Last year’s season-ender against No. 21-ranked Florida Southern in the NCAA quarterfinals was nothing short of an unbelievable year for the California State University San Bernardino Women’s Volleyball team, but for them it was yet another reason to come back stronger than ever for the upcoming season.
Starting the 2018 season ranked No. 11 in the nation was not satisfying enough as they continued to bulldoze through teams. They swept Metropolitan State University of Denver and Fresno Pacific University, and they beat Seattle Pacific University in the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational volleyball tournament.
Key players such as senior Hailey Jackson, junior Sascha Dominique and senior Jayann DeHoog have been a tremendous help to the Coyote’s success for the beginning of the season. With a blink of an eye, the Women’s Volleyball Team has sprung to the #1 ranked women’s volleyball team in the nation having defeating Cal Poly Pomona (No. 25), California State University Los Angeles (No. 16) and improving their record to 9-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and 16-1 overall after a 12-match winning streak.
Setter Jayann DeHoog states, “the team is more determined and confident than ever. Every single girl on this team is bought into what we are striving for, and is consistently pushing each other both on and off the court”.
Some players are hurt and unfortunately have to miss the season because of injuries. Junior Kaili Scott says, “although it is tough not being out there and helping the team out on the court, I still do everything I can to support them. I make sure I still push everyone and show them that with a blown-out knee, if I can still put in the work each and every day, they can too. I make sure that I am the loudest on the sideline and give the positivity and energy that we need from set 1 all the way through till the last point of set number 5.”
Certainly we can give much of the credit to the girls playing their hearts out on the court, but they would not be the team they are without their coaches, head coach Kim Cherniss, assistant coach Mike Gutierrez and assistant head coach Danny Scott. Speaking about the coaches, junior Amy Armstrong says “they make it easy for us to want to work hard because of the trust and respect that they have in us. They know how great each and every single one of us are and bring out the best of us. They are all so positive no matter what.”
With just five games left in the season, these girls continue to perform and get better and stronger every week and have one thing on their mind, and that is to end this season as the Division II National Champions.
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