By Alan Der OHANNESSIAN

The Falcons boys volleyball team played catch up most of the match on last Friday,  failing to sustain a lead against the Bishop Alemany Warriors.

The Warriors jumped on the Falcons right from the start and never let go.

CV kept the deficit manageable for most of the first set as they were down 21-16. That was the last point they won in the set, as the Warriors went on a 4-0 run to win it. Both teams exchanged kills, however miscommunication by the Falcons on defense resulted in serving errors.

In the second set, the catch up trend continued for the Falcons. This time they had the opportunity to take the lead, but they couldn’t capitalize on it. CV got off to a late start as they were down 3-0 in the beginning of the set before winning three of the next seven points.

The Falcons stayed within two or three points of the Warriors before Alemany took off on a 5-1 run, extending their lead to four points 13-9. The Falcons prevented the Warriors’ lead from advancing as they got two points in a row to trim the score to within two.

Undeterred, Alemany mounted another four point run 16-12. Similar to the previous scenario, the Falcons nailed the next three points to cut it to within one, the closest they had come in the match. Unfortunately, CV’s defense couldn’t handle a kill from Warrior Matt Tarantino – who in 2010 qualified for the USA Volleyball’s Youth National Team – to get it back to two points.

Close play continued with CV trailing Alemany 22-20 with the Falcons failing to capitalize on the Warriors’ errors. The Warriors won the next three points to capture the second set 25-20.

The Falcons didn’t learn from their mistakes as they were down 5-1 at the beginning of the decisive set. CV’s offense picked up and, along with some wide hits from the Warriors, tied the game at 8.

The Falcons’ only leads were at 10-9 and 11-10 when the Warriors committed technical errors and defensive specialist Eric Seo made a kill. That lasted for barely a moment before the Warriors rebounded, quickly tying the game.

Not being able to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes was the Achilles heel for CV in this match and it stayed that way for the rest of the set as the Warriors won the third game 25-21.

After the match, Falcon assistant coach Jerry Mulder said the team made mental mistakes and was intimidated by their opposition.

The Falcons next play Burroughs High School at 6 p.m. on April 15 at Crescenta Valley.

  CV Volleyball