n By cheeto barrera
Staff Writer
Gilroy – Vinny DeLorenzo went through a grueling five days on the courts half a continent away, but said it was all worth it to play in the USA Junior Olympics Volleyball Championships in Louisville, Ky. last week.
DeLorenzo’s team, the Monterey Bay volleyball club, had played together for just a month before taking on teams from around the United States and beyond at the national event July 5-9.
Over the five days, the Monterey Bay Green played 11 matches, totaling 30 games, and finished 40th out of 50 teams.
Despite the team’s finish, DeLorenzo said playing against such a wide range of teams at a high level was a huge help in improving his own game.
“The thing I learned the most was in the TCAL you seem like a big fish in a little pond, (but) when you are there, you were a little fish in a big pond,” said DeLorenzo, 17, who will be a senior at Gilroy High School in the fall.
“There is always someone better. I will come back with determination and drive harder for a better work ethic for next year. You start setting goals for yourself.”
DeLorenzo certainly had a wide range of talent to watch.
While playing the 11 matches, he faced teams from Texas, the East Coast, Guam, Puerto Rico and all over California.
“The more teams you get to play, the more players you get to see and the better you can prepare yourself,” DeLorenzo said. “It does get tiring, but it is worth it to get to play these guys.”
DeLorenzo initially tried out for a San Jose club team but was turned down.
Then, while playing in a tournament with his high school coach Craig Martin, he offered to play for the Monterey Bay team.
The squad’s first opportunity to compete came in a tournament in Sacramento on June 4.
Out of a field of about 20 teams, DeLorenzo’s team placed in the lower half.
But the Monterey Bay club team redeemed itself at a tourney in Anaheim June 30-July 3, taking the championship in the Flight 3 bracket.
DeLorenzo earned TCAL all league honors as a junior outside hitter last season.
