Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Hunter Zeng
Assistant Coaches: Ashleigh Souza, Lindsay Heller
This past weekend, at the Far Western Qualifiers in Reno, NV, our 14-2’s team took the silver bracket championship in their division. A team with many younger players who got their first club tournament experiences this season, they battled nerves and tough serving teams throughout the entire weekend.
On playoff day, they played Jobs Peak 14-1’s where they took a 2-0 victory. Summer Root, a libero on the team who had been working on her serving all season served her first two tournament aces in a five point service run. To win the bracket, they played against Morgan Hill 14-Black, a team they beat the previous day in an exciting third set victory sealed by outside hitter Ava Morrison’s game winning ace.
Morgan Hill came with determination in the first set, serving tough and playing in system, forcing two defensive time-out calls with Main Beach down by five or more points in both instances. The coaching staff stressed the importance of trusting each other on the court, knowing defensive responsibilities, and keeping errors on the opponent side of the court during these mid-game huddles. Battling back with determination and grit, our 14-2’s pulled out a first set win. Continuing their momentum into the second set, they played with great consistency from the service line and at the net, with middles Ava Giorgianni and Makayla McDonnell getting kills and blocks at crucial moments to help close out the match.
Coach Hunter:
Volleyball is a tough sport. For many of these players, this was their first season on a competitive, indoor team. At the beginning of the season, we needed lots of work to just keep a ball up and a rally alive. We definitely had our share of rough practices and failed drills, but the girls never gave up on each other and were eager to get better. Rotations, serve receive, and all those volleyball puzzle pieces that come together to form a game are hard to develop, but the other coaches and I are so proud of how much our girls grew their skills during this difficult pandemic season. On game day, our victories always derived from great service pressure and scrappy defense. Our roster of fourteen had great chemistry and support from the bench no matter who was on the court. I am excited to see how these players continue to develop their skills and improve as athletes.
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