Live coverage: Boys Volleyball takes on Bellarmine in NorCal semifinals

by Aditya Singhvi, Sports Editor

The game is now over, with the Eagles winning comfortably 25-15, 25-21, 25-20. Be sure to catch our game recap coming soon to Harker Aquila.

8:19 p.m. Despite a commendable Bellarmine team bringing the score to 23-20, the Eagles, off a  Bellarmine fault and a Jarett hit, have won the third set 25-20. The Eagles have advanced to the NorCal Division 1 finals, and are set to play at Monta Vista on Saturday.

8:17 p.m. After three straight Bellarmine points, Harker has called a timeout to regroup and regain the momentum. They still hold a four-point lead, at 22-18.

Kathy Fang
Billy Fan bumps the ball during the Eagles’ semifinals matchup against the Bells. The Eagles won three sets to none, 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.

8:14 p.m. The Eagles, behind a kill from Liam Bakar (11), have surged to a 22-15 lead. Bellarmine is looking to make one last comeback.

8:12 p.m. A commanding kill from Jarett and several tips from Charlie have allowed the Eagles to maintain the four-point lead at 18-14. Bellarmine has called another timeout.

8:08 p.m. Behind a few excellent hits from Jeffrey Kwan (11), the Eagles have against jumped out to a 14-10 lead and forced the Bells into another timeout.

“It’s really great watching the team again. They’ve gotten a lot better from last year, and it’s really nice just seeing them put plays together and winning some great points,” said Michael Kwan (’18).

8:05 p.m. The Bells have evened the score at 9-9, despite several blocks from the Eagles at the net.

Anna Vazhaeparambil
Jarett Anderson (12) hits during the second set of the game against Bellarmine.

8:01 p.m. The Eagles have jumped out to an early 8-4 lead behind some clutch hits from Brian Pinkston (10). The Bells, facing elimination from the playoffs, are looking to shift the momentum in their favor.

Anna Vazhaeparambil
Charlie Molin (12) sets at the net in the second game, which the Eagles won 25-21.

7:58 p.m. The third set is now underway, with scores tied at 1-1.

7:55 p.m. The Eagles clutch the second set 25-21 behind a hit from Jarett following a Bellarmine timeout. The Bells rebounded somewhat and called a timeout at 24-20, but the Eagles were able to keep them at bay. The teams will take a short break, after which the Eagles will look to finish off the match early in three sets.

7:50 p.m. With a smart tip from Jarett and a hit from Billy, the Eagles are 24-17 at the game point.

7:47 p.m. Although the Bells have tried to keep the game close, the Eagles still hold a commanding 20-15 lead.

Anna Vazhaeparambil
Billy Fan bumps the ball during the second set of the Eagles’ semifinals matchup against Bellarmine.

7:43 p.m. The Eagles jumped out to a 14-9 lead following the timeout, and have kept this momentum going with excellent defense. As another timeout is called, the Eagles are firmly in the lead at 17-10 in the second set.

7:41 p.m. Another timeout is called by the Bells, with a few powerful blocks from Brian and Jarett helping the Eagles jump ahead to a narrow 12-9 lead. This has been an aggressive game so far, with both teams trying to capture the momentum.

7:37 p.m. The second set looks to be much closer, with scores even at 7-7.

7:32 p.m. The second set is now underway, with the scores even at 3-3. The Eagles are looking to build on their momentum from the first set, which they won 25-15.

7:28 p.m. Behind a Jeffrey Kwan hit and an ace from Jarett Anderson, the Eagles win the first set 25-15. 

7:26 p.m. The Eagles look to be fully in control, as a few more hits from Billy bring the score to 23-15. The Bells look to make one last comeback.

7:24 p.m. Another timeout has been called by Bellarmine with the scoreboard reading 19-14, as the Eagles, behind several smart plays from Billy Fan (10), have pulled away to a critical five-point lead.

7:22 p.m. The Bells, behind several hits that the Eagles were unable to get to, have evened the set somewhat at 16-14. The Eagles look to keep Bellarmine at bay.

7:19 p.m. Coming out of the timeout, the Bells made somewhat of a comeback to narrow the gap to 11-8.  Both teams are playing evenly now, with the Eagles rebounding to 14-9.

Kathy Fang
Chris Gong (12) dives to save a ball during the game against Bellarmine.

7:15 p.m. A timeout is called as the Eagles are winning 10-4, with an emphatic kill from Billy Fan (10) to score the tenth. The Eagles look to hold on to this early momentum.

7:10 p.m. After Bellarmine scores the first point, the Eagles rally back with six straight behind some exceptional saves by libero Chris Gong (12) to make the score 6-1 in favor of the home side.

7:07 p.m. The game has begun, with six Eagles on the court: Jarett Anderson (12), Billy Fan (10), Liam Bakar (11), Chris Gong (12), Jeffery Kwan (11) and Charlie Molin (12).

6:55 p.m. Warmups are underway, as both the Eagles and Bells look to get loose ahead of tonight’s matchup. The audience is beginning to come in, as around 150 spectators await the start of the game.

“Two really good teams in a big match, a lot of people in the gym. Should be a fun match, a lot of good volleyball. We’ll just see who plays better tonight,” head coach Chad Gordon said ahead of the game.

Kathy Fang
The team warms up ahead of the 7 p.m. match against Bellarmine. “Two really good teams in a big match, a lot of people in the gym. Should be a fun match, a lot of good volleyball. We’ll just see who plays better tonight,” head coach Chad Gordon said, ahead of the game.

6:30 p.m. The boys’ volleyball team takes on Bellarmine in the NorCal semifinals playoffs today at 7 p.m., to earn a chance at advancing to the Division 1 NorCal finals against the winner of a match between Monta Vista and Clovis.

The last time the Eagles played the Bells was on March 23, in the Monta Vista tournament semifinals. The Eagles won that match in two sets: 25-22, 25-16.

The Eagles went to the Division 2 finals last year, losing to Amador Valley 3-2. This year, having won the CCS Division 3 title against Carmel, they compete in Divison 1 of NorCals. This has been a historically successful season for the Eagles, who are currently ranked fifth in both the nation and the state according to MaxPreps.

Keep checking this links for live coverage of the pivotal playoff match.

Additional reporting by Anna Vazhaeparambil and Kathy Fang. 

2019 CIF NorCal Boys Volleyball Championships Division I