The Baldwin boys volleyball team won 3-1 against Hempfield Tuesday night.

It was Baldwin’s first win over Hempfield in two years. Junior Ayush Rai played a key role by serving aces throughout the game, senior Dylan Leonhardt said.

Baldwin lost the first set of the match, but the team was prepared for this to happen. 

“We planned ahead for it and when we came together, it was like: Just stay calm, get our energy back, and then we’ll play,” Rai said.

After some early struggles, the Highlanders felt more coordinated and knew that they could pull together and win.

“The first set and the second set were bad. We could have improved. But then the last two were really good,” Rai said.

Senior Austin Kruszewski gave some of his teammates credit for the win.

“(Junior) Martino Suta performed well. His passing was really good and was a key part of the win,” Kruszewski said. “Ayush Rai was also very consistent with his sets.”

Senior Alex Kelly also credited Suta’s performance. 

“Our serve receive was very good,” Kelly said. “Martino always does a good job passing the ball.”

Senior Brayden Gremba credited Baldwin’s composure for the win. 

“We did a really good job of staying composed. Three out of the four sets were really close at the end, so it helped us there,” Gremba said. 

Leonhardt noticed a difference in the way some Hempfield players competed compared to previous times he has faced them in club competitions.

“They’re not serving like how they would if they were playing club,” Leonhardt said. “I think part of it is that they might not have been playing like how they would if they had complete freedom.”

Even though Baldwin won, Kruszewski said that there were things that the team could work on in the future.

“We can focus on our tip coverage and not letting the ball drop,” Kruszewski said. 

Kelly said their overall shot coverage needs improvement. 

“We need to improve on our tip and roll shot coverage. Too many balls drop short and no one is there to pick them up,” Kelly said. 

The Highlanders’ next action will be a tournament Saturday at Norwin High School.