Barons Fall Short of Aztecs

By Mallory Trott, staff writer

Tuesday night was the varsity men\’s last volleyball home game and they were up against the formidable Aztecs.

Friday\’s Senior Night recognized the team\’s seven seniors: captain and opposite hitter Dillon Emery, middle blocker Chris Gierhart, outside hitter Brian Huffman, libero Jason Tran, outside hitter Adam Lander, setter Matt McCoy, and outside hitter Ryan Sharpe.

It was all or nothing from the start. Although there were no aces and only one block (by McCoy), the Barons were able to maintain their kills, which helped them battle the Aztecs\’ strong defense. Sharpe led the way with five kills, Emery followed suit with three, and Gierhart and Lander supported the effort with two and one respectively. Unfortunately, the final score of the first match was 18-25, with the Aztecs taking the win.

Match two was filled with just as many rallies and impressive moves. The Barons hit hard and did their best, but were frequently blocked by their opponents. Emery scored five kills and many ups from the blocks he was covering for his teammates. Gierhart claimed another kill of his own along with an impressive block. Sharpe managed two more kills and a block  – both impossible for the Aztec defenders to play. However, the outcome of this match was the same as the first.

The Barons headed into match three with the Aztec’s hits going straight over the Baron blockers, making defense hard for the back row players. Hard spikes also made defense difficult. The front row did manage to score seven kills offensively, all by Emery, VanVuuren, Tompkins, and the sole block of the match by McCoy. The match ended in the Aztecs\’ favor, 16-25.