The CHS Varsity Mens’ Volleyball team has recently changed leagues from the Pacific League to the Hacienda League and made the switch from division two to division three after having a rocky start to their season. The head varsity coach, Bernie Wendling, agreed that it was for the best that the team move down a division to work their way up as they were previously playing against teams that were on a different playing level and traveling long distances for away games. Wendling believes that the they are now one of the better teams in their division, rather than last season where they were one of the lower ranked teams in division two. Because of the league change, the games became balanced and gave the team a better opportunity to excel. This season the team hopes to show a great improvement from their previous number of wins and to hopefully compete for a league title.

“We’ve been playing well and learning how to win, so I’m proud of them because this is a good thing,” Wendling said. “We want to compete for league. We’ve played Damien and Los Altos and that will let us see where we are, but we feel like we really have a shot at trying to win a league championship so that’s our main focus.”

The team is currently ranked top ten in their division and have gradually improved this season. The team’s hunger and determination to score has helped them win games and produce an overall better game performance. Wendling explained that the team effort has shown through their work in practice and throughout the games due to the chemistry the team has created throughout the season. Most of the students on the team have been competing together for at least a couple of years, so they enjoy playing together and have developed a strong team chemistry. Senior varsity captain James Bradley believes the division switch will work in the team’s favor, considering that they have already made huge improvements compared to previous seasons.

The team has high hopes for this season and they intend on meeting them by working hard during practices and improving their skills both as a team and individually. The ability to actually compete against the teams in their new division has helped them gain confidence while playing which is especially important for the team this season.

“Our main struggle with being in division two last year was our lack of confidence,” junior and Mens’ Volleyball Varsity player David Deanda said. “We went in as the underdogs and kind of played scared. I think we play more confidently knowing that we are better prepared to play against the teams in this division.”

The team is now more motivated and excited to play this season, and for seasons to come as well because of the division change. Because the team is now on an even playing level with their opponents, they have a fair shot to excel and reach their goal of competing for a league championship.