The Weston Ranch boys volleyball team didn’t have much time to prepare for its next opponent. Coming off a 3 set loss to perennial Trans Valley League power Ripon Christian on Tuesday, the Cougars took the court last night against another power. Only this time, the opponent was Tracy High School from the Division 1 Tri Cities League (TCAL). While they put up a good fight and gave the Bulldogs a serious go, Tracy defeated Weston Ranch 3 games to 1, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23, and 26-24.
“All four games were extremely close, and I was proud of my boys for competing and fighting for every point,” said head coach Rebecca Kinlaw. “At no point did they ever give up.”
The young Cougars will have to get used to playing volleyball powers before they head into the highly competitive Valley Oak League. Tonight they face Ripon High School, which is 1-1. On the horizon, Weston Ranch has games with SJAA schools from Chavez, McNair, and Edison and challenging games with TCAL powers Lincoln and West. These opponents will give the Cougars a look at what next year will look like before Weston Ranch joins the SJAA and faces tough Division 1 schools while technically they will still be a Division 3 school. And that’s all part of the process of building a program, according to Kinlaw.
“I think the boys played their hearts out and gave it their all,” Kinlaw said. “But, they are a young team, so right now, they are in the process of learning how to play together.”
The Cougars were in every game and pushed the Bulldogs to earn every point. However, the inexperience and youth of Weston Ranch showed several times, especially when the Cougars grabbed multiple point leads. An unforced service error or a mental mistake like crossing the net halted their momentum, and Tracy could capitalize and stay in the game.
“We would build a lead and lose it halfway through, which happens at the beginning of the season sometimes when you are trying to figure everything out and learning your team,” Kinlaw said. “We made several minor errors which cost us points, but we communicated with each other and discussed what we need to work on and will take that into the next game and work to improve in that area.”
“I love how every time we got down, we rallied together and communicated positively with each other.”
The positive communication came from the Cougars’ back row (Tommy Duong, Diego Montes, and John Legaspi) and front row players (Marcos Arriaza, Josiah Zamarripa, and Abraham Palacios). Even down by seven points, which they were in Games 2 and 3, the hustle and leadership from the front and back row guys gave Weston Ranch life and kept them in each game.
“I want to give credit to our back row players,” said Kinlaw. “They played their hearts out yesterday and had some really nice passes. In addition, the front row had some excellent blocks. The combination of both front and back row caused the team to get fired up.”
“One of the main characteristics that I love about this team is their passion for volleyball and their willingness to improve their game to become a better team. They love to compete and practice, and that is not a trait that a coach can teach their players, that comes from within each athlete’s heart.”
The Cougars are back at it again tonight as they play Ripon High School at Ripon. JV plays at 5 pm, and the Varsity follows at 6.
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