Inexperience not holding Gilroy back from shooting for league
title, CCS spot
GILROY – Sometimes being young is not all that bad, especially when you have a team filled with athletic players.
That’s what has head boys volleyball coach Craig Martin excited about this year’s Mustang spikers, who have only one returning starter, but a host of talented two-sport athletes.
“We’re definitely young, but we’re extremely athletic. Almost everybody is a two-sport athlete and just from what we’ve seen in preseason, they are all over the floor,” said Martin, who is in his fifth season heading up the volleyball program. “They’re just digging up balls and doing the things we ask them to do.”
The Mustangs are 2-4 in non-league and will open their Tri-County Athletic League schedule on Wednesday at home against Salinas at 6:30 p.m. Martin is not worried about the team’s below .500 overall mark, because he knows the only way into the Central Coast Section Playoffs is by winning the league title.
“It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish,” said Martin, whose squad finished 20-9 overall last season and 12-2 in T-CAL, but still did not receive an at-large playoff bid. “The team is going into it knowing we need to win league to make the CCS Playoffs. We have no control over anything else.”
The Gilroy program learned a lesson last season and is now focusing all of its attention on league, where the Mustangs lost only two games against league champion Live Oak last year.
“As far as last year, we’re learning that we just need to win league,” Martin said.
Senior outside hitter Kyle Loving (6’2″) will step out from last year’s middle blocker spot to take on a majority of the Mustangs’ spike attempts. In the first six games, Loving has a team-high 38 kills.
“He’s coming right along,” said Martin of Loving. “He’ll definitely be a senior leader out there, and I’ve got a couple other guys who started with us last year, but got hurt and didn’t play.”
Senior middle blocker Nick Mason (6’5″) rolled his ankle last season, after a promising start, but comes in healthy for his final campaign for the Mustang spikers.
“He’s the guy we’re looking for to just take control of the middle,” Martin said.
Senior setter Jason Ahumada hurt his foot last season and never got a chance to crack the rotation. This year, Ahumada will be the starting setter.
“(I have confidence in him) just because he’s so much of a leader and he’s so athletic,” Martin said.
Gilroy’s back row will be patrolled by a trio of players: Junior Patrick Largo, who also will help out with the setting; junior Calvin Kretz, up from the junior varsity last year; and senior Brandt Chacon, a first-year volleyball player, but a first-team All-League guard for the basketball team.
“Largo’s back row skills are just excellent,” Martin said. “Chacon’s got the quickness to dig stuff up.”
Senior Ankoon Pothong, a foreign exchange student from Thailand is expected to play through the rotation this season and help the team out in all aspects.
“He’ll be a good all-around player for us,” said Martin of Pothong.
Rotating in the middle for Gilroy will be junior blockers Steven Good and Adam Moon, who both played on the varsity basketball team as well.
“I didn’t get most of them until the 23rd of February, so we’re still learning our rotations and how to play the game together as a team,” Martin said.
There are also four exciting sophomores on the Mustang roster, including Vinny DeLorenzo (6’2″), Ryan Chisolm (6’4″), Dominic Jackson (6’5″) and Ryan Dickerson.
“Because of our youth and some inexperience, we literally don’t know game-to-game which team is going to come out and play,” Martin said. “Part of the fun this year is we’re young; we know we’re young; but the athletic ability of these kids is just amazing. But we don’t know the game. We’re learning.”
Gilroy’s wins came against Gunderson in three games and San Lorenzo Valley in five games, while losses were put up against Mount Madonna in three games, Pioneer in three games, Watsonville in four games, and Harbor in three games.
