El Capitan girls volleyball stays perfect in CCC, but program wants more
El Capitan High girls volleyball coach Chela Moreno holds her team to a high standard. It’s one reason the Gauchos have won four consecutive Central California Conference championships and are closing in on No. 5. So even after watching her Gauchos sweep second-place Buhach Colony 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 on Wednesday night, Moreno wasn’t thrilled with her team’s performance.
“I’m a very tough coach,” Moreno said. “I’m tough on my program as a whole, it’s not just my varsity girls. I hold my JV and freshmen teams to a very high standard and they all know it. Like I said multiple times, they don’t want to be the team that lets the program down by getting a loss. Even when we win in three sets, I will still not give them an A. Today, I will give them a C because of the way we played. They’re tough on themselves too. They know they didn’t play to their full potential.”
Sophie Fernandez is a senior and a four-year starter. She knows Moreno can be harsh when it comes to grading the team. “Oh, she’s very tough,” Fernandez said. “That’s what we have to look for every game because we’re always scared for the next practice. If today was a C, I would say our highest grade has probably been a solid B+ this year, maybe a couple A’s.”
It’s hard to argue with the results. The Gauchos haven’t just won four titles in a row, they’ve dominated the CCC during that run, winning 43 of their last 44 conference matches, including a current streak of 20 in a row.
Buhach Colony (12-2 overall, 4-2 CCC) came into the match with a four-game winning streak and pushed the Gauchos at times during the match. “I give them some credit because they made us work for every point,” Moreno said. “It’s good for us because we had to play hard.” The Gauchos even had to call timeout at one point when they struggled to get a sideout.
However, El Capitan (17-7, 6-0 CCC) had plenty of weapons to turn to when it needed to and finished off each game strong. Jordynn Middleton played above the net all night, recording 15 kills and three blocks. Fernandez played outside hitter and setter, finishing with eight kills, 12 assists and nine digs. Freshman Anushka Elwin added 17 assists, six digs and three aces and Selena Trinca assisted on seven blocks and served up four aces. Senior Colette Collins led the Gauchos defensive effort with 13 digs and Danica Roden collected 12 digs and two aces and Ellie Iniguez also added 13 digs.
“Going into the playoffs we have to keep growing because those will be the hardest teams that we play,” Fernandez said. “This will be the first year that we make it past the second round. We’re so ready for this.”
The win over the Thunder positions El Capitan in the driver’s seat for the fifth CCC championship in a row. The Gauchos have a two-game lead atop the standings with four conference matches left to go. El Capitan, which is ranked No. 13 in the section and No. 6 in Division II hasn’t dropped a set in any of its CCC matches yet this season.
The ultimate goal is for the Gauchos to advance past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history. El Capitan has won its opening playoff game each of the last four years only to lose in the second round. The Gauchos want to reach the semifinals for the first time.
“We need to continue to stay focused on the end goa,” Moreno saidl. “We have to keep playing as a team and we can’t ever underestimate any team whatsoever. It doesn’t matter if we beat them already or if we beat them in three sets. The end goal is to get to the playoffs and make it past the second round.”
Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.