The varsity boys volleyball team won 3-2 in a close game against on Wednesday.

“I think we were a little bit inconsistent, but in the end, we fought as hard as we could, and came out on top,” said junior Brady Kelsch.

The match began with the Eagles in the lead. Harker scored the first point, and stayed in the lead, bringing the score to 5-2 in their favor. The Spartans soon caught up, bringing the score to 6-6. Both teams battled hard and traded off point for point, progressing the score to 10-10. 

The Spartans kept fighting, eventually gaining a lead that won them the set 25-21. Both teams also traded points throughout the majority of the second set. However, towards the end of the set, the Eagles amassed a lead that won them the set 25-18. 

“We got down sometimes, but we always brought the energy back up,” Kelsch said. 

The Spartans scored the first point of the third set and maintained a healthy lead throughout the set, finishing with a score of 25-21 in their favor. 

They won the first point of the fourth set and battled point for point until they reached 3-3. However, determined to win, the Eagles fought back and secured a lead of 9-4, then 15-10, and finally 25-21, once again equalizing the score. 

“I think our team lets the other team go on runs sometimes,” junior Cole Palmbush said. “So sometimes, if they get too deep into a run, it’s hard to come out of it, but it’s still okay.”

The Spartans then went into the tiebreaker fifth and final set. They traded off points with the Eagles, until they finally began pulling ahead with a healthy 9-6 lead. The Spartans finished the final set with a score of 15-12, earning a victory over Harker. 

“Our team likes to go to five sets,” Head Coach Katie Johnson said. “That has been a common theme of this year even when it was not entirely necessary. … I’m just glad when the team comes out strong in the fifth set, because after we work that hard to get to a fifth set, it’s really important that we show that we want to win.”

Johnson shouted out Spencer Straw, the Libero, for playing particularly well; Lyric Manson for his sets; and Logan Muir for his many kills. 

“I was pretty confident,” Kelsch said. “I thought it would be a close game, but I was pretty sure we [would] come out on top.”