Joe Gottwald showed why he’s worthy of getting the vast majority of sets for the Cate boys volleyball team Saturday, pounding 15 kills to lead the Rams to a 25-23, 25-20, 25-22 home win over rival Laguna Blanca. Cate is now alone atop the Condor League standings.
“He’s the best hitter that I’ve seen so far in this league… I think he has the potential to be a college player,” said Cate coach Dan Terry, who was pleased with his team’s performance as a whole.
Max Davis is only in his first year as a spiker, but he provided a strong blocking presence to go along with his seven kills on the day. Rey Canseco dug nearly every ball that came his way, and Isaac Thompson wisely set Gottwald whenever possible on the left side.
Gottwald received a whopping 40 sets over the 3-set span.
Laguna Blanca (6-5, 5-2), meanwhile, struggled with its passing. Senior leader Julian Harake put away 11 kills, but the Owls have been somewhat disjointed due to the loss of three key players. The JV squad has dissolved, and the program now carries seven players.
“I think the problem has more to do with practice. We only had four guys yesterday,” said Harake, who had never lost to the Rams in his career as an Owl.
Coach Bobby Sanchez said that the team will need to come together down the stretch to make a run at the postseason.
Both teams would make the playoffs if the season ended today, and Terry said his goal is to lead the Rams (8-3, 7-1) past the first round.
Cate plays at Dunn on Wednesday, while Laguna presses on to host St. Bonaventure on Monday.
