The Heritage men's volleyball team had a chance Thursday to win the Bay Valley Athletic League title for the first time since 2018-19.
For the past three years, the Patriots have finished second in the league three years in a row, falling short of the league title. However, a win over crosstown rival Liberty Lions on Thursday will end their winning streak in second place.
Heritage head coach Janet Hannigan won't let past finishes affect her team this Thursday night.
“I don't have a backwards mindset,” Hannigan said. “I'm very optimistic and trying to look to the future, so I'm spending this moment right now with this team. If they do what they're supposed to do and what they've been training for. The cards should be there, the stars should align and we should be able to accomplish this and move on.”
Heritage played well throughout the season. They have lost only one game since losing to Liberty in the East County Invitational Tournament on March 2 (a 2-1 tournament loss to Amador Valley on April 13). During that time, the Patriots won 54 games while losing just six sets.
Despite the success, Hannigan believes there is room for improvement for the team.
“There are still things we need to improve on, like the intensity, speed and tempo of the game,” she said. “Really working on things and being competitive is something we've been working on in practice, so we expect a great game between two solid teams. I'm really excited and I'm excited for them ( I'm sure the players are excited too.”
Thursday is also the Patriots' Senior Night. With 10 seniors on the roster, Hannigan said this year's Senior Night will be different than years past, but is in “reflection mode” while the team is still competing. He says he doesn't want to be.
As of this writing, Heritage is ranked third among North Coast Section Division I boys volleyball teams. All four of the team's losses on the season were against teams ranked in the top 10.
“I hope we can make it to the finals,” Hannigan said. “I remember when we didn't make it to the finals, and I don't want to go to the finals anymore.If this team is to continue, I want them to do their best until the end.
Last year, the Patriots' season ended with James Logan coming from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Heritage 3-2 in the opening game of the NCS Division 1 playoffs. The men's volleyball team has never advanced to the NCS finals, and its deepest playoff appearance was in 2019, when it lost to Amador Valley 3-1 in the semifinals.