The Philomath High School boys volleyball team went up against a formidable opponent on the road Tuesday evening and fell to Willamette Valley Christian in three sets.
The Crusaders, a private school out of Brooks north of Salem, posted a 25-15, 25-20, 25-19 win to improve their season record to 7-2 overall, 4-2 in Special District 3. The Warriors fell to 2-4 overall and 1-4 in league play.
PHS coach Helen Bennett acknowledged the challenge Willamette Valley Christian presented while finding plenty of positives in the performance.
“WVC has some great hitters and consistent passing, which makes it challenging to find their weaknesses,” Bennett said. “We did have a lot of bright spots tonight.”
Among those bright spots, Bennett pointed to Kayden Boynton, Tito Martinez and Mayson Wallace each recording three or four impressive kills. Martinez also served consistently tough throughout the match, while Chris Eaton turned in a strong performance as setter, she said.
The Warriors also welcomed back Nico Mayo Carrasco, who was returning from injury.
“It was great to have Nico back and he had a solid match for his first game back,” Bennett said.
Still, the coach noted the team’s shortcomings.
“We had a lot of unfortunate miscues and we weren’t as sharp on our passing,” she said. “Playing good teams will do that.”
Bennett said the focus heading into the second half of the season is clear.
“We haven’t put together a complete match yet. That’s going to be our goal going forward,” she said.
Philomath will look to turn things around Thursday with a 6 p.m. match on its home floor against Toledo. The Boomers enter the match at 0-5, having dropped all five of their matches in three sets.
Willamette Valley Christian 3, Philomath 0
Tuesday, April 14, at Willamette Valley Christian, Brooks
Team 1 2 3 Philomath (2-4, 1-4) 15 20 19 Willamette Valley Christian (7-2, 4-2) 25 25 25