Senior Amanda Lopez is not surprised by the Central Valley High School varsity volleyball team's sudden turnaround.
The Hawks matched last year's win total of four by defeating Weston Ranch, 25-22, 25-17, 25-18, on Monday, Oct. 5 in Ceres.
"I knew we'd have a good team during the preseason," said Lopez, a second-year player. "There's way more communication on and off the court. We know what we need to work on and have the same goal. There's more dedication too."
Central Valley, which compiled a 4-4 mark during the first half of the VOL season, didn't turn in its best performance against Weston Ranch (1-7). But the Hawks stepped up when it mattered the most.
"It shouldn't have been that close," said Lopez, who led Central Valley in aces with five. "We should have worked harder. A lot of their points were on our mistakes."
Alyssa Long had six kills and three blocks for the Hawks. Vicky Ochoa dished out a team-leading eight assists. Gigi Sahota added four digs.
Central Valley's varsity volleyball program had a combined record of 5-37 in conference play over its first three seasons of existence. The 2009 Hawks are in the midst of a breakout campaign.
"It feels good to get off to a good start," Lopez said. "We want to get better and better. Our past keeps us going."
Ceres High 3, Lathrop 0
Meagan Humphres, Sabrina Rinsamout and Haley Duarte didn't fill up the stat sheet, but provided valuable depth during the Bulldogs' 25-23, 27-25, 25-23 triumph over the visiting Spartans last Wednesday.
The trio received more playing time because of illness and injury.
"It's always nice to be able to go to the bench and know they're going to do what I need them to do," Bulldogs head coach Stephanie Hamilton said. "I'm very pleased with their performance. The three of them did a great job."
Ceres High (4-4) scored eight points in a row off Humphres' serve in Game 2. She also collected three digs and two aces on the night.
Rinsamout chipped in with two aces and one dig. Duarte had two aces against Lathrop (1-7).
The Hawks matched last year's win total of four by defeating Weston Ranch, 25-22, 25-17, 25-18, on Monday, Oct. 5 in Ceres.
"I knew we'd have a good team during the preseason," said Lopez, a second-year player. "There's way more communication on and off the court. We know what we need to work on and have the same goal. There's more dedication too."
Central Valley, which compiled a 4-4 mark during the first half of the VOL season, didn't turn in its best performance against Weston Ranch (1-7). But the Hawks stepped up when it mattered the most.
"It shouldn't have been that close," said Lopez, who led Central Valley in aces with five. "We should have worked harder. A lot of their points were on our mistakes."
Alyssa Long had six kills and three blocks for the Hawks. Vicky Ochoa dished out a team-leading eight assists. Gigi Sahota added four digs.
Central Valley's varsity volleyball program had a combined record of 5-37 in conference play over its first three seasons of existence. The 2009 Hawks are in the midst of a breakout campaign.
"It feels good to get off to a good start," Lopez said. "We want to get better and better. Our past keeps us going."
Ceres High 3, Lathrop 0
Meagan Humphres, Sabrina Rinsamout and Haley Duarte didn't fill up the stat sheet, but provided valuable depth during the Bulldogs' 25-23, 27-25, 25-23 triumph over the visiting Spartans last Wednesday.
The trio received more playing time because of illness and injury.
"It's always nice to be able to go to the bench and know they're going to do what I need them to do," Bulldogs head coach Stephanie Hamilton said. "I'm very pleased with their performance. The three of them did a great job."
Ceres High (4-4) scored eight points in a row off Humphres' serve in Game 2. She also collected three digs and two aces on the night.
Rinsamout chipped in with two aces and one dig. Duarte had two aces against Lathrop (1-7).
