On paper, things don’t look good for the Wilson Bruins’ boys’ volleyball team tonight, as they host a semifinal match against Loyola at 7pm.  But then, things usually don’t look good on paper for the Bruins.  “On paper, people would look at us and say, ‘You have people who’ve never played club, people who’ve only been playing for a very short time,’” says Wilson coach Susan Pescar. 

On paper, Loyola is nearly unbeatable—the Cubs are 25-2 this season, and have been ranked number one in the nation by ESPN for most of the year, recently slipping down to number two.  They have six players who are 6’5” or taller, they haven’t lost in over two months, and they’ve given up just five sets in their last 13 matches.  “They look like a college team, to be honest.”

Of course, the Bruins aren’t exactly slouches either—this year might be the best team Wilson has ever had, completing a perfect sweep of the Moore League for the first time ever, and reaching as high as 11th-ranked nationally, and 4th-ranked in CIF, both highs for the program.  But personal bests don’t mean as much in the talent-rich CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs, especially against clubs like Loyola.  Pescar knows—in the eight years she’s been with Wilson’s boys’ team, she’s taken them to the CIF quarterfinals four times, but this is the first time they’ve advanced to the semifinals.  “And most of those teams were really super-competitive,” she says.  “But this team has a different personality—everybody, not just on the court but the people on the bench, too.  I don’t even know what it is—it’s indescribable.”

If you’ve seen the Bruins play this year, you know what it she’s—they have fun, they like each other, and they can be fiery and competitive without sacrificing focus.  It all adds up into a…something.  Whatever it is, they’ll need to try and stay within themselves and their scrappy style of play if they want to beat Loyola.

“We can expect them to be big and powerful and have big jump serves and big swings,” says Pescar.  “It can’t faze you—you have to expect that they’ll have some great blocks and kills and aces.  It’s okay—it’s okay even to be impressed by it and say, ‘Alright, let’s stay in our game.’”

If Wilson tries to get into a battle of might against the physically superior Cubs, it could be a pretty quick night—if they can play their game and stay focused, they could make history.  “I just tell them to go out and play their hearts out,” says Pescar.  “Then no matter what happens you’ll have nothing to feel bad about.”