Warriors second in boys volleyball Sweetwater Tournament division

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Fallbrook High School's boys volleyball team began the 2022 season by taking second place in the Copper Division of the Feb. 25-26 Sweetwater Tournament.

"Great start, " said Fallbrook coach Chip Patterson.

Forty boys tried out for the varsity and junior varsity teams. "That's the first time we ever had that many, " Patterson said.

Patterson was forced to make cuts. The varsity squad has 12 players, including six who were on the 2021 team. Another 16 players are on the junior varsity roster.

The varsity players include some of Fallbrook's basketball team members whose season lasted into the CIF playoffs. "Some of them only had four days of practice," Patterson said.

During pool play at the Sweetwater Tournament, the Warriors posted a 2-1 record for second place in their pool. The Warriors then won two bracket matches before losing to Clairemont in the Copper Division championship game.

Fallbrook's first dual match of the season was played March 1 at Orange Glen. The Warriors won in three games.

"They did very well, " Patterson said.

Some improvement during the match itself occurred. "We had to work on communication," Patterson said.

Fallbrook hosted El Camino on March 3, although the Wildcats prevailed in three games. "They have a very talented team," Patterson said.

The Del Lago Tournament took place March 4-5. The Warriors were 2-1 in pool play before losing both bracket matches. "We didn't do so well, " Patterson said.

Two of the three losses were on the opponent's court. The March 4 pool play matches were at Mission Hills High School and the March 5 contests took place at Escondido High School.

"We gave those games away to them," Patterson said.

The tournaments provided experience for the Fallbrook players. "They served their purpose," Patterson said.

The results gave Fallbrook a 7-6 record for the season. "They're learning and it's a great start to be .500," Patterson said. "In recent history, we would be about 0 and 6 at this time."

Not only did Fallbrook's boys basketball team reach the playoffs, but the girls basketball team won the CIF San Diego Section championship and played in the state tournament. That was good for the athletic program as a whole but limited the volleyball team's access to the gymnasium. "Volleyball couldn't really practice the times and the way we wanted," Patterson said. "A lot of mechanics are affected."

Only two of the Fallbrook players have club experience. "For their skill level they're doing well," Patterson said. "I'm proud of them no matter what. "