Over the weekend, the boys volleyball team went undefeated to win a tournament at Upper Saint Clair.

The tournament consisted of 12 teams that matched up first in pool play to become seeded for bracket play. Baldwin clinched the first seed for bracket play and continued their hot streak to seal the tournament win. 

The team’s first opponent in bracket play was Upper St. Clair, and though it was a close match, Baldwin came out on top.

Senior Dylan Leonhardt said taking down St. Clair was a confidence booster.

“One of the best moments through the tournament was undoubtedly beating Upper St. Clair. They’re our section rivals, and we will play them again on our senior rec, so it’s nice to already have beaten them,” Leonhardt said. 

The team ultimately defeated North Hills to win the tournament.

“We had some struggles throughout the tournament, but we came back stronger and beat North Hills,” sophomore Jack Zugates said

For seeded play, teams played one set. In pool play, teams played a best of three, and the Highlanders only lost one set, to Gateway.

“We could practice closing blocks a little better, but overall we had very few issues,” Zugates said. 

Leonhardt said communication skills needed to be improved.

“There’s definitely some holes in our communication, but those are small things that can always be tweaked or fixed,” Leonhardt said. 

Throughout the tournament, the team performed exceptionally well in spiking and serving, which contributed significantly to major wins over some of the tournament’s tougher opponents, Zugates said. 

The team got closer as a result of the win.

“It felt great to win. The team was blasting music, and we all connected on the bus,” Zugates said.

Leonhardt has a positive attitude toward the rest of the season.

“I think we’re a pretty complete team. I don’t see a lot of holes, and I feel that we are a competitive team,” Leonhardt said.