A Hard Hit: Manteca High’s Boy’s Volleyball Team Falls Short in Playoffs
Eli Navarro is practicing his sets before a game in the Manteca high gym, in Manteca CA. (Robert Nelson/The Tower)
By GABRIEL SHAVER
The Tower
MANTECA — As the end of the season comes to an end, sports teams prepare for future seasons, considering injuries and weaknesses to make preparation for a fresh start.
The Manteca High boys volleyball team has been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by Rio Americano High School, a Sacramento power. Even though the score sheet tells the story, the team was already facing the pressure of competing without one of their key players – senior varsity player Jesus Gomez.
Gomez broke his hand during the 3-0 defeat to Mountain House, making it his final game of the season.
Varsity head coach Jennifer Reis believes the Buffaloes are well prepared for next season, even with the departure of a decorated senior class. Along with Gomez, the Buffaloes will graduate middle blocker Rob Hevener, back row Raclif Figueroa, and outside hitter Anthony Abello.
“Dennen (Loureiro) has done a great job with some powerful hitting in the front row and Raul (Carranza) rotates back row for passing and defense. A player like Jesus is impossible to replace but our team is working hard to fill that void. He is missed though,” said Reis.
Gomez’ stats for the overall season were 58 sets played, 196 kills with a 38.2 kill percentage rate. Gomez’ presence in the team was evident throughout the Manteca Buffaloes’ solid season performance.
Junior Logan Romriell believes the success of the regular season stemmed from the positive morality amongst the players.
“We stayed consistent by keeping the team's morality high. Coming off a loss from Mountain house we knew we had to keep our hopes high for Lathrop and playoffs. If our morals ever dropped, everyone would be in their heads feeling that they aren’t good when it comes to volleyball,” said Romriell.
The boys volleyball team finished the season in second place for the league with a 10-2 record, and 22-7 overall. After suffering a 3-0 defeat from Rio Americano High School, Manteca is looking to come back even stronger next season.