Sobrato falls in first match to Alisal in three straight
games
Morgan Hill – Only one player on the Sobrato Bulldogs boys volleyball team roster has had previous experience playing volleyball.
On Wednesday the young, inexperienced Bulldogs were defeated by the Alisal Trojans in three straight games, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23, at home.
“We have a young team, 12 of them are freshman, two are sophomores and one junior,” said Bulldog coach Kevin Miller. “Only one has really ever played volleyball.”
Team co-captain freshman Jared Mammen is the experience player on the Bulldog squad and had some huge blocks in the match against Alisal.
“It’s a blessing to have him here,” said Miller. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Despite their youth and inexperience, Sobrato battled the Trojans and kept each game close.
“We’re looking at a huge learning experience,” said Miller, who coaches the team in tandem with his wife Rosemary. “Our ultimate goal is to promote the program and give the boys at Sobrato another option.”
“We just want to be competitive. That’s what we need from the players. We tell them to play your game and play tough. That’s all I ask from them,” said Rosemary.
“They’ve come a long way in a month,” added Miller. “We also like the fact that the girls volleyball team come out and help us. They help by keeping stats and the clock and being a part of warmups. We’re looking at creating a volleyball family.”
Freshman Lawrence Won is small, but according to Miller plays with so much energy and strength.
“He’s always trying to talk and pump the team up,” said Miller. Won played a great service game in the match against Alisal.
The Bulldogs are catching on quickly and Miller said, “We have the boys evaluate the games afterward and talk about what went wrong and what went right.”
