Led by two veterans, the Bulldogs will learn on the fly and
encourage each other this season
MORGAN HILL — If he hadn’t been so tired, Ethan Lines may have gotten lost in the moment. He and his teammates, many of whom the junior outside hitter didn’t know before this season, had triumphed in two of the first four games against a private school Tuesday.
Fatigued but refocused, Lines glanced up at the scoreboard inside the main gym at Sobrato High School and wiped his brow.
Was this thing really going to a fifth set?
It may go down as one of the most memorable achievements this spring for SHS boys volleyball.
Prior to their nonleague meeting with Sacred Heart, the Bulldogs had not played a Game 5. Their 10-man roster includes eight players who weren’t associated with the program — nor the sport of volleyball — prior this year, two veterans (Lines and Estevan Santiago), zero seniors and a first-year coach in Todd Anderson, whose modus operandi is to critique without criticizing.
Sobrato ended up losing to Sacred Heart on Tuesday and remained winless in nonjamboree matches going into this week. The second any of that matters to his team, Anderson figures he will have failed his objective.
“They’re just learning the basics right now,” he said Thursday. “The trick is to let them know what they are doing right. That’s how you keep morale up. They’ll have all the same people back, so we want to build up and just improve. Hopefully, we’ll be running good plays by next year.”
As in any rebuilding season, wins and losses won’t be as paramount as moral victories in 2010. The Bulldogs experienced their first one Tuesday.
“Being in that game was awesome,” Lines said. “It was intense; it was hard fought; it was just fun. That’s what volleyball is to me and a lot of the other guys. We’re just trying to grow together as a team right now.”
Since their first practice, the Bulldogs have improved 50 percent, Anderson said. They placed second in the Oak Grove Tournament two weeks ago and have played to their ability in each match.
That has translated into productive practices.
“Guys are diving everywhere for loose balls,” said Santiago, a junior who switches between setter and outside hitter. “All the young guys are playing hard. Todd brings out the best in us. He knows we’re learning, and he’s pushing us to play our best.”
On paper, things could be worse. Sobrato starts a 6-foot-3 blocker in freshman Zac Jenkins and two more 6-footers up front in Santiago and Lines. Junior Sergio Mihai, who joined the team along with his brother, Tony, and freshman Scott Mercado have looked promising in the middle.
“Both Mihais are great athletes. You can definitely see that,” Lines said. “Scott has some real potential. He hasn’t been playing long, but you just know he’s going to develope into a great player.”
The back row continues with sophomore Jeremy Kastle and freshmen Logan Mosher, Ryan Perez and Tony Mihai.
Anderson expects a lot from Lines and Santiago, who join Nathanael Wrye in a four-person junior class.
“Every team needs its leaders, and Estevan and Ethan are really filling in,” Anderson said. “The younger guys are sort of looking up to them right now to lead this team in the right direction for next year and beyond.”
It’s a role that Lines didn’t picture himself one day fulfilling as a freshman, when the Bulldogs finished second in the Santa Teresa Division under Kevin and Rosemary Miller. Laura Coleman was brought in to coach the team for a 2009 campaign that ended with a winless record in Blossom Valley Athletic League ‘A’ conference play. Several core players didn’t return this winter.
“For me, it was sad not to see a lot of the other guys come back,” Lines said. “But you have to move on. I really like this team. I know we have the right pieces to build for next year. Maybe some of those close losses will be wins in a couple weeks.”
Sobrato will play nonleague matches through the end of March, leading to its April 6 Santa Teresa opener at home against Prospect. The Bulldogs have a rematch with Sacred Heart next Tuesday.
