Cordova head coach Joseph Smith is “very pleased” with his squad’s 3-0 victory over McClatchy on March 18.

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Cordova Lancers have been on a roll leading up to the most important stretch of their season and that momentum continued during a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 26-24) match victory at home against McClatchy on March 18 in the Metro League opener for both teams. 

After winning the first two sets, the Lancers (12-5 overall, 2-0 Metro League at press time) found themselves battling against the Lions (2-11 overall, 0-2 Metro League at press time) to clinch the sweep.

After Lancers' standout senior middle blocker Malachi Gorman left the match early in the third set, the Lions found success attacking the Lancers up front and built a 24-21 lead.

The Lions let the Lancers back into the contest with serve mistakes and an infraction at the net. Back-to-back kills from senior outside hitter Ali Aljanabi and senior setter Grant Carr put away McClatchy for good, giving Cordova the win in their first league match of the year. 

Cordova senior Malachi Gorman (No.23) is winding up for a big hit on a perfect set by senior Grant Carr. Photos by Rick Sloan

"I'm happy with it," Lancers' head coach Joseph Smith said of the way his team picked up the win. "Metro League is a much tougher league than the GSL (Greater Sacramento League), so coming in here and proving we can compete with some of them at least is big for our morale and how things are going to go."

For the night, Carr led the Lancers with 10 kills while adding three blocks. Gorman, who only played two full sets, tallied an impressive stat line of six kills, three blocks and four service aces in a well-rounded effort. 

The Lancers also earned their second-consecutive league win on March 20 with a 3-1 victory at Kennedy, with the team appearing to be ready to battle the gauntlet of Metro League teams in their first season in the league after realignment.

According to Smith, his team has been preparing for the strong slate of games all season long. 

Senior setter Quiel Agito successfully digs out a hard serve by McClatchy.

"We've had a decent schedule for ourselves so far," Smith said. "We've played 13 matches over the past two weeks leading up to league, so I think we've been preparing ourselves for more intense play in that regard."

All in all, the Lancers look like a team sure to be in the mix for a playoff berth this season. In typical coach fashion, however, Smith is taking things one match at a time.

"We still have some improvements to make," Smith said. "We still need to sure up some things but I'm confident we can sort things out and come into these league games and be competitive."

Cordova returns to action at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, when they travel to face West Park.