Boys Volleyball finishes sixth

In the February 1 SAUSD Intermediate School Tournament, MacArthur finished in sixth place with a 2-4 record.

On February 1, the MacArthur boys volleyball competed against other SAUSD schools in the Intermediate School tournament and placed sixth overall with a 2-4 record, playing against Esqueda K-8, Carr Intermediate, Heninger K-8, and Lathrop Intermediate.

 “We did our best but we couldn’t come through.  Also, I think personally, I did good and the other players did too, but I think we didn’t play to our full potential,” said Calvin Monalo, eighth grader.

The team practiced every day at a fast pace to prepare for competition, according to Ms. Maria Guerrero, who was the head coach of the volleyball team.  Guerrero thought the boys had a lot of potential and could be the best.  Guerrero’s daily mantra was “Work hard, play hard,” and she thought the boys understood the importance of giving their best effort in practice and at the games.

The boys practiced every day from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM.  Following a series of fast-paced practices, the final 13-player team was chosen from those who stood out and met Guerrero’s expectations.

Throughout the course of the season, Guerrero thought eighth-grader Steve Vite was the player who improved the most.  Steve also felt that the team could have performed better at the tournament.  “I had a lot of fun during the tournament, but I feel like we could have worked harder,” said Steve.

Guerrero knew the boys tried their hardest but came up short in the playoffs in their loss to Esqueda.  They still got to have a lot of fun and the experience of competing in volleyball. 

Eighth-grader Jared Leocadio said, “I think I did all right, and the team was good, but we could’ve done better.  Ms. Maria taught us well, with fast-paced practices and difficult drills.”

“I think I did average but could’ve done better.  The team was great but unfortunately came up short in the playoffs.  I also thought that Ms. Maria taught us life lessons because she always told us, ‘Everything you do in life, you have to do it with heart and passion,” said eighth-grader Brandon Vu.