Odds stacked against defending champs

Jeff Neubert

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 | 10:45 a.m.

History may repeat this year in boys' high school volleyball. No team has ever won consecutive state titles since the state championship tournaments began in 2000, and this year it will be tough for Sierra Vista to change that.

The defending Sunset Region and state champion Mountain Lions will step on the court this year with six new starters. Not one Mountain Lion has ever started a game at the varsity level, according to Sierra Vista coach Camille McComas.

The Mountain Lions will be taking this season one game at a time, realizing that learning will be a key for the young team, McComas said. They do have promising young talent with sophomore Sam Wahalani leading the group. Andrew Gonzalez, one of two seniors, will also be a team leader.

"I'm going to play as hard as I can in practice and games," Gonzalez said. "We will never give up."

The second-place team from last year, Cimarron-Memorial, loses two starters and a coach for the time being. Sarah Melvin, co-coach, will not be in attendance at the start of the season for personal reasons.

"We will be competitive," Cimarron-Memorial coach Gina Davis said. "The two that we lost will make a bit of an impact, but the seniors will just have to step up."

The key for the Spartans to be competitive this year will be team chemistry. With the loss of two impact players, the team will have to re-develop chemistry lost from last year.

With the top two teams from last season having lost so much, the Sunset Region looks to be wide open this year. Coaches from teams that did not compete as well as they hoped last year said they have improved.

With the exact opposite situation of Cimarron and Sierra Vista, Clark looks to be improved. It lost only two starters from last year and will have a team full of seniors.

The Chargers will have a few impact players this year with Jonathan Robert, Edmond Xhelili, Darko Milanovic and Ernest Ruedas leading the team.

Bonanza also looks to be improved. Coach Bob Bertolani has set the team's goals high this year. With arguably one of the state's best players, junior Cameron Hyer, the playoffs could be in their sights.

"I'm hoping to get past the second round of the playoffs," Bertolani said. "I hoping things will change with this group of kids." In the past the Bonanza has fizzed out toward the end.

Even though Bonanza has lost five starters from last year, Bertolani believes his team is talented and will be competitive.

Coaches around the league were able to agree on two things: Watch out for Palo Verde, Centennial, and even Durango; and that the Sunset Region should be more competitive this year.