Paloma Valley loses boys volleyball match in three sets

Joshua Torres sets the ball at the net for Paloma Valley on Wednesday. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 
By Paige Mendez, Correspondent

The Paloma Valley boys volleyball team lost its nonleague match-up against Temecula Valley in three sets Wednesday night.

The first set was led by Temecula Valley until a big block from Paloma’s Benny Sevilla gave them their first lead at 16-15. But the Wildcat lead only lasted for four more points, though they battled back to tie it three more times before the set fell to the Golden Bears, 28-26.

The second set brought the biggest scoring margin, starting with a 4-1 Temecula Valley run. The deficit got to as many as eight points in the set before the Wildcats took the 25-17 loss.

Paloma started their third set with their biggest lead yet, with a 2-0 run. Two points would be the biggest margin the third set saw, with the lead bouncing back and forth. The most consecutive serves either team made was three, the most notable coming at the end of the set when the Golden Bears won it, 25-22.

Head coach Natalie Beauchamp said her team’s performance in the third set was due to some late-coming momentum.

“We just kept saying that we needed more energy,” she said. “Then we came out in that third set finally with the momentum, but it just didn’t end up how we wanted.”

Sevilla, one of the team’s seniors who is just in his second year of varsity volleyball, said the team’s lack of energy could be due, in part, to two recent “off” games.

“I think we just need to really get with it and have each others’ backs,” Sevilla said. “The only way to get through this is to have each others’ backs. With that, we will see better results in the future.”

Sevilla finished the game with four kills. Fellow senior Grady Kent led the team with 11 kills on the night.

“Grady is a really meticulous player,” Beauchamp said of Kent. “He is another one who is new to volleyball and doesn’t usually like to be that big player that is swinging a lot, but we’ve been pushing him to go for it more and today he went after it a little bit harder.”

Beauchamp said that, even with three tough losses in a row, she is far from discouraged because of the work she sees her team put in and how far they have come as a program.

“When I took over the program there were 14 kids total, and now I have 16 on each of my teams,” she said. “We have so many good players coming up and more importantly they love each other. As a coach, that’s my main goal at the end of the day.”

Moving forward, Sevilla hopes that he and his teammates might get some support from the school and community.

“We need support, because not seeing people in the stands might contribute to that lack of energy,” Sevilla said. “We just need a little bit more tenacity and we’re there, so we need that support from the community.”

The community’s next opportunity to support the Wildcats is their upcoming game against Great Oak at home on Friday at 5 p.m.

Mikey Peggott bumps the ball during the Wildcats' match on Wednesday. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Paloma Valley's Grady Kent goes up for the kill. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)

 Isaac Mendoza sets the ball for a teammate during Wednesday's match. (Photo by Action Captures Media Group)