Corsairs Struggle Against Long Beach Vikings
The Corsairs (4-5) took on the Long Beach Vikings (6-1) in a mid-season conference bout coming off a 3-0 win against Santa Barbara last week.
On Friday, March 3, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs men's volleyball team played their ninth game of the season against the Long Beach City College Vikings. The Corsairs, coming off of a dominant 3-0 victory against the Santa Barbara Vaqueros, were looking to capitalize on their momentum heading into this week's matchup. The Corsairs were defeated 3-0 by the now 6-1 Vikings, but not without putting up a fight.
While they were not able to capture the same magic that they had last week, the Corsairs put together a valiant performance. Outside hitters Nate Davis and Kane Schwengel had seven kills each.
The Corsairs played a smart and scrappy offense that awarded them free points in all three sets. The defense from the starters was adaptable and changed focus based on the hot hand of the opposition.
Aggressive serving was the primary strategy, with the Corsairs’ coaching staff working tirelessly to bring up the intensity during games and high pressure situations. Head coach Liran Zamir said he wants his players to push their physical boundaries by forcing opposing defenses to react quickly in hopes of catching them off guard.
“We try to be aggressive on the serve on purpose," he said. "Sometimes there can be the price of hitting out or the net, but having that opportunity to catch the other team out of their system is worth it.”
One player in particular who expressed this kind of aggressive energy was libero Javier Castillo. He placed his body on the line during defense, racking up eight digs. His effort was the catalyst for an improved and rejuvenated defense in the second and third sets compared to the sluggish defense in the first set.
“We all just kind of realized that at the end of the day it's just another team on the other side of the floor," said Castillo. "Obviously they are at a higher level than us, but we still have to put up a fight."
Outside hitter Beikwaw Yankey chose to reflect on the game by acknowledging both the positive and negative aspects of the match. Appreciating the positive energy the team kept up throughout the sets, Yankey is excited for the rest of the season with his teammates.
“We kept it up in the huddle, every time we were gonna lose a point, we’d just pick each other up again," he said. "I really like the energy some of them have."
The Corsairs have ten more games left in their season, with the next match taking place on Friday, March 10 against the El Camino College Warriors in the gym on the SMC main campus at 6 p.m.
