Poly volleyball snaps Prep's winning streak

Yesterday, the boys volleyball team hosted the last home game of the season and celebrated the five seniors on the team in their last home game of their high school careers. The Panthers did it in true Poly fashion, hosting Prep League rivals Flintridge Prep. In their first meeting at Prep three weeks ago, the Panthers had a rough start, dropping the first two sets. They turned the tables and gained momentum in the third. However, after a tough-fought, back-and-forth fourth set, the Panthers fell to the Rebels 3-1. The boys were determined not to lose on their home turf. The Panthers started with great energy right out of the gates. There was a quick momentum switch after the Rebels had a run of points and the Panthers were unable to recover dropping the first set. Poly picked it up in the second set and turned the game around. The Panthers won three straight sets, beating Prep with a very exciting fourth set score of 27-25. This was the first time Poly has defeated Prep in boys volleyball since 2012; they also snapped the Rebels' 23-league game winning streak. Efforts were led by seniors Matt Alison tallying up some big kills, Will McConnell with his numerous assists and great defensive efforts, and Richard Berry, who played a lights-out game, putting up big blocks on the net and putting away very crucial kills. Click here to read more about the game in the LA Times. The Panthers finish the season with two important away games at Firebaugh on Friday and Chadwick on Tuesday. They need to win on the road to punch their tickets into the post-season.