It’s been a tough season for the Scotts Valley High School varsity boys’ volleyball team, as the young Falcon squad has been plagued by inexperience and a small roster. So far, that has resulted in a dismal 1-4 record in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play.
“We’re just getting going a little bit here,” said first-year Head Coach Shane Yablonka. “It’s been tough — we only have 10 people in total.”
After a large part of last year’s squad was lost to graduation, he said, this year’s team features only one returning player.
“We’re a young team — only two senior and two juniors,” Yablonka said. “We have one returning varsity member — a little bit of leadership for those younger kids.”
Moving forward, he said, he hopes that the team will use the second half of the season to not only gain experience, but also to gain confidence and a sense of team spirit.
“It’s about competitive fire and willingness to pursue the ball,” Yablonka said. “The biggest change has got to be to expect to make a play at any given point.”
Playing volleyball can be challenging, he said, particularly given the fact that most of the student-athletes are juggling multiple extracurriculars in addition to their classwork.
“They’re pretty multifaceted and talented,” Yablokna said of his players. “What generally separates player on the high school level is if they play club on the side — just playing for three months is kind of tough.”
He said that the team’s leaders are senior outside hitter Ryan Rodriguez and junior middle hitter Tanner Simonovich.
“(Simonovich is) pretty fierce at the net – a good blocker,” Yablonka said.
Up next for the Falcons is a Thursday match-up at home against Aptos High.
“We’re well on our way,” he said. “If we are giving 100 percent effort, we will be competitive.”
