The new Varsity and JV volleyball teams, filled with returning players and new players for 2014, look to be the first team to win a state championship for the school.

Varsity has its outlook on defeating the defending state champions Highland or other schools that may rise to the challenge such as; Mesa, Boulder Creek, and Hamilton. The team plays away at Highland on April 17 and the game is sure to be action packed.

The scrimmage on Feb. 27 showed that varsity has potential to be successful this season.

“The scrimmage didn’t suggest we are ready to win a state title, but it helped outline steps we need to take if we want to reach the state title game,” Brian Pomerantz explained.

Jalen Cross is a leading hitter for the varsity team and wants to win the championship as bad as Pomerantz. He has been training since freshman year to play volleyball as a senior. His progress from training has lead him to be an amazing player. Cross is third in Arizona for middle hitters and plans to play volleyball in college. With Jalen’s volleyball talent he has potential to play D. 1 college volleyball and is still considering his options.

Another key player is Michael Hoffman, a junior and the varsity team libero; he plays all six positions in the back giving his opportunity to focus on serve receive, free-ball passing and defense. He plans to play for a college in California to continue his volleyball career.

“I hope to have a great season,” Hoffman said, “I’m [also] looking forward to having a lot of fun while kicking butt in the process.”

Volleyball’s first game is on Mar. 6 away, against Hamilton with JV B playing at 3:30 AM, JV A playing at 4 PM, and Varsity at 5:30 PM. Hamilton is a challenging team and will provide strong battles for the team. The team will need to take all their training and come together to defeat their opponent.