Young Bulldogs are confident entering new league
Morgan Hill – After struggling to a 1-14 record while playing in the Tri-County Athletic League a year ago, the Sobrato High girls volleyball team is a confident bunch heading into a new league and the school’s second year of varsity competition.
“From the youngest player in our gym right now all the way to the oldest player and all the way through our coaching staff, we are eager to play,” Bulldogs head coach Kevin Miller said. “We are eager to see what we can do.”
Sobrato will compete this year in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, a move that has the coaching staff somewhat disappointed.
“It’s hard for us to say that we don’t want a crack back at those teams because we think the TCAL is a very nice, strong league with very good competition,” Miller said. “We would love to be able to have the opportunity to be able to go back to some of those schools and take those wins back.”
But for a team that is still young – the Bulldogs have only one senior on their roster – the move should help make Sobrato more competitive and have a shot at a league title.
“We’re really excited that we’re in a new division and that we can start new traditions,” senior outside hitter Jordyn Hanne said.
The team also figures that last year’s experience in the TCAL should help it be more prepared for competition.
“I think we’ve gotten stronger and we expect a lot because TCAL was so tough,” sophomore outside hitter Laura Billos said.
The coaching staff, as a matter of principle, has set lofty goals for the team and is anxious to see if it can accomplish them.
“The only goal we ever set for ourselves is to win championships,” Miller said. “We want to bring a division championship home. If we say anything else, then we’re setting ourselves short. So we want to put that goal as high up as we possibly can.”
The team stepped up the workouts during the offseason hoping to gain more strength and endurance by lifting weights and doing cardiovascular work three times per week.
“The girls look a lot stronger than they were last year at this time,” Miller said.
Hanne said the summer workouts also helped the team bond.
“It made us more of a team than if we just met during tryouts,” Hanne said. “We got an advance on getting to know each other and get the chemistry going.”
Assistant coach Rosemary Miller has been happy with the progress during the preparations and feels the girls are ready to compete.
“The girls look like they’re ready to play,” she said. “They’re working hard. They’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and it’s paying off. They look strong.”
Sobrato kicks off the season with a jamboree scrimmage today before hosting St. Francis-Watsonville on Monday at 6:30pm.
