THE MIRROR | Kimberly Salazar
The Van Nuys Wolves boys varsity volleyball team, having qualified for playoffs, were able to advance to the second round following a solid first-round performance against Fremont High School, 3-1. The Wolves maintained strong energy throughout the match and did their best to secure the win, earning their spot in the next stage of postseason play.
In the second round of playoffs, the Wolves were put up against a tough opponent and encountered challenges against the Carson High School Colts. Van Nuys fell short, losing 3-2 in a close game with the Colts that marked the conclusion of their postseason run.
“We lost our quarterfinals match against Carson,” Varsity capitain and junior opposite hitter Aidyn Kinchen said. “It was a good fight, we went to five sets, and the fifth set went into quadruple overtime. We were going back and forth, trying to win by two, and we were tied for a long time. But they ended up pulling through.”
Despite a disappointing loss, Kinchen emphasized that the team still had a strong performance. He knows that while the Wolves had defeated Carson the previous year, the circumstances this season were different.
“I don’t think that we played badly,” Kinchen said. “On the contrary, I think we played well. This was a team that, with our last year’s roster, we beat, but last year’s roster was significantly bigger.”
Due to the smaller team size this year, the Wolves had to work harder for each point and had fewer substitution options, making every play more demanding than it was.
“This year we had to push a lot harder for a lot of different points, as we didn’t have as many subs, so we couldn’t have a lot of choices,” Kinchen said. “The fact that we were able to take it to five against such a strong roster and such a strong substitution line behind them, I think it shows our growth as a team.”
Despite the early playoff exit, Kinchen expressed pride in how far the team had come.
“Even though we didn’t take it as far as we wanted to, we were still able to get it harder than a lot of people would,” Kinchen concluded.