order to improve their chances for a postseason bid.
San Benito (11-4 TCAL, 13-11) will hit the road next week, playing at Carmel on Tuesday, then at Seaside on Thursday.
Said Alvarez, “It’s all about heart.”
TEAM 1 2 3
MONT 26 25 26
SANB 24 23 24
