Luis Diaz/ Contributing Writer
Volleyball intramural playoffs began with the brothers of Phi Delta Theta facing off against the brothers of Sigma Alpha Mu in an intense game.
The first set was tight, a tied 12-12 until Sammy shifted to a new gear and was able to dominate the set. Utilizing their blockers Alex Sanchez and Carlos Hernandez, they were able to keep the ball on Phi Delt’s floor. Sammy went on a 13-2 run to finish the first set 25-14.
The second set was equally as close, each team going point for point. The brothers of Phi Delt gained momentum, going on a 14-2 run to bring an 11-12 score to 25-14 returning their favor. With the match tied at one set apiece, the game would go into the 15 point tiebreaker that for once, would be a tight affair throughout the set.
Sammy, once again, was on the winning side of the court to start the set but could not find a consistent lead before the two teams switched sides of the net. With the game tied at 7-7 when the two teams flipped sides, the winning vibe of the left side of the net proved to be too much for Sammy to overcome as the defense of Phi Delt found a way to limit the persistent Sammy attacks.
Going kill for kill, the game was tied at 13. Phi Delt’s serve was handled beautifully by Sammy but on the attempted spike to take the lead, Roman Caceres was able to get the game defining block to give his team the lead, which would last until their next kill.
With Phi Delt getting this win, it is the first time this fraternity goes into the second round of an intramural playoff season in their very short tenure at the University. Speaking with Matthew Zaldivar of Sigma Alpha Mu, he stressed the importance of needing to finish these games.
“We needed to find a way to finish the last two sets and we couldn’t,” Zaldivar said. “We are a much better team than what came out to play today.”