Boys volleyball: Headley, Stevenson top Fremd in three sets

After losing the first set to 25-11, it looked like it was going to be a tough night for the Fremd boys volleyball team Tuesday night at Stevenson.

But the Vikings showed a lot of spark as they came alive to win the second set 25-21 in their first match of the season. The Patriots answered that surge in the third set, though, as they posted a 25-15 victory to win the nonconference match.

Stevenson (4-2) got rolling right away in the third set as five service points by junior Evan Headley staked his squad to a quick 6-1 lead.

Fremd (0-1) had a hard time containing junior David Erdenetsogt (12 kills) in the third set as a kill by Erdenetsogt gave the Patriots an 18-11 lead. Two service points by Fremd's Chase Hinojosa cut the lead to 20-15 to keep the Vikings' hopes alive.

But Stevenson's Zolbayar Munkhbat closed the match with four service points, including two aces to seal the Pats win. Sophomore Anderson Helfand had a match-high 13 kills for the Patriots, while Munkhbat (3 aces) had 36 assists. Junior Jatin Murukuti also had a big match for Stevenson with 9 kills.

“(The Vikings) made some adjustments and they're always great competitors,” said Stevenson coach Eric Goolish. “We did not play very well in Set 2, they controlled the ball very well in Set 2, and they put more pressure on us.”

After losing the second set the Patriots regrouped quickly to regain the momentum.

“I definitely think we brought a lot of energy in the third set and we wanted to defend our home court,” Headley said. “I felt overall we played a lot smarter, minimized our errors, and we came out with the win in the end.”

Fremd held a slim 18-17 lead in the second set before pulling away for the 25-21 win as sophomore Jerry Zhang led the Vikes with 6 kills and 2 block kills. Hinojosa had 5 kills while teammate Fred Worst had 3 kills. Setter David Otgonbat had 14 assists for the Vikings while teammate Aarav Parikh had 2 block kills.

“We tried to limit all of the errors and we tried to keep everything on their side in the third set,” Murukuti said. “I thought the attacking was great from everyone. Zolbayar understands how to place the ball well, and he really harnesses our offense.”

Fremd coach Tracy Harding was very happy how her team responded after its slow start.

“They just responded, they got their nerves out after the first set and they played together as a team,” Harding said. “For some of them it was their first varsity match. (The Patriots) controlled the ball (in the third set), they controlled serve and pass, and they controlled the net.”