WRITTEN BY KYLE ABADILLA, RIELLE CHLOE CANLAS, AND JACOB A LOPEZ
During the 2023 boys volleyball season, the junior varsity (JV) team gained some new recruits. We interviewed some of these new players, asking about their experience on the team. First off, we wondered what motivated them to try out this year. Ryan Kim (Class of 26’) stated, “I’d say it would have to be my love of the sport ever since I started playing back in eighth grade.” On the other hand, Zachary Buenaventura (Class of 25’) stated, “It wasn’t originally a plan but half my friends were on the team and seeing them play was really cool. Especially seeing the girls play, I always watched the games and it was something I wanted to try out. In PE, I tried it out and it eventually became something I wanted to pursue and join the team.” Most of the new JV players prior to the season have played volleyball and fell in love with the sport. Over time, you gain a love for the sport you play. We asked the players what they enjoyed most about volleyball. Ralph Bajo (Class of 25’) stated, “My favorite thing is playing with my friends, playing with the team, we’ve created this bond as if we’re a family… The competitiveness overall.” With the competitive aspect of the sport, Ralph continues to be motivated to become the best at the sport he loves. Along with that, the community you’re around is also important as it builds a sense of family bond. The boys have been a team for about 3 months so far. They’ve developed a strong bond that they consider a family. Izac Garcia (Class of 25’) mentioned, “My friends in the team are all very close. We build a strong family.” AJ Dominguez (Class of 25’) then said, “I really like the team, honestly, it’s fun just being around them and playing with them, just you know goofing off.” Throughout the season, the boys on the team have made successful chemistry to help them win their games. Lastly, as the season is coming to an end, we asked what each player is looking forward to most. Jaden Gonzalez (Class of 25’) replied, “Winning our last few games.” With the last home game being on April 17, it is a very special game. Nam Thai (Class of 25’) commented, “[I’m excited for] Senior night.” The new JV players are sad to see the seniors leave, but are excited for them to strive for their future endeavors. In the end, the new JV players have been very successful and continue to work hard to finish the season strong. JV non-league record: (8-3) WRITTEN BY KYLE ABADILLA, RIELLE CHLOE CANLAS, AND NAM THAI As the boys volleyball season is coming to an end, we commemorated our current seniors on April 17th. On that day, the boys played against SOCES, ending their last home game with a win, 3-2. After the game ended, we gave out special recognitions to senior players, Axel Angeles, Vincent Baradi, and Jalen Owens. We also interviewed these seniors, asking about senior night, along with their future endeavors with volleyball as they move to college. First off, we asked what each person enjoyed most about senior night. Axel Angles said, “For Senior Night, I enjoyed my introduction by the coach and felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment. The introduction by the coach not only recognized my individual achievements but also highlighted the teamwork and the bond that we had built over the two years I was able to spend with him.” Vincent Baradi mentioned, “[I enjoyed] spending the last home game with my buddies you know, I’ve really grown close to them, and it was a special game.” Lastly, Jalen Owens said, “One thing I enjoyed most about senior night was the crowd, our families all coming together for our senior night, and for me, I liked how I got to play a set with Miles. Even though we lost that set, it’s all good. We tried our best, we did really good though. It was fun. I loved it.” Each player got their recognition for their hard work and dedication they put into season. We also asked what skills in volleyball do each of them plan to use later in life. Jalen replied, “Discipline, consistency, just cause this is my first year playing and in order for me to get better is to stay consistent and have some type of discipline in order for me to get better.” Volleyball didn’t only grow him as an athlete, but grew him as an individual, shaping the person he is now. Axel said, “One skill that I plan to use later in life is embracing the pressure.” Stress and pressure is a normal part of life, learning how to deal with it through volleyball has helped him strengthen his mental overall. Lastly, Vincent stated, “I think leadership is the main thing, and I became more confident in volleyball and developed social skills through team bonding and working with other people in the group and I think that is very important in real life.” Through socializing and communication, Vincent was able to be a part of a community that he felt comfortable in. Lastly, as each of them are going to college, we asked if they plan on continuing to pursue volleyball. Axel said, “I was thinking of pursuing volleyball in college but not on a professional level, maybe just for fun, or maybe for club I guess.” Vincent mentioned, “I’ll try my best [to play in college], I’ve already reached out to a few programs already, but we’ll see where life takes me.” Lastly, Jalen said, “No, I don’t plan on pursuing it but I do plan on at least putting an effort to stay consistent with the sport, just play pick-up games.” All three of them believe in staying consistent and having fun playing volleyball. Overall, we’re really proud of the seniors and their willingness to play for the team. They’ve all made it really far as their individual selves and we wish them best of luck in their future! WRITTEN BY RIELLE CHLOE CANLAS AND JACOB A LOPEZ
As the boys volleyball season progressed, we interviewed the varsity captains. The role of a captain is a key job in any sport. Joshua Lopez (Class of 25’, Varsity Captain) said, “(Captains need) selflessness and confidence.” A strong leader is crucial for the success of a team. Jared Dijamco (Class of 24’, Varsity Captain) adds, “I think a leader shouldn’t be afraid to say anything or to speak up because I think everybody on the team should hear what someone has to say.” Jared demonstrates selflessness and confidence as a captain. He doesn’t shy away from speaking up and he listens to what the other players on his team want to say. Captains need to make sure they discipline their team, and make sure they don’t fool around in games or at practice. Joshua Lopez said, “All I do is I make sure my team is in check, hold everyone accountable, and be the loudest on the court, just lead.” In games, Joshua makes his presence known by being loud and keeping a positive attitude on the court. Jared Dijamco added, “…I have to lift the team up or give encouraging words and at the same time, kinda critique or tell them what they need to do better or what we need to do better as a team.” Jared strives to help his team improve and bring his team up. But with all seriousness, there’s still things to enjoy. Joshua mentions, “I enjoy being close to coach and having respect of my peers, and the responsibility of a captain is going to help me grow as a player and a person.” Although Joshua knows his importance as a leader, he takes this as an opportunity to grow and become better for not just himself, but for his team. Jared said, “I guess I enjoy being the person that my teammates can come to for help or just being a leader in general.” Both Joshua and Jared recognize the importance and the level of responsibility that it takes to be a captain. They also exceed the expectations the coaches have for them, and the team itself. Overall, the contributions of both Joshua and Jared have impacted the team in a positive way. They keep the team together, uplifts their team morale, and hold each other accountable to help them improve. WRITTEN BY ZACHARY BUENAVENTURA AND JACOB LOPEZ
As the Winter sports season comes to a close, the Spring sports season is beginning. One highlighted spring sport is Boys' Volleyball. The team recently had their tryouts last January 19th and 23rd. Days later, the rosters for junior varsity and varsity teams were later created, consisting of players who are excited about this season. As the team’s first game is approaching we interviewed one varsity and junior varsity player on their thoughts for this season and tryouts. Kyle Abadilla, a Varsity player said “I feel pretty excited because when I saw the roster, I saw a lot of familiar names. I was not only excited about my name but other people as well, getting to play with them.” Nam Thai, a junior varsity player, also expressed the same level of excitement, that working with a new team was also going to be very fun. Both said they wanted to work on communication with their teams, and both JV and varsity have great potential for this season. After seeing the overall excitement of the team, we’d like to congratulate all of the boys who took part in the volleyball tryouts. The dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm throughout the tryouts were inspiring and the potential for a great season is definitely here. We will continue to write about the progress of the boy's volleyball team and good luck for all future games and endeavors. 2/16/23 VAAS vs Triumph Game Start - 3:00 pm Win, 3 - 0 2/22/23 VAAS @ Panorama Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 1 2/23/23 VAAS vs WISH Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 0 2/27/23 VAAS @ Sun Valley Game Start - 3:00 pm Win, 3 - 0 3/1/23 VAAS vs Van Nuys Game Start - 4:00 pm Win, 3 - 1 3/2/23 VAAS @ Canoga Park Game Start - 3:00 pm Win, 3 - 0 3/6/23 VAAS vs Birmingham Game Start - 4:30 pm Loss, 3 - 0 3/6/23 VAAS @ NAHS Game Start - 4:30 pm Win, 3 - 0 3/09/23 VAAS @ NAHS Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 1 3/11/23 VAAS vs Venice Game Start - 10:00 am Loss, 1 - 3 3/11/23 VAAS vs RFK Community Game Start - 12:00 pm Loss, 0 - 2 3/16/23 VAAS @ Fulton Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 0 3/20/23 VAAS vs SOCES Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 1 3/27/23 VAAS vs NAHS Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 1 3/30/23 VAAS vs Vaughn Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 0 4/10/23 VAAS vs East Valley Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 1 4/13/23 VAAS vs Fulton Game Start: 3:00 pm Win , 3 - 1 4/15/2023 VAAS vs Sun Valley Magnet Tournament Win, 2-0 4/15/2023 VAAS vs Jordan Tournament Win, 2-0 4/15/2023 VAAS vs ATKT Tournament Win, 2-0 4/15/2023 VAAS vs Jordan Tournament Win, 2-0 4/15/2023 VAAS vs Panorama Tournament Win, 2-0 4/17/23 VAAS vs SOCES Game Start: 3:00 pm Win, 3 - 2 4/20/23 VAAS @ East Valley Game Start - 3:30 pm Loss, 2 - 3 4/25/23 VAAS @ Vaughn Game Start - 3:30 pm Win, 3 - 0 5/4/23 VAAS vs Gardena Game Start - 4:00 pm Win, 3 - 0 by Kyle Abadilla, Chloe Canlas, and Nam Thai
Edited by Jacob A Lopez Gabrielle Barajas, JV coach of the girls and boys volleyball team, has contributed greatly to the growth of her athletes. With the fast approaching 2023 boys volleyball season, tryouts are soon to occur and she’ll be observing. For those who are trying out, she’ll be looking for specific characteristics that will help build the team. We asked her about what traits she’s looking for in an athlete and she said, “Someone who has an overall good attitude, motivation, and commitment.” After tryouts, practices typically begin on a day to day basis, where each player is pushed to their limits. Coach Gabrielle mentioned, “We want to push them further and further every practice, helping them improve… everything.” With that, this all gets applied to in-game situations. Time at practice can pay off to accomplish their goals. Coach mentioned that her intentions this season are, “…to bring out the best in every single player on the team and to push them there.” With these goals in mind, it gives players a reason to stay motivated. Although perfection and improvements are always strived for, conflicts can occur on the team. Rather than letting problems go, Coach prefers to call on her players to fix their mistakes. She said, “Be head on, you address the conflict, you call people out on their stuff when they’re doing something wrong and let them know when they’re doing good.” But as volleyball is a common high school sport that’s played throughout parts of the school year, the relationship between academics and sports is important. Academics always come first and sports come second. Like Coach Gabrielle said, “Academics always comes first because that’s what you can take with you for the rest of your life. Everything you learn in school, everything they teach you, is something you can always hold onto. Being an athlete, can always come and go. One day you’re on top of the world, next thing you know, you twist your ankle and you’re done. So, it’s always academics that comes first.” Overall, Coach Gabrielle Barajas has a positive outlook on this year’s volleyball season and she can’t wait to see how this season comes along. By: Kyle Abadilla, Rielle Chloe Canlas, Jacob A Lopez, and Nam Thai
Sports and athletics are a big part of the VAAS community. One of the showcased sports is volleyball! In this segment of the newspaper, we’ll do a rundown on the progress of the girls’ volleyball team and their experiences in this program. During the 2022 fall season, the girls’ volleyball team experienced both memorable victories and harsh losses that have pushed them to try even harder. Yet through everything, the team successfully made it all the way to the second round of playoffs, ending their season. On 10/25, our girls' volleyball team played their first round of playoffs against Amino Robinson (Los Angeles). The girls brought home a victory and would play their second round against GALA on 10/27. In the first set (game played) of the first playoff game, our VAAS girls came through and won. For the second set, Amino took the win, although it was a close score. The girls came back for the third set with more motivation. As player Rielle Chloe Canlas said, “I wasn’t worried we lost the set, I just wanted to push even harder to win the game even sooner.” The team won the third set by a large margin of 10 points and gave it their all to finish the game in the last set. For the fourth and final set of the game, our VAAS Vipers pulled through by winning 5 more points than the last set. With one more practice remaining, the girls focused mainly on their defense and ran new attacking plays. We interviewed varsity captain/setter, Khaylie Abadilla, to get to know about her experience on the court and how she felt toward the game. She said, “Being a setter allows me to take control of the court and teaches me how to lead a team. Although it’s stressful to have a whole team count on you, it’s still fun to be able to assist my teammates in getting kills (points won by a direct hit).” Later that week, the girls played their second round of playoffs. With a dominating victory over the Amino Robinson Monarchs, our girls' volleyball team moved on to playing against GALA (Los Angeles) on 10/27. An intense game inevitably marked the end of the 2022 girls' volleyball season. With a defeat, losing three sets back to back, our girls' volleyball team would not be moving forwards in the playoffs. With the responses from the players themselves, we can say there are high hopes for next season. We hope this helped inspire you to try out for the team in upcoming years! See you around! -Volleyball Reporter Team |
AuthorsKyle Abadilla Archives
April 2023
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