With one of the youngest, least inexperienced teams in her nine years of coaching girls volleyball at Dos Pueblos, Megan O’Carroll is looking at this season as a journey.
The Chargers fell to 0-3 after dropping their home opener against Santa Ynez at Sovine Gym on Tuesday night, 25-12, 25-13, 25-15.
“Of our starting lineup tonight, at any point four of the six had never played a varsity match before, and two of them are freshmen,” said O’Carroll. “They came from 8th grade volleyball and now they’re playing big girl volleyball at the varsity level.”
Facing some tough Santa Ynez serving, the Chargers struggled with their ball control and scrambled to keep plays alive most of the night.
Santa Ynez, 2-0 on the season, served 13 aces, with Lila Cassidy leading the way with six.
“We’re really young and we’re having to train two key positions. We’re training a new setter and we’re training a new libero,” said O’Carroll. “I’ve been lucky I’ve had somebody in place for years, which are your quarterback of your offense and quarterback of your defense. It’s a big ask to be having a freshman at one and a sophomore at the other, but they’re doing a great job. There is a lot to learn.”
Shaky passing made it difficult for DP to set the ball to senior and two-time all-Channel League player Addison Low, who has moved from middle to the outside.
“We want her to be our go-to girl; she’s incredible and she’s super athletic,” said O’Carroll. “We want her in a position where we can get her the ball more, and having her play six rotations, gives us front-row, back-row options. We have to pass and be able to actually set her the ball to find success. We think in the long run it’s probably the best for the team to have her on the outside.”
Low had six kills and eight digs, Charlize Welch picked up nine digs and Athena Bardakos served four aces for DP.
Junior outside hitter Scotty Losson unleashed her quick arm swing and produced a match-best 15 kills and sophomore opposite Scarlett Ollenburger put away 10 kills. Setter Emma Johnson dished out 30 assists and libero Haley Spry led the defense with nine digs.
As O’Carroll watches her team go through its growing pains, she said she reminds herself that it takes time to build a new team.
“The chant in my head is the journey is long, the journey is long, and I know we’re getting better every day,” she said of the process. “And I want to make sure I remember that and I see that. And that’s exactly what I’m going to remind the girls. The journey’s long and it’s going to be uncomfortable but as long as everyone is moving in the same direction in the journey, we’re gonna get there.”
DP is home again on Thursday against Simi Valley-Royal; Santa Ynez hosts Templeton on the same night.