By GERARDO RECINOS
Martinez Tribune
You would have been laughed at a year ago if you said it, and probably every year for the last five.
Beating the reigning, five-time champion Campolindo Cougars would have been unheard of. Beating them 3-0 like Alhambra did on Friday, April 22, shows how far this program has come in such a short time.
The window may be opening and closing quickly on Alhambra’s chances to win a North Coast Section title, but right now the Bulldogs are enjoying being the favorites in the section to win the title.
The two teams played a tight 3-2 match in March in Moraga, with the Diablo Foothill Athletic League opening win starting what has since been a dream season for the Bulldogs.
At 21-4 (as of April 26) the Bulldogs sit atop the DFAL, and or on the right track for a number one seed in the NCS playoffs.
A lot of that success can be attributed to head coach Peter Crowley, who in two years at the program has done unheard of things with the team.
In 2009 the Bulldogs upset De Anza in the section playoffs, and then never returned until last year, Crowley’s first at the helm for the Dogs.
Some of the players on today’s team will still remember the way the program used to look.
But on Friday they made those poor results only a bad memory.
They came out in the opening game and after trailing the entire set, took a lead at 20-19 due to back-to-back kills by senior middle hitter Will Jochum.
The 6-foot-9 senior had 16 kills on the night to lead the Bulldogs, but after they took the opening lead, he got some help from his friends.
Long-time stand out for the program Jerald Jionoran got his third and fourth kills to keep the momentum going after a serving error by the Bulldogs threatened to stop the shift.
But his efforts along with that of Jochum’s and fellow senior Kyle Magtibay allowed Alhambra to come from behind and steal the set 25-21.
From that point on there was little to no doubt who would win the remaining two games.
Alhambra lead throughout set, and although Campolindo hung with the Bulldogs they weren’t a match for the Alhambra hitters.
And the hitters were thankful for the service they got from senior Savion Prieto, who had 28 assists to go with four blocks, five digs and an ace in a fine night for him.
The second set was won by a slightly wider margin, 25-17, but the Bulldogs hadn’t turned on the style points just yet.
In set three, the dominance was put on display.
Alhambra built up a huge 7-2 lead to start set three, before running away with it. The Bulldogs extended that lead to 19-9 thanks to an ace by libero Alin Torio, who had 20 digs on the evening to compliment his ace.
The Bulldogs got a kill from the senior Jochum before the set and the match was finished off by Jionoran with an authoritative kill.
His effort to win by a score of 25-13, their widest margin of victory in a set in DFAL play.
