The Moorpark Men’s Volleyball team played Los Angeles Trade Tech at home Friday night, and won decisively with a three game sweep. The Raiders are working through some mix up in their starting line-up, with Jamal Balkhi starting as libero over Jose Rojas, and Nicholas Shoemate moving from outside hitter to opposite hitter.

Balkhi worked hard and has been playing better than he was, so he was rewarded with the starting position over co-captain Rojas. Rojas isn’t bitter about losing the starting position, but instead plans on using it to fuel him to take the start back.

“I know I will [start] , I know I need to work hard,” said Rojas.

Balkhi is just excited to be starting and looks to help the team anyway he can. He plans to help the team emotionally as well as with his play.

“We need people to keep us upbeat,” said Balkhi.

The new lineup went out and played an energetic and scrappy LA Tech team. Moorpark had to work to put the ball away due to LA Tech’s defensive effort, but the Raiders are no strangers to hard work. The Raiders took a five point lead early in the game, and kept up the pressure to finish the first game with a score of 25-14.

LA Trade Tech kept the second game close, but Moorpark still won by a score of 25-20. Looking to sweep, Moorpark came out strong the third game and finished off LA Trade with a 25-10 win.
Moorpark handled the LA Trade Tech team pretty easily, but that didn’t mean the Raiders looked down on the first year program. The Beavers played hard and Head Coach Steve Burkhart surely respected their effort.

“My hats off to them”, said Burkhart, who knows that this is not an easy division for a first year program to play in.

Moorpark, with a record of 4-4, will look to beat a 4-5 LA Pierce at Raider Pavilion at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 5.