Men's Volleyball Scores Another Win Going into Western State Conference

It was a sea-saw battle Friday night as the Corsair men's volleyball team took on San Diego's Mesa College. The game went all the way into the fifth set, where the Corsairs dominated Mesa and added another win to their season.

The back and forth battle was unpredictable from the start. A good showing from Mesa forced the Corsairs to fight for the win down to the very last set. "This game was a good experience for us. Being in a tight situation is good for team continuity. It wasn't pretty, but we pulled it off," said Matt Atkins.

Atkins, along with the help from his teammates Todd Travis, Quinn Lukens, Mark Schuermann and RJ-Storm Larsen dominated the floor from the moment the match started. Mesa did not make it easy on the team at all. They proved to be strong in their defense, making sure that SMC worked hard for this win. The Corsairs did an amazing job of blocking almost every shot that came over the net, along with a beautiful display of ball movement that helped score enough points to take three of the five sets.

The game was by no means one sided as each team took one set after another leading into the fifth and final set. Santa Monica demolished Mesa in the final set in which we saw an abundant number of dips, dives and digs all over the court. The Corsair team proved to come back in the clutch, and win the most important set of the game.

"It was a good finish before conference starts," said Mark Schuermaan. "We brought it back when we were down low. It was a good confidence builder, and we finished strong."
The Men's Volleyball team will be competing in the Western State Conference in a week and a half where they hope to bring back a title to SMC. The state conference is a big deal for the Corsairs. They are looking to dominate it, just like they did the game against Mesa.

Currently the Santa Monica men's volleyball team is 5 and 2, hoping to keep this trend up for the rest of the season.
With such a talented group of men, the Corsair volleyball program has a bright future ahead. With 10 games left to play, the Corsairs are looking forward to the rest of the season. After their showing on Friday night, they definitely have the ability to win all 10 of those games.

Coach John Mayer, a Pepperdine alumnus, has led the team into a victorious route that is likely to continue into the future of SMC volleyball. The team has new talent that is a pivotal force in their success for the rest of this season.

The men's volleyball team put on an entertaining show on Friday, with fans roaring from their seats. With the continuous support from friends and family members, it is likely that the volleyball team will go far this season and seasons to come.

The Corsair's next game is Wednesday, March 4 where they will take on LA Pierce College.