Boys volleyball team 3-2 after first five matches

Fallbrook High School's boys volleyball team held a 3-2 record after the Warriors' first five matches of the 2018 season.

The fifth match of the season, a March 15 contest at Liberty Charter, was also Fallbrook's first three-game victory of the season. The Warriors prevailed in 25-23, 27-25 and 25-12 sets.

"Right now they're doing good," said Fallbrook coach Chip Patterson.

The Warriors opened their season Feb. 28 with a 25-14, 25-21, 27-25 loss at San Pasqual. The March 6 match at Escondido Adventist ended as a 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24 Fallbrook victory.

Fallbrook's home opener March 8 was a five-game win over Temecula Valley. Fallbrook won the 25-21 first game. The Golden Bears evened the match with a 25-22 triumph in the second set. Fallbrook prevailed in game three by a 25-19 score. Temecula Valley staved off defeat with a 25-17 victory in the fourth game. A 15-12 Warriors victory in game five decided the match.

Del Norte traveled to Fallbrook for a March 12 match and the Nighthawks returned home with a 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21 triumph.

"We have a great team, great dynamics, great players," Patterson said. "They've got to find that chemistry."

The 12 players on the roster include seven who were on the 2017 varsity and four who were on last year's junior varsity.

"They know each other, but they're playing different positions," Patterson said.

Five of the 2017 Warriors were seniors. Only four of this year's players are at the positions they played in 2017 while senior outside hitter Miles Dewhirst and junior libero Tommy Pestolis are the only two players who started at their position both in 2017 and in 2018. Current sophomore Logan Sim was an outside hitter on last year's junior varsity squad and this year is a starting outside hitter but also plays middle blocker when the situation warrants. Starting middle blocker Sean Wenzel is also a sophomore who was on last year's junior varsity.

"The game is a lot faster as they move up a level," Patterson said of junior varsity players transitioning to the premier level.