El Capitan dethrones Los Banos as WAC volleyball champ

Maycol Fernandez has nothing but respect for Los Banos High School volleyball coach Greg Soliz.

The El Capitan coach said if anyone one could create a game plan to muck up the Gauchos’ undefeated Western Athletic Conference season, it was Soliz. That, coupled with the pride he knew the four-time defending champion Tigers would display, had Fernandez and his squad taking nothing for granted Tuesday night.

In the end, the Gauchos’ talent was too much for a good scheme to overcome. El Capitan turned in big serves and bigger hits to sweep the visiting Tigers 25-17, 25-10, 25-14 and secure the first Western Athletic Conference title in school history.

“(Soliz) is a very good coach,” Fernandez said. “He can make something out of nothing, so even though we beat them the first time we knew we had to come ready to play.

“The girls played well, but winning league is just one of our goals. I’ve always told the girls that the playoffs are where the fun is, so making it to at least the third round this year is our ultimate goal. I like the way we’re playing right now, so hopefully, we can get there.”

Los Banos (9-2 WAC) knew grabbing a share of its fifth consecutive title would be a challenge after El Capitan (20-7, 12-0 WAC) snapped the Tigers’ 48-match WAC winning streak in Los Banos on Oct. 1. That challenge became all the more difficult with two starters out, including junior middle blocker Bailey Allen.

It left some of Los Banos’ more inexperienced players in the back row, and El Capitan took full advantage with 16 aces. Makenzie Webber led the onslaught with two of her team-high five aces and three kills in the opening set.

“Having a couple players out of the lineup tonight didn’t help us, but it’s certainly not why we lost,” Soliz said. “Congrats to El Cap. I’ve said from the beginning of the season that I thought they were the team to beat, and they proved it.

“We knew we were facing a challenge, but this was also an opportunity for some girls to step up. We didn’t do that, but we’re a young team. We’re mainly juniors and sophomores, and this will hopefully serve as a learning experience. We’re still going to the playoffs, and we have an opportunity to really build toward something next season.”

Without their biggest hitter in the lineup and struggling with their serve-receive game, the Tigers were forced to simply try to keep most plays alive. That scrappy play kept things competitive for most of the first set, but the Gauchos’ offense seemed to find its rhythm in the second.

Dayanna Torres-Hernandez (match-high 21 assists) moved the ball quickly among her top three weapons – Ariana Johnson (10 kills), Adyn Walton-Allen (10) and Webber (six). It helped El Cap spark a 10-1 run in the middle of the second set for a commanding 18-6 lead.

“We were excited for this one,” said Johnson, who added four aces and a team-high six digs. “We’d been working so hard since last season ended, we really wanted to win league. It’s just the first in a line of goals, but the school’s first league volleyball title is something we’ll always be a part of.”

Los Banos lacked the offensive firepower to answer. Desiree Munoz had a team-high four kills, with no one else recording more than two. It made matching the Gauchos’ runs difficult.

One such run helped put the match and conference title to rest in the third set, as the Gauchos went on a 12-3 run and took a 24-10 lead. Los Banos extended the evening, drawing out five set points, but a hitting error brought the end of an era and the match to a close.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 10:21 PM with the headline "El Capitan dethrones Los Banos as WAC volleyball champ."