1 day Ago By Jahson Nahal
Benicia High School setter Cruz Villanueva said the boys volleyball team is at its best whenever it plays without stress.And on Tuesday, the Panthers didn’t have much to stress about, sweeping Ygnacio Valley 25-11, 25-12, 25-11 in a Diablo-Valley League contest.“Now that we’re toward the end of the season, the guys have gelled and have got their cohesion,” Benicia head coach Maynard Patacsil said.
“I’m not saying we’re a perfect team, but this team has come together and they have fun.”Benicia improved to 9-2 in the DVL, tied for second with Alhambra and a half game behind first-place Berean Christian (10-2). The Panthers will face Alhambra in their regular season finale on Thursday, while Berean Christian has no games remaining.
“I expect a fight from Alhambra,” Patacsil said. “I told these guys already to just stay focused. Our end goal is to get at least a league championship or co-league championship.
”Patacsil said the Panthers’ cohesion comes from their time spent playing club volleyball before the season.“When they come to me, more or less, they’re ready to go,” Patacsil said. “Like the Warriors in last night’s (Monday’s) win, we just gotta make sure we have the right pieces at the right time facing off against the other team.
”And like the Golden State Warriors, Benicia showcased its strength in numbers with six players recording at least four kills on Tuesday.Running point for the Panthers was Villanueva, who dished out four early assists to give Benicia a 9-5 lead in the first set. He finished with a team-high 16 assists.
“That’s my whole job,” Villanueva said. “All I do is get them involved, and that’s what I do best.”Benicia High School sophomore Ian Nagata fires a shot in the Panthers’ 25-11, 25-12, 25-11 victory over Ygnacio Valley on Tuesday.
(Jahson Nahal/Times-Herald)After two more assists from Villanueva, Duncan Seeley lasered back-to-back service aces to the backline, giving Benicia an 18-6 lead.The Panthers closed out the set with a 5-1 run capped off by a kill from Seeley, who racked up four kills and a team-high five service aces in the victory.“That’s something we work on in practice and this is an opportunity for them to actually do it in a live game,” Patacsil said about his team’s tough serves.
Benicia carried its momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 7-0 lead after a pair of service aces from Jacob Santos and kills from Kahbran Marvin.The Wolves responded with three straight points, but the Panthers answered with a 10-1 run featuring two service aces from Marvin. Benicia took the set after a kill from Seeley and a Ygnacio Valley error.
“I was just finding the spot, the open gaps,” Marvin said. “They didn’t have any blocks up, so it was just being smart with the hits.”After both sides went back-and-forth to open the third set, the Panthers pulled away with an 11-0 run and they never looked back.
Benicia clinched the straight-set victory on a Wolves service error..
