Aliso Niguel’s Boys Volleyball started up their season on February 12, ready to dominate the other schools and take home wins for Aliso Niguel High School. All the players and students at Aliso are excited to see where this season takes them.
Despite starting with a few losses, the team is showing consistent growth throughout its games. So far, they have played teams such as Crean Lutheran, Woodbridge, Portola, Trabuco Hills and several others out of 20 teams so far.
These teams, such as Crean Lutheran, have winning records, which makes playing against them impressive, whether it’s a win or a loss. Crean Lutheran, specifically, has a record so far of 8-7. However, the Aliso boys are not intimidated by these teams and continue to play on without worrying; they take even their losses as learning experiences.
Ethan Cheng (11) says, “Losses can be really discouraging sometimes because they make you lose sight of all the progress you have made, but we just remember that losses are not a big deal and they give us lessons to learn what to do better next time. I think they motivate us to see that winning is easier than we think sometimes, we just put our heads down and work.”
Notable wins include 3-0 against Portola High School, 3-0 against El Toro High School, and the most recent, 3-0 against Capistrano Valley High School. Aliso has won several of its games, which shows the improvement throughout the season. Aliso won against Capo in a tight game, winning 3-2, with much anticipation from the crowd.
Despite playing several difficult teams, the boys have been successful in many games so far, and their overall record at the moment is 8-12 and still counting. The team and their coach have high expectations for what is to come.
Kourosh Zarif (11), a member of the Boys Varsity Volleyball team, says, “We definitely are getting better because of all the practice we have had. We have been going really hard in practice this season, and everybody can tell that it’s paying off. Our coach has really helped us work on things that need it.”
Pushing in practice is absolutely essential to good performances during the season, as explained by the drills they are doing. Without proper practice and etiquette, the boys could not push themselves as best they could.
This year, Boys Volleyball has started with a new coach, Sean Dixon, an experienced coach. He previously coached at El Toro, where he significantly improved their performance. He was also announced as CIF SS Division 6 Coach of the Year.
As the athletes rush to the end of the season with events like League Finals and States, they have begun to prepare and train even harder than they have been before. Their drilling in practice has especially pinpointed little mistakes that can cost their performance. The season is moving forward, and so are the boys; everybody is very excited for what comes next.
