Boys’ volleyball hits the beach
Bump, set, spike. Bump, set, spike. This rhythm has to be repeated over and over again, late into the afternoon sun, sand flying everywhere. It has be repeated, because the players have to be in perfect sync, each in tune with the other. They have to know what the other is going to do, and how to react to it. There has to be intuition between them, a reaction to a move before their teammate even makes it. And this requires practice, and so the rhythm continues. Bump, set, spike, bump, set, spike. . .
The Beach Volleyball club finished its season second in their league, beating Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, and Calabasas. The team made it all the way to the CIF playoffs before losing to Arroyo Grande High School. Though the season ended with a playoff appearance, it initially started with a few bumps and bruises.
In an early season match against Simi Valley, the team was beaten badly. “As a team we definitely should have beat them, but it just didn’t happen. We couldn’t let that happen, so we had to make adjustments,” senior Ian Eschenburg, co-founder of the club, said.
Head Coach Jorge Ostrovsky also remembers the initial problems of the team.
“If you’re not doing well, (the other team) will pick on you the whole match,” Ostrovsky said.
To try to increase the chance of success for his team, Ostrovsky decided to change the pairs who were playing together.
“I initially had Ian and Ryan playing together, but then I came to realize that there should be a little bit of senior leadership on each team, and that (on each team) it would be a mentorship process,” Ostrovsky said.
Jordan Moses, junior, remembers first practicing with his new partner.
“It was just trying to get better with your partner and communicating a lot more,” Moses said. “You have to be able to talk more, and just make up a play as you go.”
However, the change eventually paid off. By the end of the season, the team found itself playing against Calabasas in the league finals.
“Our teams played well and were able to adapt to each other. It was close, a really good game, and we were able to get the victory over them,” Eschenburg said.
Ostrovsky, too, is satisfied with the team’s performance this season.
“It (was) amazing to watch these guys get so much better in such a short period of time. Things started clicking, and these guys skill levels went up dramatically,” Ostrovsky said.
