Volleyball spiked


May 20, 2002, midnight | 21 years, 10 months ago


The Blair coed volleyball team ended their strong season on May 15 with a loss to Watkins Mill High School in the second round of the playoffs.

With an 11-1 regular season record, the Blazers finished a respectable third in the Montgomery County 4A division. They finished with a 12-2 record, including the playoffs, and the players feel the season was strong. "Even though we didn't get as far in the playoffs as we would've liked, the season was still very successful," said sophomore Rebecca Cho.

The team started the season on a roll, going 5-0 before losing to Quince Orchard High School on April 20. After that loss, the team went 7-0, then fell in the playoffs, losing for only the second time this season.

The man behind the success is head coach John Mott. Having attained a combined record of 25-5-1 in only his second year as the coed volleyball coach, he has won the respect of his players.

"Coach Mott was very supportive, and he motivated us when we needed it most," junior Jeffrey Jabonete describes. "Even when we played our worst game when it mattered most, he never got down on us."

Despite the consistent play of senior Tracy Lin, the Blazers lost, 15-6, 15-2 to Watkins Mill on May 15. Three of the most talented players on the team were injured for the game.

"We would have liked to do better this year than we did last year," Jabonete explains, "but we were still somewhat satisfied. We had a very good season nonetheless."

This year's co-captains, seniors Jenny Alyono and Lan Le, greatly contributed to the overall success of the team. They added leadership and skills on the court through the entire season. "They definitely deserved to be co-captains," senior Aric Lin states, "because everyone looks up to them as players and as leaders. When they speak, everyone listens."

The respect the team had for their captains made for a more cohesive unit and better overall play. Alyono and Le were the teams leaders on the volleyball court, and many of the Blazers victories can be attributed to skills.

Another reason for the team's success might have been the weakness of their schedule. "This season went almost undefeated, but we didn't have much competition. We never had an opponent who could match up to us when we had all our players healthy," Aric Lin explains. "I would've preferred to play much harder teams and have a 6-6 record than play all easy teams and have the 11-1 record."

The easiness of the team's schedule could have hurt them in the long run. Because the team only played one quality opponent during the regular season, they were unprepared and lost when they faced a tough Watkins Mill team in the playoffs.

The success of the last two seasons might draw more attention to the coed volleyball team. The team is looking to get more people interested in playing the sport and for more supporters to fill the bleachers. "Hopefully more people will hear about us. If we get more encouragement from the Blair fans, maybe we'll go undefeated next year says Jabonete."




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