In the last Foothill League match before Spring Break, Saugus boys volleyball made a statement against Hart at Saugus on Thursday.
The Centurions took down Hart in three games: 26-24, 25-23, 25-19.
“Today was a bit of a battle,” said Saugus head coach Max Nua. “Both teams came out ready to play, ready to swing. It was a battle at the net the entire game. The little differences that went well for my guys were just being ‘on’ in the serve-pass battle and winning it from the service line.”
Setting the tone in a close extra-points first-game win, Saugus (7-8 overall, 2-3 in Foothill League) utilized its outside hitters to put away balls along with the defensive intensity to keep the game close.
Tim Kempler came in and ended the game for a Saugus win. Kempler finished the match with 12 kills, eight digs and an ace.
The Cents continued with the strong defensive play in the second game, doing a good job of keeping Hart out of system and put kills away when they got the chance.
“We didn’t get many chances to return a ball after we got a swing and made them fight from behind,” Nua said. “That made them get a little too aggressive, too quick.”
Saugus’ Daniel Compton finished the day with 10 kills, 10 digs and an ace.
The third game started with a Hart (11-6-1, 3-2) lead, but the Cents went on a run that got them to 10-8 and they were able to close out the game and the match with a six-point win.
“My boys just stayed calm and collected and it was very evident that we were going to take that third game,” Nua said.
Tucker Davis ended the day with eight kills and Dillon Smith had six kills, three digs and an ace.
Saugus travels to West Ranch when they return from Spring Break while Hart visits Golden Valley on Wednesday, Apr. 10.
“We are looking to keep fighting and continuing to shock teams that come into our gym and expect the game to go a certain way,” Nua said. “Just being able to stay consistent with what we do and what we are coming around to right now. I think we turned a big corner with this win tonight and showed the rest of the league that we are here to fight for every game that we have.”
West Ranch 3, Canyon 0
West Ranch boys volleyball visited Canyon and came away with a three-game win: 25-15, 25-19, 25-23.
Junior Zack Drake led the Wildcats (16-6 overall, 5-0 in Foothill League) with 13 kills and sophomore Luke Haskett had four kills and led the team with three aces.
Johnny Buchanan paced West Ranch with 28 assists and had eight digs along with Spencer Birchall and Ian Hodge.
Canyon (12-11, 1-4) picks league play back up against Valencia at 5:30 p.m. at Canyon on Wednesday, Apr. 10. West Ranch hosts Saugus the same day.
Valencia 3, Golden Valley 0
The Vikings won in straight sets: 25-11, 25-22, 25-12.
Valencia hosts Santa Barbara at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 9.
