On consecutive nights, the men’s varsity volleyball team won playoff matches in order to secure a semifinal match against the Lincoln Mustangs on May 14th at Kezar. The Lions first knocked out the Washington Eagles 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-23, 25-18) to claim the fourth seed. In the following match on May 14, 2025, the Lions took the Mission Bears in 3 sets.
The Lions were thrust into the play-in games after the Eagles unexpectedly triumphed over the Lions in a 3-0 game on April 25. But during the play-in match, Galileo coach Nina Camp-Dailey mixed things up as she placed 3 freshmen in the front row in the second to third sets, opposite hitter Anson Z., outside hitter Jayden Y., and middle blocker Alton L., throwing off the Eagles’ performance. The freshmen’s performance on offense was on fire, securing zero hitting errors throughout their playing time.
“Our team did well, but there are spots for improvement. Wash had pretty good runs, but we were able to catch up and shut them down,” said Coach Nina.
Moving on to the playoff game, Mission’s 8-0 record in division 2 wasn’t enough to compete against the Lions. The Lions took advantage of the Bears’ defense by tipping the ball in uncovered areas, hitting the ball against the block going outwards. Most notably, junior setter Leo B. dumped the ball multiple times into the Bears’ middle, and above the 10-foot line.
“We were able to finish the match, that’s all that matters to me. Though it was our first time going against Mission, we still played our game and included them. We had a few errors that we needed to fix, such as positioning and decision-making. But overall, we still got the dub,” said junior setter Leo Belshaw-hood.
“Beating Mission was our entrance into the playoffs, and the 3-0 win solidified that. It felt good to play and everyone had their highlights. I believe that we kept a good pace. There were a few mistakes here and there, but that didn’t stop us from finishing the game. In the end, I’m proud that I get to be a part of this team,” said junior middle Harry (Tri) N.
