Kal-El Goff is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus Shadows for AZPreps365.com

Cactus Shadows boys volleyball hosted the Camelback Spartans, in which they dominated the Spartans, winning three sets to zero on Tues. March 25, in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. 

Cactus Shadows was led by senior Brycen Bollwitt and sophomore Noah Denten in the victory, as the pair was able to unlock the Spartans in three sets. 

The Falcons started the first set off-pace, giving the Spartans plenty of life throughout. It was a tight contest between the two teams throughout the rest of the set however, the Falcons pulled away, winning the set 25-16. 

In terms of struggles for the Falcons, Denten said, “We had a lot of dropped balls between us, but that is something we can work on in practice and game settings too.” 

Cactus Shadows checked into a higher gear in the second set, communication improved, and the Falcons were able to capitalize on great serves. Falcon’s setter Blake Hemming created opportunities for his teammates, setting Bollwitt and Denten up for several points in the set. 

The improvements made by the Falcons in the second set gave them an impressive nine-point run against the Spartans. Ultimately, Cactus Shadows won the second set of the evening, 25-9. 

Up two sets to none, the Falcons looked to repeat the performance of their previous set in the third. However, the Spartans looked sharp to start, they were able to get some points on the Falcons. 

Performances from Camelback’s Alan Diaz and Alexander Falcon Cruz in the third set created some runs for the Spartans. The effort defensively and offensively from the Falcons kept them neck and neck throughout the third set with the Spartans. 

The efforts were not enough from the Spartans as they failed to capture the third set, falling short 25-21. The leadership of the Falcons team was a factor in their success, as they claimed the 3-0 victory. 

Falcons Head Coach, Shawn Covely said, “The seniors’ leadership got everybody back on track to push through at the end of the game and to make sure we closed it out in three.”

In terms of improvements in the Falcons team, Covely said, “Being able to lock in when we’re playing teams that have a little bit less skill than us and making sure we rise up when we’re playing against better teams.”

The Falcons gather the win ahead of the Epic Tourneys Boys Volleyball Invite, March 28-29.  Looking ahead, Bollwitt said, “We all don’t know who is on the same page, we’re all just kind of going through it.” The team needs to work on communication as a whole, said Bollwitt.

Upon their victory, the Falcons turn to 3-1 to start the season. Camelback falls to 1-3, leaving Head Coach Corey Calugcugan-Simms with some work to do as the season goes on.