![Senior Jayden Duarte dives across the goal line for one of his five touchdowns in a dominant 62-40 victory over Monterey. It has been a highly successful season for Duarte, and he credits his coaches for putting him in positions to succeed and make key plays. “The goal is to help wherever the coaches need me, receiver, running back, [and] DB,” he said.](https://alisaltrojantribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_3599-2-1200x800.jpg)
The girls’ volleyball team finished in 3rd place in the Mission division last year, just missing the CCS playoffs. “I feel like towards the end of the season we were all kind of already just waiting for the season to be done,” senior Sara Neumann said. “I was pretty sad about that, how we weren’t able to really push ourselves at the end to make it.”
After falling short last year Head Coach Cynthia Huerta has high hopes for this year’s squad. “I think we have a high chance and we’re most likely going to make it to CCS.”
This confidence comes from the fact the team only lost 3 seniors due to graduation and both the returners and the new additions the team are looking very strong. “[the new additions] they have attributed to the team by filling in the roles of the players we lost last year,” Captain Alena Sophia Ruiz said.
There are 9 returners – seniors Fernanda Armenta, Mianicole Frias, Sara Neumann, Alena Sophia Ruiz, and Janelle Medina; juniors Aaliyah Quintero, Elena Neumann, Paola Gil, and Areli Rodriguez; and 4 new additions – juniors Noemi Tostado and Eliza Malone; and sophomores Lanasia Steen and Ameryse Thatcher. “Everyone contributes and everyone just puts in all the team effort,” senior Sara Neumann said. Coach Cynthia Huerta gives credit to, “The friendships they have within each other on the court helps them build trust and ensure each other.”
The girls’ familiarity with each other has helped them start off strongly in the 1st half of the league, as the team went 6-1 and has a firm grasp of second place.
The team stayed on a roll to start the second half of league, beating Alvarez to move to 7-1. The team will face Watsonville at home before a rematch with Monterey on 10/14. “I’m looking forward to our second game against Monterey at their home,” Captain Janelle Medina said.
Winning the rematch against Monterey would put the Trojans in contention for a league title and a ticket to the CCS playoffs. “We’ve been saying, we need to beat them [Monterey], stay up, keep them under 10,” Frias said.
