The MacArthur girls’ volleyball team placed fourth overall in the Santa Ana Unified School District Intermediate school tournament on Saturday, October 4 at Segestrom High School. MacArthur lost in overtime to Santiago K-8 during the third place game, and Mendez Fundamental Intermediate took the championship in the end. Coach Ms. Niza Metoyer believed the team lost due to not having experience in playing these teams before.
Metoyer said, “I think it went well, but it sucked that we didn’t play most of the teams we wanted; we could’ve done better. The team became motivated after winning the first game.”
One player that stood out to Metoyer was eighth-grader Jazmin L. She said, ”The whole team was good, but Jazmin L. was the player who caught my attention. There was also a sixth grader, Bella, who was an excellent player, and I am excited to have her on the team next year. The captains, Maia, and Mia encouraged everyone to play their best and kept them motivated through the games.”
The season lasted approximately six weeks, and the team consisted of 16 players. In the regular practice, there was a lot of conditioning and drills. The players regularly spent time learning how to serve and spike. The season was six weeks long. 70 students tried out, but the team was cut down to 12 players.
Eighth-grader Melanie P. said, “I thought we were a good team, some things we could’ve done better on, but I liked playing with my friends. I felt good about the season. We improved a lot, and I suppose we were a good team overall.”
Jazmin said, “I learned that we all need to communicate and respect our teammates.”
Volleyball is a sport played with athletes’ hands, trying to keep the ball from hitting the ground and advancing it over the net into the opponent’s side of the court. Players may only hit the ball three times (per team); a block does not count as a hit. Also, a single player may not hit the ball twice per volley; they must only hit it once and pass it or try to get it over the net. Teams score if the ball hits the ground in bounds on the opponent’s side, and a team needs at least 25 points to win.
In last year’s season, the girls’ volleyball team placed fourth, too. The coach from last year was Data Tech Ms. Ana Garcia.