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2008
By ERIC BACA
Valley Press Staff Writer
After all, it was only the Lions' second varsity season and its first with seniors, so if the Lions went winless through league again, nobody would fault them for not making the most of their season.
And while seven other teams within the Golden League were already adding up two wins to their season total, courtesy of this year's Eastside team, second-year coach Tina Diaz was preparing her group with a more challenging preseason and toughening up practices.
"I learned so much from being a first-year coach last year," Diaz said. "I learned what to do and what not to do. I used to have a fear about getting in these girls' faces. I finally had to get over that fear and started holding them accountable to what was acceptable at the varsity level."
Diaz doesn't need verbal confirmation that what she's doing is working. The heightened effort on the court is enough for her.
Through six Golden League games, the Lions are 4-2, including wins over Highland, Palmdale and Knight, all teams that beat Eastside last year.
"Going 0-14 last year was the worst thing you can feel as a coach," Diaz said. "I knew if I could get these girls to win one game, that I could get them to win more. I've really had to fight getting excited about how well they are doing. I feel like I just need to congratulate them game-by-game."
For some of the Lions players, a strong preseason, followed by their current GL run hasn't done much to change the Valley's perception of the Eastside program. And yet, the Lions feel far from disrespected. If anything it's given them more motivation heading into the final eight games.
"I think people underestimate us," Lions setter Raelyn Sherouse said. "They aren't going to stop either. So they aren't going to expect us (to win). We had our goal in the beginning of the season to make the top-3 and make it to the (Southern Section playoffs)."
While the recent success of the Lions may be surprising, their preseason did provide a small glimpse into the possibilities for this year.
The Lions opened the 2008 campaign with a win over Rosamond, followed by another over Bethel Christian. The Lions then went on to win the bronze division of the Ganesha Tournament in San Dimas on Sept. 20. There, Diaz started seeing what the team could achieve.
"The team was absolutely amazing," Diaz said after the match. "I've never seen them play this well before."
The Lions season opener against Lancaster did more for Diaz than just provide a simple wake up call to her girls. Instead, Diaz began shifting her team around and began making more substitutions than before.
The interchanges typically are controlled by the players on the court, inline with Diaz's performance-based approach to substitutions.
"I started telling them that for every error there is going to be a consequence," she said. "If you do something wrong, I'll keep taking people out until it gets fixed."
Junior Cindy Estrada said that the harder practices have yielded immediate results.
"Practices are much more intense than last year," she said. "If we lose a game, we are conditioning really well."
In addition to adding first-year players Jasmine Smith and Brianna Johnson, the two tallest players on the Lions roster, Diaz is quick to credit her team's involvement in club volleyball to her team's quick turnaround. Five of the Lions participate in local volleyball clubs.
"It helped us a lot," Sherouse said. "We learned a lot more, and then we can come back and teach it to the ones that don't play."
The Lions' win over Knight last week catapulted them to the frontrunners for the battle for fourth. Knight coach Danny Henderson said that he was most impressed with the emphasis on the team approach the Lions maintained.
"They don't have that one really good player," Henderson said. "Just as a team they all step up. Everyone does their part type of thing, which helps a lot."
In spite of not having a home facility and playing their games at Antelope Valley High School, the Lions have maintained a strong sense of school pride. That, along with their season-long aspirations of making the playoffs will be heavily tested the next three days. The Lions take on second place Littlerock today and third place Lancaster Thursday.
"We just need to keep on doing what we have done in other games," Sherouse said. "We need to stay focused and now we need that win."
