Motivation was not a problem for the Joel Barlow High boys volleyball team in the South-West Conference championship.
The top-seeded Falcons had won the title two years in a row before losing in an upset last season. They were not about to let things repeat.
Besides the motivation, the Falcons had other things in their favor. Between serving, hitting, passing and blocking, they had enough to hold on for a 3-2 (25-14, 24-26, 22-25, 26-15, 15-9) victory on their home court on Friday, May 24, to reclaim the title.
“We used it as motivation,” said Barlow head coach Kevin Marino, referring to last year’s loss in the championship. “I’ve kind of been waiting all year to use it to let them know we lost on this court last year, we don’t want it to happen again.”
Both sides battled early in the match. Led at the net by Mark Meschi (who was named MVP for the match) and Erik Schmid, the top-seeded Falcons held a two-point (9-7) lead in the first set before Dan Parkin served up five straight points for a 14-7 advantage.
Kills by Barlow’s Alex Llach and some hitting errors on Masuk’s part helped the hosts go up 23-14 before closing out the win.
The Panthers, however, were not about to go quietly. Only one or two points separated the two sides for most of the second set, which featured numerous ties and several lead changes.
Ahead 16-15, the Panthers got a key block from Jaylen Africot, followed by an ace from Tom Warner and soon led 22-18 before the Falcons mounted a comeback.
Cam Lynn’s block tied it at 23-23 and the Panthers later faulted on their serve but a kill by Dan Ferris, followed by one service point by Warner tied the match at 1-1 in sets.
As the third set got underway the Panthers began to gain the momentum, due in part to the net play of Ferris, whose numerous kills helped put his team up 13-10.
“He’s an incredible player,” said Marino, who actually coaches Ferris during travel volleyball season. “We didn’t have a lot of answers for him.”
Barlow used kills by Meschi, Schmid and Llach to its advantage in staying within striking distance and even tie it three times before the Panthers closed out the win.
Now down, 2-1 in sets, the Falcons pulled ahead in the fourth with more strong play ay at the net and led by as much as nine (20-11) at one point, forcing Masuk to call a time out. It did little to stop the momentum, as the Falcons evened up the match at 2-2 in sets.
The momentum seemed to stay with the Falcons in the fifth and deciding set, as they opened up a 5-1 lead with the help of Lynn’s service run. It then swung in Masuk’s favor, as it battled back, tying things at 7-7 on another kill by Ferris. Two more ties followed.
After Masuk faulted on its serve to put the Falcons up 10-9, they scored the next five points on Schmid’s serve, sealing the win on a block by Parkin.
“I’m just so proud of my guys for digging deep like that,” said Marino, whose team is now in the semifinal round of the state Class M tournament. “Everyone contributed.”
The Falcons will play Cheshire on Tuesday, June 4 at 7 p.m. at Naugatuck High School in the semifinals of Class M tournament with a trip to the state championship match on June 6 in Newtown on the line.
Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://gofan.co/event/1534231?schoolId=CT20027.
