Burbank defeats Glendale in 4 sets on senior night

The Burbank Bulldogs came out on top over the Glendale Nitros in 4 sets (25-16, 17-25, 25-22, 25-21) on Senior Night for the Bulldogs. Ryan Viyar recorded the game-ending kill to propel the Bulldogs to a victory over the Nitros. Glendale came off a 3-0 loss to Arcadia on Monday, April 8th, while Burbank lost in a sweep to crosstown rival Burroughs last Thursday, April 4th.

The four seniors on the Burbank Bulldogs varsity boys volleyball team, Ian Villaflor (libero/defensive specialist), Tayio Nakiao (outside hitter), Ryan Viyar (outside hitter), and Vince Ha (middle blocker), were celebrated in a senior night pregame ceremony with their families before the first serve. They were recognized for their hard work and dedication to the program for the past four years.

On the court, the Bulldogs started the contest on a 3-0 scoring run with Theo Throssian and Ryan Viyar recording kills to kick off the opening set. Thaddeus Whiting jump-started the scoring for Glendale with a kill to get the Nitros within 3 points. Burbank got two more with Glendale committing a side-out error and a tapping violation. Sam Jurman and Ian Villaflor later got back-to-back points for the Bulldogs to increase the lead to five. Anthony Ohanian recorded the match point with a kill to give Burbank an opening set victory.

Both the Bulldogs and Nitros were neck and neck to start the 2nd set with Ryan Viyar, Throssian, Ibrahim Alnaquib, and Whiting all giving the crowd a back-and-forth contest in the first half of the 2nd set. Towards the last part of the 2nd set, the Nitros had momentum and took game two with a 25-17 victory following a net error charged to Burbank. The Bulldogs overcame an 18-12 deficit to beat the Nitros in set three with Burbank tying the score at 19 and had control of the game to win by 3 to close out the 3rd set.

Both teams had their backs against the wall heading into the 4th set with Glendale determined to force a 5th set and Burbank closing out the night in four sets to make it memorable for their graduating seniors. Ryan Vyiar had 5 kills in the 4th set which included the game-winning kill to give the Bulldogs a four-set victory over the Nitros.

“I thought we played well and showed off the right mindset,” said Bulldogs rookie coach Brandon Villaflor. Villaflor continued and said that the team was complacent in parts of the game, but they were able to make adjustments and were proud of the four seniors who helped Burbank get a victory on their night of celebration over Glendale.

Burbank improves their record to 4-11 overall, and 2-6 in Pacific League play while Glendale falls to 14-8 overall and 2-4 in Pacific League play. Burbank will be playing in a 2-day tournament at Crescenta Valley High School beginning on Friday, April 12th. Glendale will take on Crescenta Valley at home with the first serve scheduled for 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19. The 4 seniors in Villaflor, Nakiao, Viyar, and Ha will be taking the floor for their final Pacific League home game against Arcadia next Thursday, April, 18th.