EAGLES HAND ROYALS FIRST LOSS OF SEASON

By Charlotte Oh

One of the most anticipated matches of the ISA/IIAAG boys volleyball season unfolded Tuesday evening at the ND Gym, as the Harvest Eagles handed the Notre Dame Royals their first loss of the season in commanding fashion. The Eagles swept the top-seeded Royals in straight sets 25-22, 25-21, 25-13.

Devin Paulin and Jack Keith led an outstanding offensive charge with powerful attacks on the outside, while Jacob Ji stepped up from the right side and delivered the game-winning kill as the Eagles move to 9-1 (eight straight wins). ND dropped to 9-1 as well.

The FD Friars’ win over the Southern Dolphins move them up to the top slot at 10-1. FD lost to ND, but beat Harvest earlier in the season.

“It’s awesome to take down the first seed and hopefully become the first seed,” said Keith after the win.

Ji added, “We didn’t really have that much to lose, but we were all fired up. We’ve had many practices before this, getting ready for this big game coming up. We were all ready for it.”

Set 1 

The Royals came out with fire, taking the upper hand to start off the game. Captains Caleb Pereda and Timothy Gumataotao led ND, smashing the ball to the ground and sending the crowd to a frenzy. The whole team displayed eagerness and spirit, running down every ball to save a point. Being down, the Eagles were determined to charge back, as Keith crushed balls, leading his team to a tie the score at 17-17.

“Keeping our energy up and really calming down and getting the pass up,” Paulin said of the team’s mentality during the turning point.

The fans cheered as the Eagles came back, further exciting the energy of the players. From then on, Harvest capitalized on small mistakes by the Royals, resulting in a 23-20 lead. Smart playing by the Eagles and a crucial momentum earned them the first set at 25-22.

Set 2 

In the second set, the Royals’ block struggled to contain Paulin, as the Eagles jumped to an early 10-5 lead. Paulin’s decisive outside kills along with 6-foot-5 Finley Horne’s monster blocks in the middle contributed to the Eagles’ dominance.

Ji added his skill to the well-rounded team, contributing important kills off the block. The Eagles’ energy carried them through the rest of the set, widening the gap to 21-13. On the other side, the Royals strove to make a comeback, fighting all the way until 21-24. However, the gap was too wide to close, as Eagle setter Caleb Judicpa set up a middle hit for Horne to slam, finishing the set 25-21. 

Paulin outlined their plan strategy that helped them dominate over ND, “Our plan was to get them out of system so they can’t use their system very much and focus on getting a solid block on the outsides.”

Set 3

Though the Royals tried to regroup in the third, the Eagles kept control with a 9-5 lead, powered by smooth passing and precise execution. Horne and Ji set up a blocking wall against the Royals, forcing ND’s setter Takoda Piper to send dumps on the second touch, briefly catching the Eagles off guard.

Despite those efforts, Harvest’s momentum was unstoppable, as the frustrated Royals seemed to fall farther away from victory. Paulin continued to hammer shots past the Royals’ defense, and Ji capped the match with a devastating right-side hit, ending the set 25-13. 

“I think a big part was visualizing the game plan,” Keith reflected. “We know how ND plays. We’ve heard a lot about them, so visualizing what they’re gonna do and how we can stop it helped a lot.” 

In the JV game, Harvest took the victory again in straight sets with a score of 25-21, 25-23. 

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Harvest def. Notre Dame 25-22, 25-21, 25-13

Tiyan def. JFK 27-25, 25-23, 20-25, 17-25, 15-8

GAA def. St. Paul 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21

GW def. GACS 25-9, 25-7, 25-9

St. John’s def. Guam High 25-8, 25-20, 25-18

Sanchez def. Okkodo 22-25, 25-10, 26-24, 27-29, 16-14

FD def. Southern in 3 sets