The girls’ Volleyball team had many outstanding accomplishments this year, but had to overcome one of the biggest disappointments a team has to face.
The girl's Volleyball team work hard to keep a prestigious record. Photo by Mia Nogueira
This year the Spartan Volleyball team was able to defy all the boundaries and end the season placing 25th in state with the titles of 4A City Champs, second in the league, a spot in districts, and showed off a record of 17-4. The team demonstrated a lot of hard work this year and really pushed to excel,” said Kira Rodriguez, a 4-year varsity player at TJ.
“This is the best team I have seen for the nine years I have been working at TJ; I was very hopeful for the team,” said Lani Nobles, the Athletic and Activities Director at TJ. The squad also had multiple players to make All City teams and Honorable Mention. Desa Beslic, Shonn McCaffrey, and Kira Rodriguez all made the prestigious First Team in City. Olivia Breningstall, Angela Becker, and Celeste Henderson made the Second Team, and Mallory Baker and Tracy Sanchez-Guevara were acknowledged as Honorable Mentions.
The squad only lost to one DPS team this year, in a hard-fought match with East High School 3-1. One of the Team’s biggest victories was the win against Rock Canyon, 3-2. “Our win against Rock Canyon was an awesome addition to our record this year. It really gave our team confidence,” said Becker, who is a returning sophomore on the Varsity team. The Girl’s had five televised games throughout the season, documenting their fiercely driven attitudes and outstanding team ethics.
Unfortunately, the team was disqualified from districts due to a mistake made in scheduling, breaking a CHASA rule allowing only 19 games for the season; the girls played 21. The team, coaches, and administration were all devastated, but were still able to celebrate the accomplishments the dedicated team was able to achieve. “We worked really hard to get to the place we did, and unfortunately -because the number of games played was overlooked- we were unable to continue our thriving success. This will become a learning experience for the team, and I am hopeful that they will do great next year,” said Senior Captain Rodriguez, who will be leaving the team with a legacy of an optimistic attitude.
