SAN JOSE — Archbishop Mitty boys volleyball doesn’t like to make things too easy on itself.
The Monarchs are an outstanding team that has lost two matches all year. Mitty won the CCS Open Division championship in four sets over St. Francis, generally looking untouchable when it wanted to be.
Tuesday’s match against Oak Ridge in the opening round of the CIF NorCal Division I playoffs was a little bit different. The Monarchs were on their heels from the get-go, going down early and having to rally back to retake the lead.
Archbishop Mitty’s Andy Guo (24) bumps the ball against Oak Ridge in the second set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)But just in the nick of time, Mitty took care of business. After going down 23-22, the Monarchs buckled down and won the first set 26-24.
Mitty saved another 23-22 deficit in the second set, finishing it off with a 3-0 run. And in the third set, Mitty managed a 24-21 lead, lost two match points, then finally finished Oak Ridge off with a crosscourt kill by star hitter William Dryden.
Pretty? Nope. Effective? You bet.
Archbishop Mitty’s William Dryden (18) sets the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)“I could tell during our pregame that we didn’t really have it today,” coach Gregg Gallegos said. “As the match went on, we did not play great volleyball. Our serve receive was not good, our defense was not good, but we feel like we’re a championship team. We won our league, we won our section, and championship teams just have to find a way to win, no matter how ugly it gets. And we did just enough to get the win. We did what we needed to do to squeak it out.”
The Monarchs (38-2) are the top seed in the NorCal Division I bracket and were expected to breeze through the opening round against No. 8 Oak Ridge (29-5). On the score sheet, it’s still a sweep.
But Mitty has plenty to work on before it welcomes in No. 4 Clovis for its semifinal match on Thursday.
“Their serving was pretty consistent,” Mitty junior setter Ryan Barnes said. “They were able to get that nice, flat float serve in the court a lot of the time, and we didn’t pass the ball very well. So next game, we’ll probably just reset and get some more reps earlier on.”
Archbishop Mitty’s Ryan Barnes (7) bumps the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)Barnes hurt himself on Saturday in the Monarchs’ CCS final match against St. Francis, skinning his left hand on the court while diving to pursue a ball. He had it wrapped on Tuesday, but that didn’t seem to make a big difference as he set up Mitty’s hitters.
Barnes assisted on 39 of Mitty’s 40 overall kills in the match.
“He slid for a ball, and like half of the skin on his hand just ripped open,” Gallegos said of Saturday’s match. “It was all pink and red at first, and then it started bleeding through all the bandages and wraps that we were putting on him.
Archbishop Mitty’s Ryan Barnes (7) serves the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)“But at the same time, that dude’s tough as nails. You could wrap that hand up as much as possible, and the ball will still look so pretty coming out of his hands. He’s one of the best setters I’ve ever seen playing in high school, so I know he’ll play through anything and be great for us.”
Barnes said his hand is feeling better to the point where he doesn’t really notice an impediment.
“It’s getting better,” Barnes said. “I just got a Band-Aid on it. It doesn’t really hurt. It’s fine. I’m good. I don’t even feel it.”
Archbishop Mitty’s Ryan Barnes (7) and Archbishop Mitty’s Antony Niu (27) attempt to block a spike against Oak Ridge in the first set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)Related Articles
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But even now, the Monarchs are sweeping NorCal opponents with their B-game. It’s not a bad spot to be in.
“We can beat any team that’s out there,” Barnes said. “I think we’re the best in NorCal right now.”
“Credit to them. They were a tough matchup,” Gallegos said of Oak Ridge. “There’s a lot that we need to work on before our game on Thursday. We knew that they had some studs on their team, and I think that team is going to be really good for years to come, that’s for sure.”
Archbishop Mitty’s Oscar Klement (15) spikes the ball against Oak Ridge in the first set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s Niklas Jakobskrueger (22) tips the ball over the net against Travis Vandeluyster (28) in the first set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s Niklas Jakobskrueger (22) spikes the ball against Travis Vandeluyster (28) in the second set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s E.J. Tejano (4) bumps the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s E.J. Tejano (4) celebrates a point against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s Oscar Klement (15) bumps the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s William Dryden (18) spikes the ball against Jamie Fraser (4) and Travis Vandeluyster (28) in the first set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s Oscar Klement (15) bumps the ball against Oak Ridge in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Archbishop Mitty’s William Dryden (18) tries to get the ball past Jack Reynolds (23) in the third set at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Read More Details
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