Boys volleyball: Foothill Moves on After First-Round Scare

Foothill 3, Washington 2
(25-18, 24-26, 24-26, 25-17, 16-14)

Records: Foothill 34-5, Washington 20-12

The Star: Junior setter Nick Csongor led the Falcons with 58 assists and 18 digs. Foothill relied on the defensive digs of Csongor and several others to keep the play alive on their side of the court.

The Turning Point: Down 2-1, the Falcons came into the fourth game with energy and power. After a series of kills by the Falcons, coupled with several mistakes by Washington, Foothill took a nine-point lead from which they went on to win, pushing the match to a fifth game.

The Quote: "We weren't playing well towards the beginning," Foothill coach Dusty Collins said. "We've talked about who we are as a team is shown by how we respond when things aren't going well. There are a few times in the season when we weren't playing well, and we couldn't respond and turn it around. But we did today."

Who's Next?: Foothill will host De La Salle in the NCS semifinal on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Bottom Line: The No. 7 seeded Huskies caught the No. 2 seeded Falcons off-guard in the early part of the match and nearly pulled off a huge upset. But Foothill showed why they are a championship team, battling to take the last two games from Washington and win the match. The Falcons hope to be crowned NCS champions for the second year in a row, but will need to step up their game against the remaining teams.

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Foothill High might be the reigning North Coast Section Division I boys volleyball champion, but the road back to the championship for the No. 2 seeded Falcons is going to be a difficult one.

Following a poor start, the Falcons pushed the match to five games and succeeded in scraping out a 3-2 win in the first round against Washington on Tuesday.

"We weren't playing well towards the beginning," Foothill coach Dusty Collins said. "We've talked about who we are as a team is shown by how we respond when things aren't going well. And there are a few times in the season when we weren't playing well, and we couldn't respond and turn it around. But we did today."

The Falcons took the first game 25-18 without too much trouble, but were unable to close out the second and third games despite having several game-point opportunities. Mistakes at critical moments hurt the Falcons, and the Huskies took advantage, winning both games.

But the Foothill players picked up their level of play, easily taking the fourth game and winning the fifth game 16-14 in a nail-biting finish.

"I think we realized that we weren't just fighting for another NCS title," said junior outside hitter Jon Harold. "We were playing in what could be the last game for the seniors, and we didn't want to go down like that."

Harold, with 15 kills, was among several players who stepped up in the fourth and fifth games to grind out the win. Senior Pat Berrigan had 17 kills and 2 blocks, and junior Nick Csongor led the team with 58 assists and 18 digs.

According to Collins, Foothill had expected a tough game from the Huskies, but no one anticipated how close the match turned out.

"It was an amazing game," Washington coach Jeremiah Pricer said. "The kids came out and gave their hearts, and we gave (Foothill) a run for their money."

Among the top players for the Huskies was future San Jose State football player Cedric Lousi who led the team with 20 kills and 7 digs, and Apoorva Shah with 44 assists.

It's only going to get more difficult.

"Everybody's out to get us," senior captain Justin Fung said. "They're going to give their best game possible and we have to be able to counter that."

To do so, Foothill will need to improve their performances of late.

"We have to play more consistent," Collins said. "We can't give up three or four point runs and expect to win matches."

The Falcons move on to the second round on Thursday, when they host De La Salle at 7:00 p.m.

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