Arman Zadeh, sports editor 
After a fast-paced season and historic run, the boys volleyball team was eliminated from CIF playoffs with a second round loss to South Pasadena.
The team began its playoff journey on Tuesday, May 7, against Rio Mesa High School. Beverly was victorious, winning 3-1.
The match began with an unfavorable loss of 25-16. However, after regaining focus, the Normans were able to sweep the next three rounds, including a neck-and-neck final match in which Beverly came out 25-24.
The team moved on to host South Pasadena at home on Thursday, May 9, in front of a Swim-Gym full of supporters. This would be the first time in eight years that the Normans reached the second round of CIF playoffs.
Despite the home court advantage, the Normans were defeated in three rounds and eliminated from the playoffs.
The team performed to the fullest of its capabilities, according to libero Amir Movassaghi , but lacked the focus and motivation to capitalize on key opportunities and win the game.
“I feel like we performed great, everyone played their best and each game was really close,” Movassaghi said. “They weren’t a better team, we just let it slip away.”
Middle blocker Ronan Massana attributed the loss to the team’s poor defensive performance, specifically their blocking, which led to easy kills for South Pasadena.
We didn’t block well,” Massana said. “I feel like it was a good game but we didn’t play our best. Everyone was disappointed but felt like we had a good season.”
Although the team was eliminated, the playoff loss was not all cause for concern. Members believe the future for the volleyball program is promising as the team was composed heavily of non-seniors this year who gained valuable experience for next season.
“I think [this season] is a sign of improvement for the future and we have a lot of good players who can make next year’s team just as good,” junior Massana said.
Next season, the team will be playing without four of its current seniors, including captain Eli Lloyd and libero Danny Dayan, who was limited throughout the playoffs by a shoulder injury. Next year’s team will consist heavily of current juniors and underclassmen with at least six current juniors and four current sophomores returning, giving the relatively young Beverly team plenty of room for improvement.