Boys Volleyball Season Wrap Up

After earning third place in league, Samo’s boys’ Volleyball team moved on to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) playoffs. However, the team would eventually lose to El Camarillo in the first round of playoffs on Tuesday, May 13.Although this loss was upsetting for the team, captain Isan Contreras (’14) says that Samo had a lot of potential. Once the players iron out some minor issues, they can finally tap in to their natural ability.“Our hard work and dedication to the sport allowed us to make [it to] playoffs,” Contreras said. “[The team] needs to work on [improvisational and reactional] play in order to be successful.”Offensive player Noah Anderson (’15) says that the team easily had the talent to win CIF.“We were less confident because we were a third place team that made playoffs, which is unusual,” Anderson said. “We have played good volleyball before, and we know how to play good volleyball, but it’s just about doing that consistently. We have some great passers and some big hitters on our side that we need to take advantage of.”Contreras is proud of the team’s accomplishments and of one player especially, outside and opposite hitter Noah Alemania (’15).“We needed to keep composure on the court in tough situations,” Contreras said. “The one constant was [Alemania], who was a solid player that challenged everyone to perform at a high level all year. He excelled, and also supported others to do their best.”According to coach Nguyen Trinh, the team has put in a lot of hard work and is happy with their season overall.“Without [head coach Liane] Sato here for a lot of the season, the boys have had to adjust,” Trinh said. “Despite its losses, the team has done a great job handling themselves. They are a really determined team.”Anderson hopes to carry that determination into next year, combining physical and mental skill to be more successful.“Well, we have a lot of talent; we always have. It’s just going to be about working together efficiently as a team and being able to communicate,” Anderson said. “I mean, we can put balls down as much as any other team. We just need to work on being fluid and getting in system for next season.”