The Baldwin volleyball team defeated Bethel Park 3-1 Thursday night.This was the first win of the season for the boys, and senior Anjal Gurung said it meant a lot for them.

“It felt great to just get that win,” Gurung said. “It helped boost the team’s morale.”

Gurung gave props to junior Alex Kelly, who is one of their hitters.

“I think Alex Kelly played the best. He was hitting everything,” Gurung said.

Kelly, meanwhile, said the team’s passing and support were exceptionally good in the game.

“I feel that we passed really well last night. Passing around helped get the ball to the setters and then to the hitters, who were on fire last night,” Kelly said.

In the first set Baldwin beat Bethel, 25-20. The second set was more heated, with the teams trading points back and forth until Baldwin finally won the set 31-29.

“That set was pretty intense, and I feel that it is good that we were able to overcome a high-pressure situation like that,” Kelly said.

The game was fierce in the second set due to Bethel’s hitters. Despite this, Bethel lost points from serves.

“Their outside hitters were really good,” Gurung said. “If they got their serves in, it would’ve been a lot closer.”

Bethel did manage to win the third set, but Baldwin won the fourth to take the match.

The entire team performed well, Gurung said.

“The mindset we had going into the game was good compared to others,” Gurung said. “We killed every ball.”

Looking forward to their upcoming matches, Kelly feels that the team needs to work on a few things.

“We have a lot of energy dips throughout the match when we go down a big run. It’s important to try to keep our energy high so we can fight back after those long runs,” Kelly said. 

Gurung added that Baldwin needs to work on maintaining a lead.

“I think when we have a lead we have to keep it going instead of slowing down,” Gurung said.

The boys next game is on the road Tuesday against Peters Township.