On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the Moorpark Raiders men’s volleyball team hosted the El Camino Warriors in the exciting atmosphere of the Raider Pavilion.

The team entered the game with two previous losses against Long Beach and Santa Monica College. Both games had reached five sets, but the team fell 3-2 in both matches.

Looking to bounce back, the Raiders kept their confidence and energy and swept their opponents 3-0.

Freshman Taylor Phipps, who contributed 14 points in the match, including four serving aces and nine kills, commented on their previous two games, coming back from two losses and sharing how he and the team went into this game with confidence.

“We just try to bounce back,” Phipps said. “Every day in the gym we just try to get better and we just worked hard tonight.”

The Raiders came into the first set of the game incredibly strong, dominating the game with runs of 10-4, 18-2 and 7-1. The first set ended with a score of 25-7, an excellent performance from the Raiders.

Even with the significant lead of the first set, El Camino didn’t back down. The second set was much closer, with longer rallies between the teams. The Raiders started the set with a 9-3 run, but with a few hitting mistakes throughout the set, the Warriors were able to keep the score close. However, the Raiders cleaned up their game and pulled ahead, ending the set with a score of 25-18.

Freshman setter Chris Pavon noted the improvements from the team’s previous games to their victory Wednesday night.

“We served a lot better this match, kept up the energy, and it gave us a good result.”

In the third and final set, the Warriors continued to put up a fight, leading to another close set. This time, the Raiders opened with a run of 6-2, a slighter lead compared to the last two sets, but the team continued to pull away from the Warriors.

By the end of the third set, the Raiders were able to keep a lead of 25-18, sweeping their opponents 3-0 and bouncing back from their previous losses. The team is now at a 5-4 run overall, with plenty of games left in their season to continue their Western State Conference journey.

Sophomore Merit Ghodrat contributed 25 assists in the game, a high for the Raiders. He also took notice of the team’s much-improved result and had a similar observation to his teammate.

“We played with a lot more confidence [and energy]. I think they go hand-in-hand, more confidence, more energy,” Ghodrat said.

The Raiders will host their next opponent, L.A. Pierce College, next Wednesday, March 16, 2024, at 6 p.m. in Raider Pavilion.

For more information on the Moorpark Raiders men’s volleyball team’s upcoming games, click here.