Knights serve up win over Southern

Senior Alex Kozikowski, who had 15 kills at the game, reaches out to tip the ball past the blockers.

BY KNIGHT LIFE STAFF

The Knights defeated rival Southern Regional in five sets in a closely contested match. The 3-2 victory against the powerhouse program brings the team’s record up to 14-4.

Southern won the first set 25-21 to take an early lead over Old Bridge. “We made a lot of service errors in the beginning of the sets,” said senior Alexander Kozikowski.

The Knights pulled together to win the second, third, and fifth sets. “We knew what we needed to do. We just didn’t have the energy,” said junior Jonah Pagulayan, who has 36 assists to lead the game.

The match required endurance and focus as the lead switched back and forth between the teams. “We stayed mentally tough, and we kept each other up,” said Kozikowski, who contributed 15 kills. “We got every point, one point at a time.”

Senior Akin Oyebode, who contributed13 kills during the game, swings past the blocker.

The Knights fought for the win physically and mentally. The barrier between winning and losing came down to 4-9 points each set. “We all got mentally tough when we locked in, and we brought the energy, and that really made the difference,” said Pagulayan.

After both coaches agreed to short fifth set, the Knights dominated 15-7 to close out the match. “We definitely knew that we were playing very good, but we just lacked a couple of things,” said freshman libero Riley Vista. “We knew what we had to fix, and it led us to the win.”

Freshman Jack Agular, who added 23 assists during the game, serves the ball.

The defensive players shined to help win the match “Our defense, that’s the most important part. We made a lot of defensive plays,” said senior Akintoyese Oyebode. “That helped us come back, even when the times were rough.”

Old Bridge earned the win despite playing without kills leader Oskar Lapinski, who suffered an injury a week ago. “Without Oskar, obviously, we’re not as good as we can be, but we all have that mental toughness you saw in the game,” said Pagulayan.

Teamwork played a big part in the Knights coming out on top. “My teammates had my back,” said Oyebode. “We had a good team win, you know, everyone did their part, and that’s all we need to win.”

“It’s definitely hard not having Oskar on the court, but it’s the next man up mentality,” said Pagulayan. “No matter what happens, we’re still a team; we’re still a family.” Brandon Mullins (16), Michael Santangelo (15), Kozikowski (15), and Oyebode (13) stepped up and racked up the kills to lead the offense.

The crowd inspired the team with chants and cheers. Old Bridge students came out dressed in purple to show their support. “I expect the same kind of energy in the crowd,” said Oyebode. “We feed off the crowd. We use the motivation and put it into our game.”

The Knights optimistically look to the future. “I think we can definitely push forward and look at this not as a win, but as a milestone, to push forward and take the state title and GMCs,” said Vista.

Junior Brandon Mullins prepares to hit sharp cross.
Freshman Jack Agular sets the ball up for a kill.
Junior Brandon Mullins, who led the game with 16 kills, serves the ball.
Brandon Mullins, Riley Vista, Jonah Pagulayan, and Michael Santangelo huddle around Akin Oyebode after he scores a point.
Senior Akin Oyebode, who led the team with three aces against Southern, jumps to serve the ball.
Junior Jonah Pagulayan, who had 36 assists in the game, goes to set the ball.
Senior Akin Oyebode, who contributed13 kills during the game, swings past the blocker.