Senior-led Volleyball Team Earns Fourth Straight District Crown

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The Tigers hoist their 2016 bi-district championship trophy. (Photo by Rachel Olivarez)

Luisa Gabaldon, Reporter

The Tiger volleyball team won their fourth consecutive 1-5A district title along with their third bi-district title before having their season come to an end in the area round of the playoffs to Hereford.

Their only district loss of the season came against Burges in one of two meetings as the Tigers dominated the rest of the field with

The El Paso High Tigers finished strong with a district record of 13 wins and 1 loss and an overall record of 28 wins and 10 losses. The team advanced to the bi-district title at home against Hanks High School where they won in three sets.

Valerie Carzoli, a sophomore on the team, said that the main keys to success within the team was to learn to work and maintain a good chemistry with a team mostly made up of seniors.

Jordan Rash, also a sophomore on the team, mentioned that hard work during the offseason was crucial for the success of the team. It serves as the time for the players to grow as a team and build the strong team dynamic necessary for a winning season adding that by the beginning of the season they were able to almost predict what move each player would take on the court.

“We played through a lot this season,” Rash said. “So we are able to predict what each other is going to do on and off the court.”

The perspective of the coaches was very important to the functionality of the team and every move was to get closer to the teams overall goal of making it to District. Head coach, Alarcon is known for her much disciplined team and effective coaching tactics.

“If she wasn’t the coach she was, we wouldn’t be as close as we grew to be,” Rash said. “It raises our overall level of play.”

In a team with seven seniors, both Carzoli and Rash agreed that while it can be intimidating, it serves as an opportunity for personal growth and exposure to colleges and universities.

Throughout the season it became obvious that senior Tayler Kennedy and junior Emily Perez had formed a very important part of the team.

“Emily always laid the ball down when we needed it and Tayler always put her all into getting a winning play,” Rash said.

Senior Andrea Heist also showed an increased sense of adaptability and was able to play almost every position something that was proven incredibly useful especially against tough competition the likes of Chapin and Burges.

Some of the Tiger volleyball student athletes were recently announced to be part of the 2016 1-5A All District team.

Senior outside hitter Spencer Spier was a first-team selection and honorable mentions include Kennedy for defensive player of the year, setter of the year, Andy Padillla and Perez for most valuable player.

Players on the second team include Rash and Freshman defensive specialist Alyssa Sianez.