 | | | Acalanes defeated Miramonte on April 30 for its first win of the season. Photos Gint Federas | | | | | | As the boys’ volleyball season winds down, Campolindo is in a good position to take the league title. With two games to go in DFAL play, the Cougars remain undefeated with a record of 8-0 (30-2 overall). As of May 1, Miramonte is 2-5 in league (5-6 overall) while Acalanes sits at 1-6 (1-11 overall).
 Campo’s long running program is arguably a good reason that the team is on top and seeks its fourth straight NCS title. The team has worked to improve by pitting itself against high caliber competition.
Head coach David Chen acknowledges his good fortune to have deep talent, but realizes that high expectations come with that. He feels that the boys’ response to the pressure has matured throughout the season.
“The guys have started to internalize all the external pressures to find strength and confidence within themselves as a group,” he said.
Chen looks forward to the upcoming NCS tournament. “The past players fought so hard to get the program to a position to even compete for a title, and now we are working on our fourth straight,” he said.
Although confident and proud, Chen remains cautious. “We understand that the most dangerous team is the team who is gelling and peaking during playoffs and have the belief that they can and will beat anyone,” he explained.
Miramonte has had a volatile season. Half of Miramonte’s team returned from last year, and the other half was brand new to volleyball. “I wanted to make sure to give the new guys a strong foundation in fundamental skills and techniques,” new head coach Lisa Bachtold explained.
After notching three wins in four games in the preseason, they sustained three losses in four games once league play began.
Despite up-and-down performances, Bachtold is happy with her players’ efforts. “Miramonte has been doing very well, considering this is only its second year of essentially a new program,” she said.
The returning players have also played a role in developing the new players. “The guys with experience have shown a tremendous amount of leadership bringing the new guys up to speed,” Bachtold said.
She sees each game, win or lose, as a learning opportunity. “We ask ourselves what can we take away from this experience in order to be more successful the next time,” she explained.
Acalanes has had some difficulty gaining momentum this season. The team saw a major personnel shift from last year. “The team is much different than last year’s because out of 17 guys we really only have 5 that have played volleyball for more than 1 year, compared to last year where most of the seniors had been playing since they were around 13 years old,” head coach Mason Mulvaney explained.
With a roster of mostly freshman and sophomores, the team is young and inexperienced. “It has been tougher than previous years,” Mulvaney acknowledged. “But I think the boys are having a good time and improving,” he continued.
Mulvaney was particularly happy with the improvement he saw in both the Dougherty Valley and Las Lomas games. The win against Miramonte on April 30 helped boost confidence.
There are two more games remaining before NCS tournament play begins May 14. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA