If you happen to walk by the North Gym between 2 and 4 p.m., you might have heard a consistent thumping noise. No, it is not the much needed construction of a new gym, but rather construction of this year’s men’s volleyball team.
After having an overall record of 8-9 last year, the Warriors hope to improve upon last year’s record. With a host of solid returning players such as Logan Johnson, Rob Curran and Chris Teguh, the Warriors’ coaches believe they can do just that.
“Having a lot of returning players is always a plus when it comes to big games. In Logan, Rob and Chris, we’ve got three players who started all last year for us and have been through the battles . They know what it takes to be successful,” coach Richard Blount said.
The Warriors hosted a match against Orange Coast College yesterday, but scores were unavailable at press time. Tomorrow the Warriors will take a long drive down the coast to face Palomar.
“The trip should be fun and hopefully will bring us closer together as a team,” said Coach Le Valley Pattison. “We look forward to getting a win on the road and nothing brings a team closer (together) than winning.”
The Warriors are off to a good start so far this year and have an overall record of 2-2. The two losses came at the hands of traditional powerhouses Golden West and Irvine Valley College. The Warriors defeated San Diego Mesa on the road and Grossmont at home in a five-game thriller.
Against Grossmont, the Warriors’ Curran and Terry Goring led the team with 15 kills apiece and Goring also contributed five blocks. Johnson added 14 kills and two aces off of serves.
After dropping the first two games and getting down in the third, it looked as if the Warriors were headed for their second home loss in a row. But three big blocks from Sean Barnes (who also had 16 digs) gave the Warriors momentum to win the next three games and the match.
The Warriors’ strength this year might also be considered a weakness, as they are going with a smaller team than most other teams in their conference they play.
“We are going to be smaller than almost every team we play. So to make up for that lack of size we are going to have to use our team speed and our passing ability as an advantage,” Blount said.
“We are going to have to out hustle our opponents every night in order for us to be successful, and I think we have the players to do that.”
To go along with last year’s returning starters, the Warriors will start Steve Sobko at outside hitter. Mike St. Louis will play opposite of Sobko, while Sean Barnes and Goring hold down the middle.
The Warriors are also looking for good things off the bench from Jin Kim, Brandon Smith, John Arakaki and Alec Gilliland can come off the bench on any given night and provide a boost for the Warriors.
