Frischknecht, Bulldogs top Legacy in boys volleyball
Blake Frischknecht and the Centennial boys volleyball team have made putting the clamp on league matches a priority this year.
“We’ve been working on developing that swagger and getting teams against the ropes,” Frischknecht said. “Early in the season, we struggled putting teams away. Our last couple of games, though, we’ve really never let up.”
On Monday, Frischknecht provided the punch and a host of Bulldogs delivered the knockout against visiting Legacy.
Using an aggressive front-row attack, Centennial swept the Longhorns 25-17, 25-13, 25-17 to grab sole possession of first place in the Southwest League.
“The game plan for us is to stay focused on our side,” Bulldogs coach Scott Nelson said. “We’re trying to smooth out our system and prove it in certain areas. Tonight, we did some of that.”
Centennial (8-2, 5-0 Southwest) benefitted from strong serving and a dominating passing game to push back Legacy. The Longhorns (11-2, 4-1), who had a five-match winning streak snapped, suffered throughout from lackluster serving and a series of unforced errors.
“We knew we had to play well to compete with this team,” Nelson said. “They’ve got winning in their blood. Even though they’re young, they understand how to win.”
Frischknecht keyed a 10-1 run in the first set to erase a 9-8 Legacy lead. The senior outside hitter registered six of his 10 kills in the set.
“It was good to build momentum,” said Frischkneckt, who didn’t play varsity volleyball as a junior. “We just decided to put it on them early and get the energy going.”
Centennial never wavered, opening the second set on a 12-3 spurt. Frischknecht buried a kill on an assist from Chet Durkin to push the Bulldogs lead to 24-13, and then served an ace to cap the set.
Centennial took a 20-12 lead in the third set, and Hunter Stratton’s kill just inside the left line on match point completed the sweep.
Durkin finished with 28 assists and three aces for the Bulldogs, and Stratton added eight kills and four aces.
Tanner Compton supplied eight kills for Legacy.
Centennial 3, Legacy 0
Legacy 17 13 17
Centennial 25 25 25
Highlights—Leg: Tanner Compton 8 kills, 1 block; Anthony Cabrera 8 digs. Cen: Blake Frischknecht 10 kills; Chet Durkin 28 assists, 3 aces; Hunter Stratton 8 kills, 4 aces.
