By Nick Lee
Staff Writer
In the fifth conference match of the year against Palos Verdes, the Mustangs dominated the Sea Kings, winning all three games on Tuesday.
The Mustangs (5-0 in league play) played at Palos Verdes (4-2) for the second time this year. After beating the Sea Kings at home earlier in the season, the Mustangs repeated the feat on Tuesday, winning 3-0.
“We played with a lot of passion and fire we have been missing the last couple of games,” junior libero Sam Jones said. “It’s time to gear up for CIF, and today was a step in the right direction.”
In the first game, the teams switched off serves, each unable to gain an edge on the other. With the game tied at 11-11, the Sea Kings made a series of mistakes, allowing Costa to gain momentum. The Mustangs capitalized on this weakness to carry them through the rest of the game. With the help of senior outside hitter Carter Kimble’s three kills, Costa finished the game with a 25-21 victory.
“It was tight in the beginning of the match,” Jones said. “As the game progressed, we wore them down and managed to pull ahead.”
In the next game, the teams went back and forth, with neither of them taking control. Costa began to develop momentum, only to find the Sea Kings starting to gain ground. Senior outside hitter Blake Markland contributed five kills for the Mustangs, which earned the team a hard-fought 25-22 win in the second game.
“We have had problems all season where we weren’t consistent the entire game,” Markland said. “We did a great job staying strong and not giving them an opportunity to get back into the game.”
In the final game, the Mustangs carried their momentum from the second game, breaking away to a 10-6 lead. The Sea Kings bounced back, tying the game 10-10. Junior opposite hitter Jackson Wedbush made three kills, allowing the Mustangs to take control of the game and finish off the Sea Kings, ending the game 25-7.
“We played a bit sloppy in some places,” Wedbush said. “However, once we were able to execute and put more balls away, it made it a lot easier.”
Yesterday, the Mustangs faced Inglewood (0-4) at home. Results were unavailable at the time of publication.
“We struggled a little bit with our passing and defense,” Wedbush said. “We need to improve by thinking ahead, always being ready to make the next touch and keeping our serves consistent.”
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