Wed. April 24 the varsity boys volleyball team faced rival Francis Howell to determine who would take the top spot in the conference.  The Knights came into the game with a record of 16-4-1 while the Vikings had a record of 12-6-1.  These two teams have played twice already this year splitting the two games both by a score of 2-0.

When asked before the game about what the Knights needed to do to win the game Senior middle sitter Ethan Bond said, “Having fun and keeping our serves in will be the key to winning the game.”

The Knights came into the first set and got started early.  The Knights started 4-0 until the Vikings got their first point.  The Knights were dominant at the net and took a quick 12-7 lead when the Vikings called their first timeout.  The Knights came out of the first timeout the same way as they entered it going on an 8-6 run to increase their lead to 20-13 before the Vikings called their second timeout of the game.  The Knights ended up winning the first game 25-18.

As the second set began the Vikings showed a side of them that was present when they beat the Knights 0-2 previously in the season.  The turning point in the game was when #99 Jacob Stillman came to the serving line as the Vikings were winning 4-5. Stillman’s served five times as the Vikings took a quick 5-9 lead. The Knights could not find an answer for Stillman’s serve which comes in with high spin and speed. Stillman was all conference last year. This run proved important for the Vikings as they continued this momentum for the rest of the second game winning huge by a score of 12-25.

“We actually talked between sets one and two and said that we need to get the ball to number 99, Jacob Stillman, who is our best player and sometimes we have to ride our best player,” Head Coach of the Vikings Justin Young said.

Both teams came into the third game playing well.  The Knights and the Vikings were neck and neck until Stillman came to the serving line once more.  The Vikings took a 5-9 lead while Stillman was serving and they never looked back.  The Vikings won the third set 15-25, winning the Match 1-2.

“Energy and intensity was key tonight,” Senior Logan Bergman said. “We had it in the first set but lost it in the last two.”

The Knights next game will be April 29 against the Fort Zumwalt East Lions.