Title hunt it on for women’t volleyball
By Destiny Vaughn
The Guardsman
The Rams do not shrink away from the volleyball while it is in play – they dive for it.
As the women’s volleyball team steps back onto the court, they are filled with the determination to make it to the Northern California playoffs and the conference championships, taking every leap they possibly can to get there.
Last year, the team finished 10-16 overall, placing fourth in the Coast Conference North with a record of 4-6. City College has not made it to playoffs in two years and have not played in the conference championships in over four, but they’re ready to spike, set and dig their way there.
“This year the girls are heavily looking into a conference championship, knowing what is to be expected and the steps in order to get that championship,” Head Coach Saga Vae said.
This season the Rams are not only determined to win, they are looking to rebuild their team’s chemistry.
With the departure of last year’s captains Meghan McGuire, Vivian Lee and Jessica Lui along with other sophomores, the team had to start anew with only three returning members: outside hitter Siao Malepeai and middle backs Melany Luu and Marimba Nolan. Lee and Lui both went off to play volleyball for UC Davis, while McGuire now plays softball for CCSF.
“This year one of our main goals is to make it farther than we did last year,” Malepeai said. “As co-captain, I want to help this year’s team to up their intensity level to get to playoffs.”
With a 12-player roster composed of mostly freshmen, the team must strengthen their chemistry if they want to go far in conference play.
Malepeai, newly-recruited setter Brandi Graven and starting libero Crystal Lee are stepping up as co-captains to lead their team to victory.
“I’m hoping to be a role model for the team by playing hard and picking up my girls when they need it,” said Lee, a graduate of Lowell High School. “I want to be the backbone of the team.”
Helping the team achieve their dream is new assistant coach, Edna Molina. Molina previously coached the high school volleyball team at Immaculate Conception Academy in San Francisco and was an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team here at City College from 2005 to 2007.
“It is the very beginning of the season and we’re trying to clean up the errors,” Molina said while watching the team during practice. “But we’re a good team.”
The biggest challenge for the newcomers is adjusting to a new team coming straight from high school.
“The challenges of moving from one team to another is always the same because you’re learning to trust new people. You have to build team chemistry and also play fluidly as a team,” Lee said. “But I’m glad that I’m on a team with these girls. They’ve really made my transition from high school to college a whole lot easier. I can’t wait to see what we’ll do in season.”
The Rams begin their pre-season by playing in the Solano College Classic at 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m against Solano College, Sierra College and Shasta College on Sept. 1 at Solano College.