On Tuesday, April 22, the Tracy High Bulldogs Men’s Volleyball team traveled to West High School to play the Wolfpack for the final game of the season. Despite a midseason turnaround, this was a must-win game for the Bulldogs in order to make the playoffs.
Going into the game, Tracy had a record of 4-5 in league, while West was number one in league with a record of 8-1.
Nicolas Hilgado, the outside hitter for the Bulldogs, scored Tracy’s first point with a kill against the Wolfpack.
When asked about his mindset going into the final game of the season, Hilgado mentioned the pressure he felt that night.
“I felt the pressure going into the game knowing we needed the win to improve our chances at playoffs, but I was also excited to play against a good team like West,” Hilgado said.
The Bulldog defense was thrown off by an energetic crowd in the first set, leading to the Wolfpack taking the first set with a score of 25-17.
The team’s former libero turned setter, Antonio Velarde, commented on how he thinks they could’ve improved starting off.
“The team could’ve done better at playing more as a team and not getting rattled,” Velarde added. “Let the mistakes go and move onto the next play.”
The night continued to go downhill from there for the Bulldogs, losing 13-24 in the second set. The Bulldogs have been able to come back from losing the first two sets before and have done so earlier in the season, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time.
Even though the boys seemed mentally ready to come back, a change in the lineup seemed to shake Tracy once again. Team captain and leading hitter for the team, Carson Gates-Cecilio, would play as the all-around setter for the rest of the game.
This decision did not help in Tracy’s push to come back from the early deficit, leading to Tracy losing the third and final set.
Mason Herndon expressed his disappointment after being knocked out of playoff contention in their final game of the season.
“We got 3-0 on their senior night and booted from playoffs,” Herndon said, upset after the season-ending loss.
The boys had many ups and downs throughout the season and are looking forward to coming back next year.
