2011 HSMSE Boys Volleyball Season Recap

2011 HSMSE Boys Varsity Volleyball Team

Although the HSMSE Dragons started out with a win, the passing season was a bumpy ride. HSMSE’s boys volleyball team is a rising club with no senior players. The team had five victories this season; however, this was just the beginning. As the team progresses to next season, they will be able to play better together. According to outside hitter, Yassine Khaliqui, the team was able to work together well, but still can improve. “We worked very well, bonded with each other so that next year we will be able to work better.”

After considerate thinking, players Leon Jon and Xinghai Zhang agreed that Thomas Kui is the team's most valuable player. The team plays considerably well when everyone on the team contributes and Kui greatly adds to the play on the court. Kui leads the team in multiple stats with 15 aces, 65 service points, and 33 kills. He especially provides support through his defense with 41 digs. When he returns spikes and makes plays, the whole team feels comfortable and encouraged.

Although there are no senior players, there are many players who now have a second year of competition under their belts. Everyone who was on the team last year greatly improved over this past season. Kenneth Hungria, a junior on the team, was one of the returning players from last season. His stats increased drastically this year. In the 2010 season, he had only 21 service points and 34 assists, which increased to 33 service points and 66 assists in the 2011 season. Many of the other players had similar increases. This shows how much better the team is getting and their ability to improve.

When asked about a memorable game for the team, coach Diunte reflected on their last of the season against Frederick Douglas Academy. He remembers having called a timeout at a pivotal point in the match and noticed a change in the team's attitude. “You could see after the timeout that they were determined not to lose that match,” said Diunte. The team’s evident determination drove them to push themselves in the game. Diunte remarked about their hustle during the game. “They dived for balls and saved plays [which] made for exciting game play.” This was the extra effort that gave them the 2-1 lead over FDA, which they were able to secure until the games end. The Dragons had encountered the team once before in early April but lost 2-1. This time around, Diunte noted that our own team, “Carried the momentum and easily won the game to avenge the loss against FDA.” In that game, Ardit Piroli made 9 kills while Thomas Kui had 18 service points and Kenneth Hungria led with 10 assists. With 20 assists overall, the boys volleyball team demonstrated that they are capable of working efficiently as a team when the circumstances are pressing.

Many of the players on the team see growth for next season. Freshmen player Spencer Sharp said, "We have a long way to go to reach the top because we are a young team. We are still growing. We can get a lot better over the year.” According to Sharp, the team played better as the season went along. “We got a feel of each person’s ability. Through playing together, we found out each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” Learning these strengths and weaknesses will allow the team to realize this improvement next season.

Contributed by: Marcelo Bravo, Daniel Lee, Haoli Mei and Ankhe Tomer

2011 Boys Varsity Volleyball Stats

Player Name	Matches	Aces	ServicePts	Assists	Blocks	Digs	Kills
Ardit Piroli	11	5	24	1	0	10	44
Benjamin Moosher	10	3	9	0	1	2	15
Benny Yan	7	0	3	0	0	1	3
Dionys Guiterrez	8	0	1	0	0	1	2
Jeremy Wain Hirschberg	12	10	53	68	0	19	17
Joan Lee	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kenneth Hungria	12	9	33	66	0	17	2
Kharizza A. Empedrado	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Leon Jon	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rudy Outar	12	7	42	1	1	12	24
Spencer Sharp	12	0	0	4	0	4	4
Thomas Kui	11	15	65	1	0	41	33
Xinghai Zhang	6	0	0	0	0	0	0
Yassine Khaliqui	12	9	40	2	0	30	29