The 2021 season of California volleyball was a season full of cheers.
Led by head coach Julie Bailey, the Lady Pintos won 25 of 34 matches and brought another district championship to California by defeating Versailles (25-14, 25-12, 25-9) and Eldon (25-20, 25-15, 26-24) in the District Tournament in California. Their run for a state title was short lived however, as the Lady Pintos were eliminated by the Odessa Lady Bulldogs 3-0 in the opening round of the postseason.
Now the Lady Pintos are looking to put the pain of last year's ending behind them. Most players on the 2022 squad are returning players with multiple years of experience at the varsity level. Bailey said that experience always helps a team and she believes that these Lady Pintos not only have experience, but also the skills that that experience comes with.
"We lost three seniors who were key players for us offensively and defensively; they were also great leaders. However, we are lucky to have five seniors this year all of whom have quite a bit of varsity experience; we also have several juniors with varsity experience as well," said Bailey. "These juniors and seniors also spend a lot of time in the off season developing their skills. This summer they have stepped up and done an excellent job and have really come together as a strong team."
California will once again have to endure a long and difficult schedule if they are to repeat as district champions. Among those opponents are Helias, Hickman, Fatima, Capital City, as well as Tri-County Conference rival and defending state champion Blair Oaks. Bailey said that her team has to approach each match as a challenge and that's what every one of their opponents is a challenge and they need to treat them that way. Even when they need to go and change their playbook to counter their opponent's sets, something Bailey stresses a lot with her team when the time comes.
"Our game plan can change based on who is playing but also based on who we are playing against. We base our defense on the oppositions hitting strengths and our offense based on the opposition's defensive weaknesses. Our defense and block can change based on whether a team hits the line or across the court. We can attack a defense's line or angle depending on their block and defensive positioning," Bailey explained. "If the opposition has a weaker middle, we will set our middle hitter more. if they have a strong middle, we may set our outside hitters more. There is a strategy to volleyball like any other sport."
With a strong blend of experience, camaraderie, and skills sets, California has an opportunity this fall to be one of the teams to beat in both conference and district play. Bailey believes that everyone on her team is capable of playing a part of the potential success of this team.
"I think anyone on our team has the potential to have a standout season. All of our players are strong and there is a lot of parity among our players. It will be fun to watch the players develop and grow and see how they come together as a team. These girls are competitors and are driven. They want to be successful and at times over analyze every play. They tend to maintain their focus by always wanting to do better and by always wanting to learn," Bailey said. "Being focused on the small details and skills helps them to get better and driven within each match and from match to match. As a team, we have each player set practice and season goals. Within practice, we often set team goals. The setting of goals throughout the season helps us not look ahead to the end of the season. We try to focus on development as well as short and long term goals."
Volleyball is a sport of both offensive and defensive strategy. Bailey understands in order for a volleyball team to be a great team it has to learn to attack and defend from all angles on the court. Bailey says that will be one of the most essential components for this year's team.
"We will work on our offensive attacks and on directionally placing the ball. Defensively we will work on making adjustments to the offensive attacks," Bailey said. "We have to focus on our team development and push ourselves in practice to play at a competitive level so we are ready for each match."
The 2022 season begins Tuesday, Aug. 30 at home against Mexico.