in

Volleyball’s big jump

vb 2
Marianna McMurdock | Photographer

Last year, MC’s girls’ volleyball team was unable to win any league games. Earlier this season, Senior Leanne Gehrke, this year’s captain,  expressed her hope to change last year’s misfortunes.

“We have a very young varsity team, meaning that we only have a few seniors,” Gehrke said. “We hope to build a stronger team both physically and in terms of team chemistry.”

As the season progresses, players like sophomore Janessa Mata feel as though the team has really been able to make an impact this season. Despite the team needing a little work in terms of their endurance and physical effort, they have found ways to be successful that do not revolve around these efforts.

“We have a little trouble keeping up with other teams at times, but throughout the season, we have grown into a close knit team,” Mata said. “At times, the game is extremely costing on the team moral and players like Leanne keep us together with  a positive attitude and continuous smile.”

This year, girls’ volleyball is gaining back the territory they lost last year as they learn to work together and efficiently in order to bring success

“For every point, we fight to the end which I think is something quite rare to see in a young team,” Mata said. “Even when it is quite obvious we will lose, we push further. By doing this, we are able to keep ourselves united as a team.”

With a mix of wins and losses, Mata’s reflection has proven true in the scoring of each individual set.

In recent games, MC has had wins against San Pasqual, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Mira Mesa, and Classical Academy.

More notable, though,  are the losses MC had against Pacific Ridge, University City, Montgomery, Westview, and Poway. In all of these games, MC lost each set with a two to five point margin.

“What we call a competitive loss is when we lose in a two to four point margin as it shows that the team we have played is comparable to ourselves in terms of ability.” junior Destiny Tuangco said.

Sophomore Vittoria Juarez explained her thoughts on why her team often has one set which they lose with an uncompetitive margin.

“We routinely play well against each other and maintain a game-like environment when needed during practice,” Juarez said. “However, during the games, we play consistently for the most part, but at times, a number of bad calls are made by the team putting us behind in score.”

After the games, two players were acknowledged by their teammates for their non-stop and obvious effort during the games.

“Janessa Mata always comes through during the games as an outside hitter and you can never tell if it is the beginning or end of the game with her as she always has the same endeavor” Tuangco said.

Another teammate, Vittoria Juarez, has been recognized for her performance by her teammates.

“She is always amped and in a competitive attitude that definitely spreads through the team before, during, and after the game,” Mata said.

MC girls’ volleyball is playing next Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m. at the Sundevil Arena.

Written by Vivek Monteiro

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *