Boys volleyball begins their season tonight at Ripon Christian. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back VOL Championship seasons (2019 and 2020) and look to continue their dominance in their final VOL season before they make the switch to the SJAA in 2023.

Rebecca Kinlaw takes over from Deborah Chavez as the new head coach for the volleyball team. However, she is no stranger to coaching at highly competitive levels. She served as assistant girls varsity basketball coach this year for the Lady Cougars. She also comes from a family of coaches who has coached everything from soccer to football. Kinlaw plans to continue to build up the program.

“From what I’ve seen in practice and the scrimmages, these guys are dedicated to volleyball and always bring the best to the court,” Kinlaw said. “The team has good chemistry, and each player brings a unique skill and talent to the team.”

Kinlaw will look to Eleazar Nava and Abraham Palacios to provide the leadership.

“Abraham has great court vision and is a really well-rounded, strong, and devout player,” Kinlaw said. “Elaezer is our setter and acts as the control tower. He’s always a level-headed player and motivates his teammates around him. He’s like a floor general with how well he orders his members and how perfectly they execute their attacks.”

Kinlaw added, “The rest of the team works just as hard as Abraham and Eleazar and just about as perfect. The whole team brings something special to the court, and all of them complement each other’s strengths very well.”

The Cougars have new players like Josiah Zamarripa, who are new to volleyball, and players joining from other sports, adding a little pizazz.

“The new guys to the program have excellent hand-eye coordination, and they are already well trained to communicate with their teammates, so there is not much to coach them in,” Kinlaw said.

“They are like a family, and they get along so well on and off the court, which gives us great chemistry and all-around good energy. Hard workers with dedication, motivation, and teammates that care for them will help them go far this year in the VOL.”

This week, the Cougars play at Ripon Christian tonight, with the JV game starting at 5 pm and the Varsity game following at 6. In addition, the Cougars are at home Wednesday, March 2, against Trach High School. Then, finally, they head out to Ripon High School for a game on Thursday, March 3.