The Palo Alto High School boys’ varsity volleyball defeat Cupertino High School 3-1 on Saturday, April 4th, avenging a 3-2 loss to the same team just three weeks prior.

To start the game, the Vikings dropped the first set 20-25, a familiar feeling for a team that already had let a match slip away to Cupertino on March 18th. But this time, Paly didn’t let this one get in their head and ruin the rest of their game. They responded with three straight dominant sets — 25-17, 25-16 and 25-23 — to close it out and to show Cupertino they were the better team.

“We remembered what happened last time,” said sophomore outside hitter Diego Hakeman. “That loss stuck with us, and we weren’t going to let it happen once again.”

The second and third sets were very enforcing, holding Cupertino to just 17 and 16 points. Paly came out guns blazing after dropping the first set, going on the offensive for the rest of the game.

The fourth set tightened up, with Cupertino pushing to 23 points, but the Vikings’ offense was just too powerful, and Cupertino was too overwhelmed.

“We knew their tendencies better this time around,” Hakeman said. “We made the needed adjustments, and it showed in the end.”

With the vengeful win secured, Paly continues to build momentum heading deeper into the season.

This win wasn’t just revenge; it will prove to be incredibly useful when they are fighting for first place in league later in the season.