Falling short of head coach Teresa
Velasquez’s expectations and missing the playoffs, the volleyball
team will conclude its season Wednesday at home against Los Angeles
Harbor College.

“I was thinking we were going to make the playoffs because we have a good team. Through the transition of playing, you never know what’s going to happen,” Velasquez explained.

Dropping its match against Pasadena City College 3-1 last Friday, the volleyball team holds a 8-13 overall record and a 5-8 conference record.

The sets were closely contested throughout the match, just as they have been the same way throughout the entire season, but the volleyball team could just not capitalize on its strengths when the competition got heated and down to the wire.

“We have the ability to beat any team, but we are lacking the communication and the bonding,” freshman setter Michelle Barba said. “There are a lot of strengths and weaknesses, and I’m glad we know what our weaknesses are.”

Freshman Sara Hickman, right side hitter and middle blocker, said, “We played well as individuals, but not as a team. When we play as a team, we’re a lot stronger than people think, but we played on our own.”

There’s one final chance to rectify the flaws in the team’s tactics on Wednesday, and Los Angeles Harbor College will be at the receiving end of what Hickman calls an “all-out” effort.

“(Los Angeles Harbor College) is not nearly as difficult as Pasadena (City College) or any of the teams we have played, but coach always said that if they can put a ball over the net, then you have to respect them.”

In its previous match against Los Angeles Harbor College, the volleyball team came out victorious 3-0, and the team was spaced out and executing well on offense, with at least ten players unleashing one kill, according to cerritosfalcons.com.

“It’s going to be tough to end the season,” Velasquez said. “We were close every game we played this season, but we didn’t make it. Next year, we will be better. The way we were very close this season, we will fix it because we will have more experience.”

Freshman outside hitter Nicole Spigner said, “This is not how the season should have ended for us. We should have won more games than we did. We’re going to push through it because we’re a better team than that.”

With only two sophomores this season, the freshmen will make a return for next year, and that’s when everything that has been learned will be applied.

Velasquez said, “The team will learn from this. The experience will make the difference because now, the team gets nervous and with being nervous, the team makes a lot of errors.”

The final home outing of the season for the volleyball team will be at 6 p.m. in the Falcon Gymnasium.