The floor of the gym squeaked as the boys volleyball team warmed up for their senior game against Oxnard High School. Music pumped through the air, setting the mood for both the crowd and the team. Tensions rose as the seniors got  ready to be honored for their last year in their loved sport, at the same time playing a game to defend their school. As the warm up wraps up, the teams clear the court and the crowd settles, preparing for the senior announcements.

Jessie Martin, head coach, flicked on the mic and started talking of his appreciation for the seniors. With only two seniors this year, the awards and words of recognition were able to go into detail. 

Moises Lantigua, who’s been playing for two years and is an “all around all star” in the words of coach Martin, and Dane Henry who is the “quarterback of the team”, always helping, making the plays, and getting the team together made up the seniors of boys volleyball 2024. 

Buena set it off with a bang with a fast three points. It was a first set full of back and forth. Before Buena fell too far behind, the score was brought back to a tie thanks to an excellent spike from Lantigua. Unable to keep up, Buena lost the first set 11-25 but they still had two sets to play and chances to turn it around. 

The second set began slower than the first. The first point on the board was scored by Buena thanks to a save and a kick over the net by team captain Joshua Toll. After back and forth points between both Buena and Oxnard, Coach Martin called a time out with the score at a thrilling 17-18. After that, Buena seemed to lose their flow, scoring one more point before their eventual defeat in the second game, with a final score of 18-25. 

With the third set about to start, a pin drop could be heard before the first serve, setting the tone and starting off play. It sets off, and the Buena team has the best start they have had since the beginning of this game. On fire, the Bulldogs score four points in a row, setting a firm lead over the Yellowjacktes.  

With a timeout called by Oxnard, the scoreboard showed 11-6, with a Buena lead. After the timeout, Oxnard came out firing, evening out the score and keeping the audience on their toes as the score kept the teams neck and neck. 

Once the score got to 18-18, Oxnard showed their come-back ability, pulling away and securing the victory and total win of 3-0.

When asked about the loss, it seemed that one issue was apparent  “Spring Break,” Coach Martin said, “We took a break and so we’re just building back into the way we were right before spring break”.

Although it was a loss, the team exited the gym with smiles on their faces. They knew they gave it their all and had each other’s support, “[The mindset was] to just have fun, it’s senior night,” said Lantigua. He talked about how everyone supports everyone, how the team is always hanging out together, and how they bring out the best in each other. And the coaches agree too.

“They could be having the worst day ever and it changes the second they get in the gym,” said assistant coach Kelsie Danebrock.