Titans bolt past Chargers

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IMSA's Zach Maril finally got an opportunity to play in the Titans' boys volleyball match with St. Joseph on Monday.

Maril stood on the sidelines as the Titans opened the season 0-2. But on his birthday, Maril got his shot to break into the middle blocker rotation and tied for the team lead with three kills as IMSA notched its first win of the season, 25-11, 25-16.

"I just came out and had fun," he said. "It's pretty cool. It's a good way to celebrate my birthday."

IMSA coach Allison Miner is the third coach in the last three years for the program. And thanks to the fact that most of the players on the team do not live in the area, the two months of the season are really the only time the players get to play together, making the win that much sweeter.

"We have a pretty mixed team with some kids that have never played before, so they're trying to come together," Miner said. "I think that can be hard to overcome, but we're having fun."

IMSA wasted little time getting going Monday, jumping out to a 10-2 lead in Game 1, helped by a pair of Roy Fisher aces. The Chargers never really threatened as IMSA took Game 1.

The Titans had another quick start in the second, taking an early 7-2 lead. But St. Joseph was able to claw back into it at 15-13. But IMSA started to pull away, thanks to two of Kelly Wu's three aces on the day, to push the lead to 20-13. Shobhit Roy's powerful jump serve provided the final point of the match with an ace.

"Maril stepped up a lot because he doesn't usually get to play a lot," Miner said. "And Kelly Wu really stepped up a lot. He's played very consistently over the past three matches."

Miner's goals for the team are modest. First, having a consistent coaching staff and program should help the Titans compete against smaller schools. Then building up a talent base will come next. Because Miner is already a coach at the school, coaching girls basketball and sophomore girls volleyball, that transition could be coming together.

"I think our goal this year is to keep building on top of what they've had the last two years and add more wins than they've had," she said. "We just have to keep working on our plays and all of the new stuff that we're trying to throw at them." Boys Volleyball