By Francisco Claudio
The Westcliff men's volleyball team is ready for another shot at the Cal Pac title after having reached the championship match last year against the formidable force that is Benedictine Mesa.
Two years ago the Warriors also fell in the program's first-ever playoff appearance.
Now the Warriors are determined to make another run and to get over the huge hill of defeating Ben U.
Why do I bring up Ben U?
That's because the Redhawks have never lost a Cal Pac men's volleyball match since joining the conference. An impressive record of 44-0.
So Westcliff will most likely have to get past the Redhawks if they want to be the last team standing come April.
Last season, during their second meeting of the regular season the Warriors were able to take them to a fifth and final set where they lost a heartbreaker, 15-12.
But with many key returners this year for the Warriors, those moments will have served as invaluable experience and motivation moving forward.
Westcliff head coach Alex Griffiths feels good about her group of athletes and their preparation so far.
"We feel comfortable," Griffiths said. "We have the majority of the team returning along with new athletes that fit into the culture we have established.
"Our goals never changed. Perform well together within our system. When we do this we will accomplish the Cal Pac Championship & NAIA National title."
Subtle, and straight to the point. It's time to win.
Last year the Warriors had a respectable record, (14-11, Cal Pac 10-2).
Fortunately, many of the key returners this year have kept themselves busy and in great conditions playing for the beach volleyball program.
They just won the AVCA National Championship to make it back-to-back national titles.
Hungry for more from the positive results of playing beach volleyball and motivated by the sour taste of last year's defeat, the Warriors look like a force to be reckoned with this year.
The returners:
Gabriel Pizza who was the freshman of the year is back.
Pawel Tuz and Mohamed Ilias Lazaar earned second-team honors last season.
Leonardo Garcia earned an honorable mention.
The senior veterans that make up the team are Thomas Taufetee, Mike Massaki, Tj Meyer, Trevor Lau, Mike Schoffstall, and Andy Jaszczynski.
