Frosh Volleyball Finishes 25-1, Perfect in League

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Freshman Volleyball Head Coach Lawrence Whang does not judge his teams on wins and losses. The first season in the program is about setting the tone for the future in skill-work, team bonding and practice. But if he did, the young Troubadours had a successful season.

“Overall the team did great,” said Whang. “Personally I don’t characterize (success) by wins and losses. It is how we do on the court. If we do well, we produce wins.”

The Frosh team went 25-1 overall and posted a perfect 12-0 record against the Delta League competition. They dropped just six sets on the season.

“We got better because we came together more as a team,” said freshman setter Kate Fitzgerald. “We got to know each other more (during the season) and we got more comfortable on the court. We practice harder than any team in our league and I thought we did pretty good.”

The Troubies opened the season with the Holy Court matchup with Christian Brothers, posting a 2-0 win. It was the start of a streak of six straight wins to begin the season.

“The team got better by working hard in practice,” said Whang. “We step it up in practice and challenge each other. That is where we get our competition from and it shows when we go to the outside tournament.”

SF dropped the opening game of the Stockton Tournament to Vacaville, the lone loss of the season. They rebounded to win the consolation bracket with a hard-fought win over St. Mary’s 2-1,

“We saw new teams in the tournaments than we normally do so we really got see what it is going to be like in our next years playing good teams,” said Fitzgerald. “I think it made us all look forward to JV and next year.”

The Troubadours would go on to win 10 straight in league play.

“We learned it is not just a competition but we are there to have fun and be a team,” said outside hitter Devon Laing.

The Carmichael Invitational Tournament to end the season setup as the final challenge for the team. After rallying to win the consolation bracket in Stockton, the team was determined to win their final tournament. Whang said he “told the girls we have to come home with a plaque and they kept that up.”

The team went 6-0, posting wins over Tokay, Woodland Christian, Truckee, Sutter, Oak Ridge and Bishop Manaogue.

“It was probably the best we have played all season,” said Laing. “Everyone was really excited and we played really good.”

Whang was proud of his young team.

“They had the bruise from losing at the Stockton tournament and they came out working hard,” said the fourth-year head coach. “It was a long day and gym got hot. We played six games and did really well.”

Looking back on the team goals, including working as a team, going undefeated in league and winning their tournaments, they accomplished all three and showed the future is bright for this group.

“We worked so good as a team this whole season and I think we are all going to be really good friends after the season,” said Laing.

The Troubies completed the season Wednesday night with a 2-0 win over Monterey Trail, finishing the season on 19-match winning streak.