Dougherty Valley’s varsity womens volleyball team had a stumbling start to the season after losing the first game to Granada High School on Sept. 5, which was shortly followed by a loss against California High School on Sept. 7.
The team is currently tied with Livermore High School for last out of the 10 teams in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL). Although their season is off to a rocky start, first-year varsity sophomore Violet Bothwell believes that the first couple games were not an accurate representation of the team’s potential. This year, only three varsity players returned to the team, since the majority of the athletes graduated last year. The rest were newcomers.
“I don’t think all of us knew what to expect because we are fairly new together,” Bothwell said. “So we went in not really knowing what we were going into.”
The team held tryouts in the second week of school. With the season opener on Sept. 5, the Wildcats only had a couple weeks to train together before the competition was underway. To compensate for the delay, the volleyball team held practice five to six times a week. Alumni from previous years have also come back to help them train.
“I don’t expect us to win every single game because that’s just unrealistic,” senior Taylor Huerta said. “But I do expect us to go out there and just fight for everything and just like, because we are the underdogs. We definitely can beat teams that we don’t think we can if we work together as a team, and just give it 150% all the time.”
With six games ahead of them, the Wildcats are setting their sights on Dublin High. The rivalry game will be at Dublin on Oct. 17.
“We’re looked down upon because of [the reputation that] Dougherty sports [have]. So that motivates us to play harder against teams like Dublin,” Bothwell said.
In the meantime, the team will get some experience by going against teams like Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley. The Wildcats are aiming to improve their communication skills and overall team attitude.
“We try to focus on our energy and being really positive,” Bothwell said. “Even if we’re down, it just feels better if we’re all on the same page and being positive. So we want to have fun while playing but also still compete really well.”
For Huerta, the goal is to put the team’s goals before herself.
“If you make a mistake, think about how you can fix it for the team, not just for yourself,” she said. “For example, if I miss a hit, I tell my setter ‘set me again, I’m gonna get this kill for you.’ So we just do everything for each other. That’s our focus — not so much to accelerate or play top-notch, but really focus as a team, because that makes our play [better].”
The team will be back in action against San Ramon Valley at home on Sept. 28.
