Returning to McLean for one of their few home games this season, McLean’s undefeated boys volleyball team battled the Herndon Hornets in the Liberty District Semifinals. After crushing Herndon 3-0 twice earlier this season, the team didn’t expect much of a fight.
“Our team doesn’t need to worry about what our opponents are doing,” said junior captain Evan Li before the game. “As long as we only keep the focus on ourselves, and [we don’t] worry about what the people across the net are doing, we should coast to a win tonight.”
Fans from both teams flooded into the lower gym for a highly anticipated game, with a bid to the district finals on the line. The McLean squad broke from their huddle to the roar of the home crowd, which was excited to finally witness a McLean boys volleyball playoff game.
Herndon quickly set the game’s tone, immediately turning over the ball with a shoddy serve. This issue would become a recurring theme on both sides of the net, with McLean and Herndon losing several points each set to faulty serves.
McLean’s aggressiveness quickly set the Hornets into shambles during each point by forcing them to focus on defending against the barrage of spikes.
“I think what mostly drove our win was just everyone was getting every ball up and [spiking it],” said senior Luke Cowan, a team captain.
Herndon’s team played with clear synergy, setting up spikes and team plays wherever they could, but their offensive game was plagued by poor ball placement. Time after time, the Hornets lost routine “free balls” from a weak or inaccurate set.
Despite the poor look for Herndon, their fans remained hopeful and passionate, at times louder than McLean’s. Regardless, McLean took the first set 25-15, ripping into the Herndon defense with dominant spikes from their outside hitters.
“I think Herndon’s biggest weakness was definitely the depth of their team,” Cowan said. “They had to make multiple subs throughout the game, and they just didn’t have enough good players on their bench to sub in when they were needed.”
The Hornets’ struggle continued into the second set, allowing McLean to catch another early lead. Highlanders were in sync at every point of the second set, with their hard work and synergy on full display. Several times in the set, spikes from Cowan and senior outside hitter Brennan Lengel knocked Herndon players off their feet.
After the Hornets initiated a frantic timeout, McLean players and fans rowdily chanted “3-0!” referring to their predictions of another sweep for the team’s flawless inaugural season.
“It has been awesome. I feel like everyone’s meshing together,” said junior Hudson Chua, a team manager. “All the positions are just coming along. A lot of our guys have been playing with each other for such a long time, so the chemistry with the team has been great.”
The second set ended 25-14 with another swift McLean victory. The passionate fans for both teams in the stands exchanged cheers as the Highlanders had pushed the Hornets onto the brink of elimination, requiring only one more set to secure the first boys volleyball playoff victory in McLean history.
The tables appeared to turn for the Highlanders, who, in the first few moments of the third set, had trouble serving the ball over the net, allowing the Hornets to string a few points together. However, a quick huddle allowed McLean to find their footing, and from that point on, it was all Highlanders.
Herndon faced issues discerning balls from in or out of bounds, losing several points as easily-returnable points dropped uncontested on their side. Additionally, they faced rampant communication issues, opening large uncovered areas of the court. Exploiting this flaw, Highlanders threw down spike after spike into these areas.
The Highlander crowd came to their feet for match point, and an overpowering spike from Li sealed the opening playoff matchfor the Highlanders. McLean fired on all cylinders in their last set, winning by the largest margin of the night—a final score of 25-8.
“It doesn’t get any better than that,” Assistant Coach Jason Fehr said. “To have the guys go out and perform, it’s a reflection of the support that we get from our fans and what the guys are getting day in and day out of school. Today was an awesome day.”
The Highlanders will host the district final game on Monday at 6 p.m. against the Marshall Statesmen, who triumphed against the Langley Saxons in the other district semifinal. The team hopes for fans to bring the same amount of energy as they did in the district semifinals for their limited number of home games.
“Everyone counts,” Coach Fehr said. “We’ve had a lot of support from the administration to play, and to actually win a district semi-final in our home gym for the first time was a great feeling.”
