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Sometimes a loss can serve as a wake-up call in sports. And that's exactly what Willow Glen boys volleyball coach Jef Wind is hoping his club's loss to Branham will turn out to be.
The Rams dropped a league decision to the Bruins, but they battled back with a solid showing in the Leland Charger Classic and with two wins last week—two of them in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
"We walked into Branham and got a hard loss handed to us," said Wind. "However, the boys used that potentially devastating loss to build up team unity and focus."
The Rams were 2-2 for the year heading into the Charger Classic and reeled off a string of five victories, beating Harbor 25-9, 25-22, Alisal 25-18, 25-20, Fremont 25-21, 25-20, Mountain View 25-20, 25-16 and Sir Francis Drake 25-23, 23-25, 15-12.
The showing pushed Willow Glen into the tournament semifinals against Central Coast Section powerhouse Los Gatos. The Rams lost 25-21, 25-19 to the Wildcats, but ended up third in the 32-team tournament.
Zach Hopkins led the Rams with 52 kills in the tournament and junior setter Johnny Vlkovic topped the club with 123 assists.
The coach also praised the work of Steve McGaughy.
Willow Glen kept its momentum with a 25-16, 25-10, 24-26, 26-24 non-league win over Prospect and league victories over Pioneer and Oak Grove last week. Hopkins led the Rams with 16 kills against the Panthers.
Senior outside hitter Justin Curry hammered down 11 kills to lead the Rams to a 25-13, 25-13, 25-16 win over Pioneer, and Hopkins had 11 kills in a 26-24, 25-13, 17-25, 22-25 win over Oak Grove.
The Rams are now 10-3 for the year and 4-1 in the Mt. Hamilton Division.
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Photograph by Kelly Haehnel