The Cubs played their home opener this season against the John Burroughs Indians tonight after starting their season 2-0 with sweeps against Palos Verdes and El Segundo. The Cubs looked dominant against both teams in the opening two sets but were given trouble in the deciding set. Tonight they look to continue the dominance and see if they can win all three sets comfortably.

Starting Six:

Will Campbell, Cameron Lynch, Henry Wedbush, Luke Turner, Nico Posivak, Dillon Klein

Set 1

The Cubs gave up the first two points of the game after they get caught for a footfall and blocked on an attempted spike but quickly recover when Luke Turner hits right over the Burroughs blockers. A miscommunication from the Indians makes the game level before the Cubs have a mishap of their own. Henry Wedbush ties the game with a sweet spike to the four spot. The Cubs then rally with big blocks that win them their first lead of the game. Burroughs won’t relent and only trail by a point when a block gives them their next point. The Cubs are able to retain the lead when the Indians fail to show the ability to consistently land their spikes and serves inside. The Cubs steadily maintain a three-point lead despite poor serves that land out and are called for footfalls. A sweet play from the Cubs that sends the Indian blockers the wrong way allows the Cubs to cling on to the lead. A four point swing goes the Indians’ way right after, though, and careless errors have the game tied at ten. Luke Turner ends the run with a strong spike to the center of the court but the Cubs give up the serve immediately when the Indians respond with a strong spike. The momentum has clearly swung the way of the Cubs, though, as they go on a 5-0 run that puts them into a 15-11 lead in the game. The Burroughs coach decides he’s seen enough and calls the first timeout of the night. The Indians come out with a nice play but Wedbush comes up with a big block to keep the momentum in favor of the Cubs. The team goes on a 3-0 run after the timeout and suddenly leads 18-11 in the set. The Cub run finally ends when the Indians spike a ball that ricochets into the stands after a dig attempt. The Cubs then give up another point immediately after another spike. Tristan Mortimer is the one to respond this time and he elevates for a spike that silences the Indians. Wedbush and Mortimer both continue to be thorns in the side of Burroughs as they each send a spike that put points on the board. Klein and Campbell continue the Cub dominance after they earn an ace and a spike respectively. The Cubs are able to close out the set well and finish off a Burroughs serve that sails out of bounds.

Score 25-16

Set 2

The Cubs start the second set with a lineup of Mortimer, Klein, Turner, Wedbush, Mohr, and Campbell with Posivak as the libero. The Cubs are first on the board this set with a spike from Campbell and a block from Mohr, giving the team a two point cushion to start the set. The team finally relinquishes the set off a serve that goes out of bounds but bounce back with a spike from Wedbush. The Cubs look like they have something to prove this quarter as they jump out to an early 6-1 lead. The Cubs are challenging the Burroughs blockers time and time again with seemingly no answers from the away side. A couple missed serves from the Cubs are what give the Indians a lifeline and allow the team to cut the lead to just three. The Cubs won’t go away so easily, though, and again challenge the middle blockers who still can’t crack the code of the Loyola offense. Some silly mistakes, including passing the line under the net, let the Indians back into the game and bring the set to a one point contest. The Cubs go back to their bread and butter, though, and immediately restore the lead to four, prompting a timeout from Burroughs. The Cubs lead the set 13-9. The Cubs come out of the timeout well when they force a hitter to send his spike out of bounds. The Cubs give up a point right after but immediately adapt to some complex plays from the Indians to allow them an opportunity that ends in a spike. The Cubs hold a 16-11 lead after Indian rally. The Cubs send a few hits out of bounds and have their lead disappear but a moment before responding to make the score 18-13. Burroughs simply won’t go away and an ace and a spike put the team back within three. Despite the momentum, the Indians can’t figure out how to stop the Loyola hitters and the Cubs are able to put themselves right back into the driver’s seat at 21-16. The Indians call timeout in an attempt to mount the improbable comeback. The Indians have a miscommunication right out of the break and give up a crucial point before the Cubs send a serve out of bounds. The Indians muff a serve of their own and the Cubs need just two points before the game is over. The server sends the ball way out of bounds but is bailed out by the Burroughs server failing, too. The Cubs finally get a serve over and block a hit to end the set.

Score 25-18

Set 3

The six to start the third set are the same as the ones that started the second with the exception of Aidan Peters as the new addition. The Cubs look dominant on the first point of the set but give up the point after a lift is called against them. The Cubs quickly respond with the same thing that brought them success in the second set as they earn two quick points on athletic hits. The Cubs are turning into stellar blockers as not a single spike comes their way that they don’t send right back for a few plays. The teams are tied at four before the Cubs take the lead with a big hit from Mortimer. The Cubs give up a point off a big hit from the Indians but are bailed out when Burroughs sends the serve out of bounds. The Cubs are behind for the first time since the first set after a miscommunication puts the home team at a 6-7 disadvantage. The Cubs respond with a spike and an ace that puts them up by a point. Unfortunately, the Indians don’t seem to go away as they come up with a block after a botched serve to tie the set. The Indians go right back up by one when they start to challenge the blockers who were so good earlier in the set. They continue to let the Cubs off the hook easy, though, as they send another serve wide of the court. The Cubs send a spike out of bounds but make up for it with a block that ties the set at 11. A pair of missed serves from both sides means that the score is 12-12 before Turner puts the Cubs in front by a pair off some smart hits to weak areas. The Indians further compound their troubles when a hit sails out of bounds and puts the Cubs up by 3. The Indians call a timeout before things can get out of hand, the score being 15-12. After the timeout, the Cubs read an Indian play to perfection and have three blockers to send a hit back for the point. The next play the Cubs force a miscommunication shortly before Mortimer comes up with a highlight block to put the team up 6. The Indians win a long rally for the next point to finally respond but send yet another serve over the end line. The Cubs give the Indians a lifeline when they send their serve into the net but Campbell makes sure the confidence ends there with a spike that has the Indians running into each other. Burroughs scramble and need four hits to get the ball over before Campbell serves an ace. The Cubs are dominant as they force a hit over the end line again and lead 23-14. The game is all but over when the Cubs send the ball out of bounds. The Indians begin to pick up some momentum with four consecutive points but the Cubs need just two points to close the game out. A crafty play from the Cubs sends all the Indian blockers the wrong way before Turner spikes it home. The team then sends a spike off the blockers and into the stands as they close the sweep out in front of the home crowd.

Score 25-19