Despite a tough opening set, Del Mar showed resilience and flashes of high level play in a 3–1 loss to Prospect High School Volleyball on Tuesday night. The Dons fell by set scores of 9–25, 24–26, 25–18 and 19–25.
Coming into the match, Prospect was widely viewed as one of the top teams in the Blossom Valley Athletic League B-League and they showed their strength early. Del Mar struggled to find rhythm in the first set, dropping it quickly 9–25.
Despite that, the team’s mentality remained strong throughout the match. Players pointed to their chemistry and resilience as key positives.
“We’re a brotherhood,” Robbins said. “We keep our heads up because we know we can come back, even if we’re down a lot.”
The Dons responded immediately. In the second set, Del Mar pushed Prospect to the limit, battling point-for-point before narrowly falling 24–26. The momentum carried into the third set, where Del Mar broke through for a 25–18 win, showcasing improved defense, energy and confidence.
“We adjusted our blocking, defense and mainly our mindset,” said Nikita Kovalchuk-Krymchak. “After the first set, we were really down, but then we started saying, ‘Hey guys, it’s all good—short memory, next set.’ After that, we started playing way better.”
Del Mar continued to compete in the fourth set but ultimately fell 19–25, closing out the match.
Even in the loss, players emphasized the team’s effort and growth. “It was a matchup we were supposed to lose,” said libero Samuel Robbins. “But we fought for what we got. We ended up winning a set and we should be proud of that.”
Robbins anchored the defense with six grade-3 digs, consistently keeping Del Mar in rallies against Prospect’s powerful attack. His performance stood out to teammates as well.
“Sam… he got a lot more digs today than he usually does, even on hard hits,” said outside hitter Joaquin Ronquillo.
Offensively, Del Mar showed they could keep pace. Ronquillo contributed 3 kills, while Kovalchuk-Krymchak added 8 kills, helping lead the push in the team’s set victory.
Still, consistency proved to be the difference.
“We can keep up with them pretty easily,” Ronquillo said. “It’s just that there were a lot of tough plays we should be making, but we’re hesitating.”
That theme—closing the gap between competing and executing—was echoed across the team. While Del Mar demonstrated it could match Prospect’s level in stretches, missed opportunities and lapses in consistency prevented a full comeback.
Looking ahead, Del Mar is focused on growth and preparation as league play continues.
“We just practice,” Robbins said. “We treat every game like a new game and go in with a winning attitude. If we go in thinking we’ll lose, we’re going to lose.”
With a competitive showing against one of the league’s top teams, the Dons proved they can hang with elite competition—now, the next step is turning those close moments into wins.
