Avalon completes turnaround with championship

Photo by Nick Morrow David Mulgado goes up for a kill attempt in a recent match.

Boys volleyball team goes from 1-7 to 10-0 in league play

The Avalon Boys Volleyball team just finished league play as Express League Undefeated League champions. The 2023 squad is made up of two seniors, four juniors, six sophomores and four freshman with a 22-7 overall record and a 10-0 record in league, they also only dropped two sets in league play.

While there is plenty of work ahead as the players prepare for the postseason, for the moment the team can be proud of their tremendous success.

I have seen so much improvement in this team, we placed 4th at the Liberty Christian Tournament and then second at our Avalon Tournament and it sets us up to compete for a league championship we are also currently on a 10-match winning streak.

We have been led by a strong group of athletes, Francisco Arellano runs our offense with his Volleyball IQ and quick sets to the corner. Manases Rubio has made his mark as a big offensive weapon with his kills and placement of the ball and has had breakout serving games.

Aaron Meza has faced down the best hitters we’ve seen with great hustle on defense and adjusting to their hard-driven serves. Jacob Mello and David Mulgado are our outside hitters who play key roles on defense and offense they both play key roles in our teams success. Adalberto Vazquez has definitely stepped up his game, being one of our key blockers and getting lots of touches on balls to give our defense a better chance of getting digs. Uriel Gonzales is a key defensive specialist who has stepped up and made great strides this season.

It’s just super exciting for the whole group because I didn’t come in with any expectations this season. Last year we finished 1-7 in league no playoffs and 5-18 overall and this year it has been a total turnaround. We really have 16 quality players, and everyone is able to contribute and do their part to push each other in games. We’ve got some really talented players.

Their ability to get the whole team contributing and moving in the same direction is what I’m most proud of. Avalon Boys Volleyball future is definitely on an upward trajectory with a young core and a bright future.

The team has home matches today at 4 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3 and 5 p.m. The boys volleyball playoff brackets are scheduled to be released on Saturday by 11 a.m.

Carlos Martinez is the head coach for Avalon volleyball and Avalon School Athletic director.