Volleyball Senior Night!!!

Brenda Linares and Elizabeth Morales|April 27, 2018

Let’s do this one last time! On Tuesday our panthers took on the Arroyo Grande Eagles. It was a tough loss but we saw lots of exhaustion and smiles. It only proves how much hard work they put into the game for the love of volleyball. We would like to congratulate each and every player and the coaches for all their successes this season. Our Panthers will be at Crecenta Valley this weekend for their annual tournament, so let’s wish them the best of luck!!

“Tonight’s game was solely for the seniors. They’ve worked hard not only all season but for the past couple years. This game was theirs to have fun and enjoy their last time playing in their home court. Every time the team clicks on the court amazes me. A lot of people think playing is the easy part which is true. The hard part is finding the bond between your players. They must trust each other and push each other to be successful. Anytime I saw that it made me smile. Throughout the season I’ve learned that athletes are all different. They learn different, they play different, they think differently. As a coach you need to find the common ground between yourself and your player in order for things to click to them. It takes time but as a coach you learn these things as you go. The team from the get go was always a close knit team. Introducing incoming freshman was a bit nerve racking. Never knowing if the chemistry between the older class would clash with the younger class. Ultimately they clicked and I can truly say these guys are like brothers to one another. I know for a fact that everyone of these guys has each other’s back. I’m going to miss the guys the most. When you spend months together as a team they become part of your family. You see them usually more than your own family. I think I’m my opinion losing seniors is the hardest part about the job. I encourage everyone to try Volleyball. There are so many opportunities within the sport. It doesn’t matter if you know how to play or don’t. Everyone can use improvement. Who knows you might just love it and play it all the time. I want to thank my seniors this year for being committed, respectful young men. They were such great role models to the younger players and I know that the fire they have inside them now to put a banner up in our gym will only be passed down to the younger kids. I wish them nothing but the best and I hope they know that PV will always be their home! Thank you seniors! Go class of 2018!” -Coach Ralph Quintana
“Tonight wasn’t our best game but we went out there and had fun because in the end that’s what the sport is all about. The defining moments of the game were that we were just having trouble scoring throughout the night. I learned that when I push my teammates and I to our limits, we have the ability to win any game. I feel that throughout the season I’ve improved the most on my talking. Some advice that the coach gave me that I will always remember is to never be easily intimidated and that if we’re gonna lose it’s best to go out swinging. I will most cherish the practices and games I had the honor to spend with my teammates and coaches. If I have an opportunity to play volleyball in college I will take it. If someone wants to try the sport I would tell them to practice, practice, and practice. The only thing I want to add is again, thank you to family, coaches, and teammates for a great farewell season.” -Angel Gonzalez (12)
“Having more communication on the court made us have more control over what was going on in our side of the car and I believe that’s what impacted us greatly in tonight’s game. I realized that it was my senior night and it hit me that I will never be playing under the same roof on the same court with my closest friends. I learned that I’m much more capable than what I think of and that I could really do anything I set my mind to. I mostly improved in my mentality and receiving the ball in order to get a good play going. I will cherish the moments I shared with my team, we all shared this bond at the start of the season and it made us think alike and play better as a team. I don’t plan on playing volleyball in college, however I do plan on making volleyball a hobby of mine and getting my friends to come out and play every now and then. my advice to future players is to not get down on yourselves. If you feel like you did good as an individual then that’s all that really matters.” -Christian Fernandez (12)
“During the game we started to hit the ball a lot more and being more aggressive. I realized how good we got and how much I am going miss everything. What I learned from myself this season is that I can commit to something and do it right. I feel that I improved in my approach, my hitting, and blocking. The advise that Couch (Inside joke “Couch🏐”) Ralph gave me that I will always remember is to snap my wrist. I am going to miss everything and everyone from the team because of all those funny memories we shared together. I am considering trying out in college. My advice for the people that want to try volleyball next year is to really get into the sport so they can truly enjoy it.” -Kevin Gonzalez (12)
“There was high positivity out on the court. Everyone was with their hopes up wanting to strive to get a point in. I was realizing that during the game we just had small mistakes within our team that we needed to adjust to. I tried to help and give advise to my teammates to adjust on small stuff like covering for the ball or just having arms straight out and stiff waiting for the serve. I learned that if I wanted to keep playing good, I have to not only have confidence but trust in my team. I am one of the six people on the court and I have an opportunity to get a point and in order to get that point, I must play at my best at all times. I feel like I improved on serving the most. My serves at the beginning of the season were really soft jump serves and regular ones as well, and towards the end of the season they turned into harder and faster jump serves. The advice I will remember from the coach is “use your head, think smart.” I will miss simply just having a place to go after school in doing what I loved to do for five years. If I have an opportunity to play in college I will but it won’t be in my top priority to look for it. To anyone who wants to try the sport, my advice is: stay motivated all the way throughout the season. Motivation rather than skill wins you the game.” -Craig Ragan (12)
“The game it self went well it was our senior night and our last home game. I gave it my all and I had fun playing with my teammates. Some things that I started to realize in the game is that family comes first. I’ve gain trust and I’ve made a new family throughout the season. My teammates made me realize that meeting someone new can become family. I believed in what my coaches would say and just to swing away and hit the ball. In the end I began to believe that I could do it. I feel like the area I’ve improved the most was in the games because I would try 100%. I would always try to bring the team together so we can never have our heads down if we lost a game. One advice that I would never forget from the coach that he would mention every time we had a time out is “we need to play our game” meaning that we can outsmart the other team and come back stronger. I would honestly miss the game of volleyball because it’s a fun sport and I enjoyed everything about volleyball.  I would never forget half of my teammates getting hit in the face with the ball haha. I may plan to play club volleyball in the future, but I would also want to focus on my dreams.
Some tips I would give to someone if they would wanna play the sport is that not to be scared and have lots of fun playing the sport because to love a sport you have to have fun playing it. Playing all 4 years of high school volleyball really made a change in my life it helped me succeed in my grades and made me realize that doing something you love is unforgettable. You will always have talent of doing what you love to do.” -Armando Tamayo (12)