FD ROLLS ALONG ITS SPORTS SUPERIORITY

By Paradis Jolie Fejerang

The boys high school volleyball season is officially underway as Sunday marked the final games of their preseason tournament. Father Duenas cleaned out with a win for the championship in just two sets for the best of three rounds against Tiyan. Both sets ended with a final score of 25-20.

The Titans seemed to be more freshly practiced on the court as the Friars stepped on with anticipating energy, especially in their reactions to Tiyan High’s Nathan Aguigui every time he stepped to set up for a hit from the outside. Regardless, the Friars showed they have more than enough overall experience and stellar athletes ready to return to the courts for the regular season as the score for most of the first set was an even one-to-one with neither team being able to break past being more than a couple points ahead of their opponent. 

It was not until the 20-point mark that FD pulled ahead, to which the Titans’ composure broke in little mistakes as the gap in points grew. What went from simple pass-set-spike executions turned into an overcompensation of uncontrolled strength that would send Tiyan’s hits either too far out or straight into the net.

As the game time continued and we entered into the second set, both coaches continued to cycle through players, making good use of the experience for players and neither side taking the pre-season too seriously. Considering still being early in the volleyball season, the tournament has been a trial run for these coaches to see how athletes move in a game setting as compared to practices. 

“We just started tryouts,” shared Player of the Game Egurrola who confirmed his teammates’ low-pressure approach to having set playing times and starting lineups during the tournament. “We haven’t even started any official practices yet…we [used] this tournament to let everyone play, see what skillsets they have and how they do on the court.”

Still, Egurrola is no stranger to the title of ‘Player of the Game’ and continued to live up to his expected performance in his position as FD’s starting middle blocker, shutting down multiple attempts at kills from his opponents – most especially the strong-handed Aguigui during the championship match.

When the win came closer into reach for the Friars, Egurrola’s words were reflected in the charm of his teammates’ energy as they eased into the game. The Friars only became more talkative in comparison to their first set’s lack of communication. Rather than a tied score partnered with nervous energy throughout the entirety of the game, Father Duenas’ team became more talkative and pulled ahead of the Titans quickly. In doing this, the boys proved exactly what Egurrola shared he is thankful for in being able to have pre-season games.

“This tournament was good for us to get playing time and gain chemistry.”

Regardless of the outcome, Egurrola knows there is always room for improvement and is excited to get back on the court, believing that with real practices starting up and having the tournament to learn from, the Friars are definitely going to be making it all the way to the championship this year.