JOHNSTON – The sophomore program isn’t expected to compete for titles, but that didn’t stop the Juanita Sanchez boys volleyball team.
The Cavaliers (12-3, 12-2 in Division III), who reached the semifinals in their debut season, had hopes of winning a championship this spring, but have yet to show any reason why they can't make that happen. Thursday's 25-11, 25-19, 25-14 win over two-time Division III champion Johnston only helped Juanita Sanchez get closer to the level it needs to be to win the title.
“It felt amazing. They beat us last year. Thank God, we came back to be better,” said Juanita Sanchez setter Jonathan Lopez. “We looked better and it felt good just to win and beat them today.”
“I was a little nervous because I didn't want to lose,” Juanita Sanchez's Eli Torres said. “We want to maintain our current record and gradually increase it.
“We go there to have fun.”
Thursday's game didn't last long, but it was long enough to make a few observations.
Here's what I noticed on Juanita Sanchez's sweep:
Eli Torres is the best player you've never heard of
Torres didn't have to be at full tilt to make his mark on the court.
Watching the 5-foot-11 sophomore jump through the roof before slamming the ball into the floor, it's clear he has a game far beyond the Cavaliers' division.
Torres showed great athleticism all night. His lateral quickness gave him an edge as a back row passer, helping him chase down errant balls. Torres showed solid blocking talent and had great jumping ability, but it was his swinging movement that was even more impressive. He combined different cuts, pushes and tools depending on the demands of his blockers.
Not bad for a kid who taught himself the game.
Torres saw a glimpse of volleyball on TV and decided she wanted to give it a try. His natural athletic ability allowed him to serve as an outside hitter during his freshman season, but he did not stop playing after the season ended. Torres looks a lot like the club players you see when watching the best Division I teams, but his game is completely self-taught.
“I built my own net in the backyard, bought a volleyball and started playing,” Torres said. “Last year I was playing on the outside, this year I’m playing in the middle, so that’s the biggest change between last year and this year.
“[The timing] It took a while. During the summer, I try to time it perfectly. ”
Torres will be a difference-maker in the playoffs. He did well against Johnston's 6-foot-3 middle middle, Bala Marrone, but it's clear that the size of his opponent isn't important to him.
Nothing actually happens. Torres seemed resistant to pressure on Thursday, and he didn't get too excited. That composure should be huge for the Cavaliers, and if there are any key points in the postseason, expect Torres to be involved and ready.
Torres said, “There are many players who can hit, but I want to be a player that the team can trust with the ball.'' “If they give me the ball, I'll score. That's what I want to contribute to this team.”
Juanita Sanchez's offensive power is strong.
Torres is the team's best hitter, but the Cavaliers are far from a one-swing team.
Playing without starters Eurys Santos and Angelson Peña, Juanita showed off his impressive depth and offensive talent against Johnston. Torres and Crisian Caceres were monsters in the middle, making up for their lack of height by flying through the air and slamming the ball to the ground.
Seth Aguilar did the same on the outside, and Antonio Diaz had some good swings on the outside as well.
All of these weapons made setter Jonathan Lopez's night easy and kept all of his hitters well-fed.
“It's very difficult when you have too many options. Almost everyone on the team can spike,” Lopez said. “We will focus on our main hitters and aces so that we can score more points, but we want everyone to have fun, so we try to set everyone up as evenly as possible.”
Of course, the attack progressed smoothly thanks to the play from the back. The Cavaliers showed they can hit if they pass and there's not much other teams can do about it. Their stagnation was directly linked to mistakes in serve and reception and miscommunication on defense, but they did not allow those points to occur all at once.
“Sometimes we have trouble here and there because of the tough servers, but right now we're doing our best and trying to accommodate their passes,” Lopez said. “It’s not just their passing, it’s the setter’s passing as well.”
Johnston isn't going down without a fight.
The Panthers won the last two Division III titles, but none of their starters played on those teams.
Despite the lack of experience, Johnston has a 10-5 record and is a playoff-caliber team. Thursday's loss simply showed that the team has a lot of work to do if it wants to win its third straight championship.
“It was pretty tough. They were great, but I think we're better than them,” Marrone said. “We have to get down and get ready. We didn't do that and started very slow.”
The Panthers have two games remaining, playing at Middlebridge on Friday and finishing at Mount Pleasant on Tuesday. Johnston will need to play well to gain momentum as she looks to defend her title and could potentially face Juanita Sanchez in the playoffs.
But no matter the opponent, the Panthers will be ready.
“The passing definitely hurt us and we couldn't get the ball to the setter, so we definitely need to work on our passing more,” Marrone said. “We need to come together, come together and just work on being us.”
Juanita is ready to win it all
The Cavaliers have lost twice this season, losing in four sets to Pawtucket and losing in five sets to No. 1 Central Falls, and barring an upset in their final three games, they should be the No. 3 seed in Division III. is.
Last year, the Cavaliers finished in third place and were eliminated in the semifinals. This year, Juanita wants to take the season even further, and if she plays like she did Thursday, she'll have as good a chance as anyone to win the program's first title in just her second season. .
“We're trying to get a banner like they have,” Lopez said, pointing to the sport's championship banner that hangs on Johnston's impressive back wall. “Hopefully I can earn it this year because this is my last year and I want to earn it for the team.”
