Playing in the ultra-competitive FCIAC, the challenges are many for the Greenwich High School boys volleyball team this spring and one of it faced one of its formidable foes on Monday when Staples came to town.

The rival Wreckers are in the midst of a successful season and the Cardinals put forth tough effort, especially in the third and fourth sets against their conference rivals.

Winning the first two sets, Staples withstood a Greenwich rally in the third set, then took the final one on its way to recording a well-earned 3-1 victory over the host Cardinals.

“We’ve been a little short staffed, but we’re trying really hard, we’ve been working hard in practice and we have a good bunch of athletes on our team,” Greenwich first year head coach George Kailas said.

Senior co-captain James Kovac recorded 12 digs, six kills, one assist, one block and one ace for the Cardinals, who have a record of 1-4 so far this season.

Keito Fukushima registered eight digs, 18 assists, three aces and one kills for Greenwich, which saw Staples win the match, 25-10, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19.

“We just have to find that togetherness and confidence to play at these important moments,” Kailas said. “Hopefully, we’ll find that during the course of the rest of the season. It’s up to us to be positive.”

Captaining the Cardinals are seniors James Kovac and Noah Zinker. The duo are two of the squad’s more experienced athletes. They are intent on guiding the team during matches and practice each day.

“It feels good to lead the team, it’s good to inspire, especially the freshman who are on varsity and the sophomores,” Zinker said.

“This is my senior year, this is my fourth year on varsity, I feel like I’m a co-coach in a way and I love the experience of helping others,” Kovac noted.

After winning the opening set, 25-10, Staples took a 7-3 lead in the second set, behind a kill from junior Sawyer Makl, who followed his kill with a pair of aces. The Wreckers succeeded in carrying the momentum the majority of the second game en route to taking a 2-0 lead in the FCIAC matchup.

Greenwich’s best moments came in the third set. A kill by Hiro Sibble put GHS ahead, 9-8, early in the second game and the hosts were able to play from in front on their way to winning it to close to within 2-1 in the match.

Kovac and Keito Fukushima displayed strong defensive play, as did sophomore Logan Jaycox, who finished the match with 14 digs.

The Cards entered Monday’s match versus Staples off their first victory of the season – a 3-2 home triumph against conference opponent Fairfield Ludlowe on April 12.

“We all had energy, we all were together and we played as one team,” Kovac said of the Cardinals’ first win of the season. “We have to learn from the experience today, further into practice and execute it into next game. We have to communicate more and work on our blocking.”

The fourth set between the Cardinals and Wreckers was close throughout. Staples then opened a 23-12 advantage on the strength of kills from senior Mason Siskind and Maki. Maki’s stellar serving also enabled the visitors to build upon their lead.

However, GHS battled back, cutting Staples’ lead to 23-19, with Kovac and Zinker helping lead the charge.

Today, Greenwich was defeated at home by another solid team, Bridgeport Central, which won the matchup, 3-0. Indeed, the FCIAC has powerful volleyball teams.

“You’ve got Westhill, you’ve got Trumbull, you’ve got Darien – those are the top teams and we look forward to matching up with them again,” Kailas said. “Hopefully, we can be competitive and bring it home.”

In Wednesday’s competition versus visiting Bridgeport Central, Kovac tallied 10 digs, six kills, one assist and one block, while Keito Fukushima had 11 digs, 12 assists and one kill.

Greenwich continues its busy week with another home match tomorrow, as it hosts Stamford High School at 11 a.m.

“It’s about playing together, playing smart,” Kailas noted. “At the end of the day, that’s the game of volleyball, it’s about playing smarter, not harder. That’s what we’re capable of.”

“We have a tough schedule ahead, but every practice we’ll work hard and every game we’ll get better and fix our mistakes,” Zinker said. “The goal every game is to get better and to end with a winning record and make states and FCIACs.”