Pahrump Valley boys volleyball falls to Coral Academy in season opener

It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this point, but the Pahrump Valley High School boys volleyball program finally got to break the ice on their home court.

Opening up their newly appointed season last Wednesday in the PVHS gym, the Trojans were faced with a well-rounded league challenger in Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas squad.

While the Trojans did go down in order 1-2-3 (25-13, 25-11, 25-17), the gym’s decent home crowd, despite a baseball game taking place an hour and half prior, came roaring alive during a few really long rallies in the third set.

“The varsity boys are a special group of athletes! They are so committed to improving and playing their best,” Trojans head coach Amber Lugo said. “I am so blessed to be apart of their journey.”

Coral Academy controlled the match from the opening serve, using aggressively accurate serves to keep Pahrump Valley on the defensive throughout the night.

The Falcons (4-0) finished with 39 total kills and a .263 hitting percentage, compared to just six kills for the Trojans.

Sophomore outside hitter Tyler Ou led Coral Academy with 10 kills while hitting an impressive .556, adding six service aces to pace the Falcons from the service line.

Ou’s serving runs helped Coral Academy build a momentum in multiple sets that prevented the boys from establishing a consistent rhythm offensively.

Falcons sophomore Filip Kubowicz also contributed heavily with 10 kills and three aces, while sophomore Quinlan Chia added eight kills.

Running the offense efficiently, Falcons junior setter Sergio Merino recorded 23 assists and kept the Falcons’ hitters involved throughout the match.

Coral Academy’s offensive balance forced Pahrump Valley to defend the entire net rather than focusing on a single attacker.

Defensively, Coral Academy was just as effective. The Falcons finished with 54 digs, led by junior Noah Doan, who recorded 18 digs and added three aces.

The strong defensive effort allowed Coral Academy to extend rallies and quickly transition back into offense that turned into quick scores.

Trojans senior Andy Sanchez was the team’s most productive offensive player, finishing with five kills on a .308 hitting percentage and adding three digs.

Sanchez accounted for the majority of the Trojans’ offense in the match.

However, Pahrump Valley struggled to generate consistent opportunities.

The team finished with 38 attack attempts and a negative hitting percentage (-.026), largely due to the Falcons’ stiff defensive effort and serving pressure.

Serve receiving also proved challenging for the Trojans, who committed 17 reception errors, preventing them from consistently running their offense.

Coral Academy, by comparison, finished the match with zero reception errors, allowing their setter to run a consistently smooth offensive system.

At the service line, the Falcons totaled 14 aces, while the Trojans recorded only three. Despite serving efficiently with only one service error, the Trojans were unable to match the Falcons’ pressure.

Coral Academy also held the edge defensively at the net, finishing with four total blocks, led by sophomore Aaron Chen, who recorded two solo blocks and a block assist.

Pahrump Valley will look to regroup and improve its offensive production and serve-receive consistency heading into its next league match-up.

Scheduled for March 23, the Trojans are set to host the Meadows at home at 6 p.m., following two weeks off from play.

“There are 10 seniors and one junior that have wanted this opportunity for years and win or lose, we are enjoying every single day,” Lugo said.

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.