Five City College men’s volleyball sophomores have played their final game at the Sports Pavilion, and they went out with a win.
The Vaqueros (5-10, 3-7) faced LA Pierce College and won 3-0 for their final home game of the season on Wednesday, March 30.
Eli Nania, Kevin Vonyokes, Brigg Busenhart, Tobias Murphree and Kevin Roman were recognized in a ceremony at the beginning of the game.
“The main thing I’ll take away is leadership,” Vonyokes said. “I came in and I was the only returning player so it was nice putting the team together.”
The team said they have been working hard during practice and applying what they learn to the games.
“We’ve been battling since the beginning of the season to this point,” head coach Jordon Dyer said. “Some of the outcomes haven’t been what we want, but the guys are still a strong unit and I think that’s pretty special.”
The Vaqueros were aggressive at the net for the game. The hitters played with the “smarter not harder” mentality and aimed to place the ball where they wanted it, rather than just hitting it as hard as possible. City College won the first set 25-15.
“We practice good seam hitting and seam serving, basically just to try and put the ball where the other team isn’t,” Dyer said.
City College’s intensity at the net led them to a 14-point lead during the second set, ultimately winning at 25-11. They had two blocks in the first five points of the second set, making it hard for LA Pierce’s hitters to attack.
“We focus on calling out the block as we see it. Communication helps overall and gets everyone clued in because everyone has a different job on the court when it comes to blocking defense,” Murphree said.
The Vaqueros were smart on the court, aiming to hit and serve away from the block and passers. This made it challenging for the LA Pierce defense to set up a good pass for their setter.
“Personally I look for spots that are open on the court and just hit there,” Vonyokes said.
City College was very strong at serving and went on many serving runs, including a few aces each set.
The Vaqueros switched up their lineup during the third set to make sure everyone got playing time for the last home game of the season. City College ended the third set with a 25-15 win.
“It’s been so much fun and I’ve met a lot of great guys here,” Murphree said.
City College’s next match will be at Santa Monica College on Wednesday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
