Head Coach: Lori Gragnola
Last year’s record: 11-3
Recap: After finishing second in the league, the team qualified for CCS, making it to the second round.
Key Matchups: Milpitas High
Star Players: Juniors Aanya Hotha and Iris Jin and sophomore Chloe Zeng
Key losses to graduation: Narmeen Khericha, Caitlin Lee, Emmy Pak and Shreya Raghuvanshi
League: El Camino
Prognosis:
Last season, the team finished second in league with a record of 11-3, qualifying for CCS. They won the first round against Greenfield 25-17, 25-19 and 25-19 on Nov. 2, but lost the second round on Nov. 5 to Sacred Heart Cathedral 25-20, 25-12 and 25-14. They will continue playing in the El Camino League.
This year, the large roster means there is both a JV and varsity team. The varsity lineup includes one senior, middle Grace Lin; four juniors, setter Iris Jin, middle Aanya Hotha, libero Morgan Li and middle Aneiya Thomas; four sophomores, libero Arielle Fan, middle Rucha Patil, setter Sophia Wei, outside Chloe Zeng; and two freshmen, outside Siena Baldwin and libero Josie Mih.
Not only did the team lose many star players to graduation, the difficulty of balancing school and the sport has resulted in fewer seniors choosing to play this season, Jin said.
“As juniors, we have to step it up, but honestly I think it gives me more confidence,” she said. “It’s like being the backbone of the team.”
Because the majority of the team are sophomores and juniors, the two freshmen Baldwin and Mih will have to grow quickly in their roles among older players.
Due to the importance of teamwork in volleyball, the team has put a large emphasis on team bonding. After practices and games, the team plans to have many activities to get to know each other and Coach Gragnola better.
During practice, the team plays 3 vs. 3 mini-court, simulating an actual game with fewer people, and 6 vs. 6 full-court, simulating a full game.
“The most useful drill for me is 6 on 6 because it imitates an actual game,” Hotha said. “It helps me build setter and hitter connections, and I can work on my block timing.”
They also practice hitting lines and serve-and-receive drills to improve speed and reaction times. The team practices daily from 3-5 p.m. on Blue Days and 4-6 p.m. on Red Days.
“I hope this year we can place first in the league and qualify for CCS again, but make it further than we did last year,” Jin said.
The team lost its first pre-season match at home to Monta Vista on Sept. 2. Their first official match of the season was supposed to be an away game against Los Altos on Sept. 4, but it was canceled due to a lack of referees, and a new date has not yet been announced.
