All the Live Oak High boys volleyball team needed was one spark
to ignite a comeback win over Lowell in the team
’s home opener Friday night.
All the Live Oak High boys volleyball team needed was one spark to ignite a comeback win over Lowell in the team’s home opener Friday night.
One came, ironically, in the third game of the match — a game the Acorns ended up losing. The third-game turning point came with the Acorns down 19-10 in a game they would eventually lose. Live Oak went on a 9-1 scoring run before Lowell regained the momentum and scored the final five points to save the game.
But the damage was done. In the next two games, the Acorns were a completely different team than the one that came out to start the match.
Rallying for wins in the final two games, the Acorns emerged victorious 26-24, 21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 15-13.
“We fought for every point,” Acorn head coach James Uthes said. “(The Acorn players) didn’t let anything drop. They played hard and I am proud of them.”
“Everything just came together (in the third game), Live Oak junior Ryan Newcomb said. “Our sets, our passes, our hits all picked up. We got warmed up.”
In the first two games, and halfway through the third, Lowell was the dominant team.
Though the Acorns would win the first game, they had to do it in come-from-behind fashion that was far from certain.
Early on, Lowell went on the attack, keeping Live Oak on its heels and looking very sloppy.
Most of Live Oak’s points came off of unforced errors by the Cardinals.
However, the Acorns did have some bright spots. Senior middle blocker Chris Deem had nine kills along with several key blocks that fell for Live Oak points.
Also playing well for Live Oak was Newcomb, who had seven kills and an ace, along with solid all-around play that led the Acorns to their victory.
According to Uthes, he could tell before the match even started that Lowell would be tough.
“I could tell by the team warm-up that they would be a solid, all around team,” he said.
Live Oak improved to 2-1 overall with the win. After dropping their opener to Archbishop Mitty in three games on Feb. 25, the Acorns beat host Watsonville in four games on Thursday.
With the dramatic win, Live Oak will hope to carry the momentum into the beginning of Tri-County Athletic League play next week.
The Acorns, who went a perfect 13-0 in league to win the TCAL title last season, opens TCAL play by hosting Palma on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m.
“(A win like this) props up our spirits,” Newcomb said. “When we are playing our league games, we can start at a higher level rather than needing to build up our momentum.”
This week, Live Oak hosts Santa Clara on Tuesday and Oak Grove on Thursday in non-league action. Both matches are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
