Boys volleyball: No. 2 Brophy Prep continues strong play in win over Hamilton
Brophy Prep demonstrated why they're No. 2 in the state's AIA 6A boys volleyball rankings in their matchup against No. 9 Hamilton on Thursday, defeating them with ease, 3-0.
The Broncos, who are first in the 6A Premier region and 11-1 on the season, coasted through the first set effortlessly before struggling to gain momentum in the second set, edging the Huskies 25-20. Brophy clinched the match with a 25-15 third set, but the team wasn't as satisfied with their win as they have in previous matches.
"We have a big tournament this weekend, so we were a little worried about what our focus might be," Brophy Prep head coach Tony Oldani said. "The team came out far better than we did Tuesday night (against Perry). I thought our execution offensively struggled a little bit tonight, but that was also to be expected where we practiced this morning and it looked great but then everybody kind of did their own thing for three hours.
"I'm happy we got the win that we needed. We got some extra guys in. It's a good night, but not a great night."
The team surrendered just their fourth set of the season on Tuesday against Perry, a match they won 3-1. It's a feat the team deems unacceptable.
The Brophy Prep Invitational takes place this Friday and Saturday. Tournament games don't count toward the conference AIA record.
In AIA play, Including the one set against Perry, the Broncos have surrendered just four sets this season. The team's lone loss came to No. 1 Sandra Day O' Connor on March 6, where they fell 3-1 after taking the first set before dropping the next three.
"That is the probably seventh match this year where we have played really well in a set and then the second set, the next set is 25-20," Oldani said. "Even against Perry, we went 25-12, 25-22, 25-9. So we kind of get into a lull of complacency at times and we're kind of looking at our senior leaders, trying to drive and make sure we keep our competitive edge.
"Our block has really gotten better being disciplined, and that's allowed everybody else behind that to really shine. If we're disciplined, we make teams have to execute really well to beat us."
Brophy Prep senior and captain Connor Oldani, coach Oldani's son, leads 6A in kills (232) and hitting percentage (.542).
"He puts a lot of pressure on himself," Oldani said of Connor. "Tonight he was having an off night and you could tell his body language was terrible. And I'm like, 'You gotta still be there for your teammates,' and he was like, 'But I made an error.' It's like, 'It's OK if you make an error, it doesn't have to be perfect.' He's great about wanting the load. He's great about wanting the big swings.
"And if he fails, he's like, 'OK, that's on me.' So he's been great about letting the other guys have the freedom to make mistakes and not worry about having to be perfect where he demands of himself to be perfect."
The Broncos have fallen short of in the state semifinals the last three seasons.
"I think it's just being hungry," Oldani said. "This season in particular, there's kind of two or three teams at the top and then there's a little bit of a drop off. You're having to make sure you're staying competitive, you're keeping that edge."
Following the Brophy Invitational, Brophy Prep will take on Corona del Sol on Apr. 9. As for Hamilton, the Huskies sit behind Brophy Prep and Chandler in the 6A Premier regional standings. At 6-4 on the season, the team will face the Wolves and Broncos later this month in hopes of keeping up with the talented division that also includes the No. 5 Perry Pumas. Their next game is against Queen Creek on Apr. 9.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brophy Prep eases past Hamilton in boys volleyball matchup
