This spring, Dana has quite a few sports in session. One of our sports has a new coach, an all-seniors varsity team, and a long-awaited comeback story. After the boys volleyball coach last year left with a disappointing streak of zero varsity wins over two years, hope was found in Spencer Andrews, Dana Hills newest coach. With experience through volleyball in high school like this, playing college at Virginia Tech, spending three years in Europe playing professionally in England, Denmark, and Germany as well as coaching for a local club, Andrews explains, he hopes to bring the program to solid ground with a foundation made to last. His plans for the program are complex, involving more short term goals like “having three teams… [and] to continue to grow the program by keeping our players playing year round with both indoor and beach volleyball” to make the team competitive. As well, his goals are building up to long term success and within the next five years include “winning CIF and going to the tournament in Hawaii… it’s for the best teams so we want to earn our way into it.”
After not winning a game since 2020, the boys were stoked to win their Foothill tournament, a couple preseason games and their very first league game against El Toro High School, 3-0. Varsity libero Brandon Ison, who has been on the team since his freshman year, explained that the “full program sweep on El Toro in our first league game was definitely impressive,” and an accomplishment for their team so far this season. Paul Lambros, one of the varsity outside hitters who has been playing since sophomore year, chimed in to talk about finally winning, describing that “it was like a really nice feeling, like all the hard work finally paid off. It took a lot of… effort to get to where we are right now and I am very impressed with the rest of the team”.
The boys are very happy with their cooperation, hard work and wins, but know they owe it to their new coach too. Jack Andrew, another varsity outside hitter, explains that Coach Spencer “ puts in a lot of effort and its nice, he is very dedicated on and off the court,” agreeing with Paul who explains he “can tell he has a lot of passion and drive for the program, [which is] definitely a major upgrade from our previous coach.” Sounds like the new coach was just what the Dana Hills Boys Volleyball team needed, because Ison adds that “he completely turned the program around and… is there for us every step of the way”.
The coaching of course pulled the team together, but according to Paul, a huge part of the team's success is that they are friends on and off the court and “our chemistry is phenomenal”. Jack shares this perspective, clarifying “we are all good friends on the team… and hold each other accountable”. Using great teamwork and bravely dealing with injuries, the boys won the Malibu High School Tournament 8-0, last weekend and lost only one set throughout it all.
So on account of the skills, teamwork and success our boys volleyball is showing, make sure to come to any of their home or away games on Tuesdays and Thursdays mainly, to show your support and commend the success that took a long way to get to.
Author: Talia Penzell
