Archie Williams players celebrate a point against the Redwood Giants during the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams middle hitter Kaleb Simmons (13) gets the ball over Redwood outside hitter Auden Baker (4) during the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams outside hitter Alexander Lucich (5) spikes the ball against two Redwood blockers during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood middle hitter Beckett Shewey (12) flips the ball over Archie Williams setter Jack LeVieux (4) during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood outside hitter Wyatt Marshall (0) spikes against Archie Williams setter Jack LeVieux (4) during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood setter Evan Wang (2) tries to field a serve from Archie Williams during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood libero Jack Alley (11) reacts to an unforced error by his team during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match against the Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams outside hitter Alexander Lucich, right, hugs teammate Kaleb Simmons (13) after getting a point against the Redwood Giants during the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams outside hitter Zach Wulff (18) and middle hitter Charlie Butler (14) celebrate a point against the Redwood Giants during the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood outside hitter Auden Baker (4) dives in vain for a shot by Archie Williams during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams outside hitter Alexander Lucich (5) spikes the ball against two Redwood blockers during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons players celebrate a point against the Redwood Giants during the first set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams middle hitter Charlie Butler (14) goes up for a jump service against the Redwood Giants during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood outside hitter Charlie Gehrman (14) winds up for a spike against Archie Williams middle hitter Kaleb Simmons (13) and setter Jack LeVieux (4) during the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams outside hitter Alexander Lucich (5) spikes the ball past Redwood setter Evan Wang (2) during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
The Redwood Giants bench watches as their team struggles against the Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams middle hitter Kaleb Simmons (13) slams down a kill over Redwood middle hitter Beckett Shewey (12) during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood outside hitter Kyler Wang (1) tries to shoot through Archie Williams setter Jack LeVieux (4) during the first set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Action between the Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons and Redwood Giants during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood head coach Ben Wang calls out instructions to his players during the first set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match against the Archie Williams Peregrine Falcons, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood middle hitter Beckett Shewey (12) spikes the ball against Archie Williams during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood libero Jack Alley (11) fields a service from Archie Williams during the second set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams players celebrate their 3-1 victory over the Redwood Giants in an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams head coach Alex Perelson confers with his players before the start of the third set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match against the Redwood Giants, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams middle hitter Charlie Butler (14) serves against the Redwood Giants during the fourth set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams players celebrate their 3-1 victory over the Redwood Giants in an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood setter Evan Wang (2) flips the ball over Archie Williams outside hitter Will Gustafson (17) during the first set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Redwood outside hitter Charlie Gehrman (14) goes up for a spike against Archie Williams outside hitter Will Gustafson (17) during the first set of an MCAL boys’ semifinal volleyball match, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, in San Anselmo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Archie Williams High started off on the wrong foot Wednesday night, dropping the opening set of a best-of-five match against visiting Redwood in the MCAL boys volleyball semifinals.
For the Peregrine Falcons, however, the misstep was a mere bump in the road as they regrouped and powered past the Giants by winning the next three sets decisively.
The victory sets up a rematch of last year’s MCAL final Friday when the No. 2 Falcons face top-seeded Tam for a 7 p.m. match at Novato High. Archie Williams won the MCAL pennant last season in a five-set victory against Tam.
No. 3 Redwood (18-7) relied on mostly grit to come back from a 17-13 deficit in the first set en route to a 25-22 victory.
In the end, however, grit was no match for the big hit – and Archie Williams featured plenty of those as it rattled off 25-18, 25-12 and 25-15 victories to polish off Redwood.
“I don’t think it was nerves that cost us in the first set,” said AW’s Zach Wulff, co-leader in kills for the Falcons with 13. “But it was more like we overdosed on too much energy to start the match. Once we started playing our game, everything came together.”
Archie Williams’ firepower at the net was well-balanced.
Wulff and Alexander Lucich notched 13 kills apiece. Kaleb Simmons added 11 kills and Will Gustafson contributed 10 more.
“Our entire team works together really well,” Wulff said. “The way we see it is that it takes all the players to win a match.”
Redwood continued as a pesky opponent in the second set and trailed 19-16 on Wyatt Marshall’s kill.
But the Falcons (20-8) scored six of the final eight points to even the match at 1-1.
“Redwood plays a little unconventional – they tip real well,” Archie Williams coach Greg Jones said. “Once we adjusted to their style we were able to work to our strengths.”
The third set stayed nip-and-tuck until the Falcons rattled off seven consecutive points, capped by Jack Levieux’s block as Archie Williams took command 12-5.
The match was never really in doubt from that point on.
“It took us a while to figure out how to work around their blocks,” Wulff said. “But we eventually found some holes and some angles that worked for us and that’s when we took off.”
The Falcons dominated the net in the final two sets, especially in the final stages of set three. Gustafson followed a bullet spike with a towering block – he had a game-high seven blocks – and Wulff finished off the set with a block.
The fourth set was all Archie Williams.
The Falcons opened a commanding 13-4 lead on a silky set from LeVieux – who led the team in assists – to Wulff, who gunned a bullet through the middle of the Redwood defense.
Gustafson scored on a dink, and one serve later, scored again on a whistling spike as the Falcons iced the victory with an 18-6 run to start the final set.
“We have so many good hitters,” Jones said. “We have five guys who can all really hit and our middle hitters are just as good as our outside hitters.”
Beckett Shewey, who led the Giants this season in kills, notched a team-high six against Archie Williams.
Around the county
Fresh off an 11-0 campaign during the MCAL season, No. 1 Tam took care of fourth-seeded American Canyon, 25-17, 25-17, 25-15 in the other semifinal.
The Red-tailed Hawks got a balanced attack with Adrien Van Doren (10), Will Hatch (10) and Brendan King (13) all registering double-digit kills. Setter Yaseen Ashraf dished out 30 assists and added 10 digs. Van Doren also contributed seven digs.
Tam faces Archie Williams in Friday’s final. The Red-tailed Hawks won the regular-season meeting between the two teams on March 9 in four sets.
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