Last season, Oak Park High School boys volleyball had a large advantage over the rest of their league. With skilled seniors and height on their side, they seemed unstoppable—and they were. Finishing the season in the third round of CIF division six, the Eagles were one of the top teams. However, after a large portion of the varsity players graduated, coaches Colin Soper and assistant coach Max Soper have been building a fresh roster of athletes ready to take on the next season. 

“Last season I think we learned important lessons about team bonds and communication, it’s important that we are all friends not just teammates,” junior and setter Asher Bennett said. “That’s how we take our talent to the next level.” 

The team has been working hard in preseason practices and setting goals for the next few months. 

“Our main goals are to play our best every time we step onto the court,” Bennett said. “Regardless of our competition we will never count ourselves out.”

In order to achieve these goals, the team also needs to work on tackling areas they struggle in. 

“Compared to last year, we’re a lot shorter,” junior and outside hitter Victor Yang said. “Although a lot of us are jumping to the moon, we need to focus on a smart offense.”

Although the team might be lacking height, the team’s defense has been on a steady improvement to help support the offensive players. Coming off of a strong preseason tournament, the team is confident that they can accomplish all their goals. 

“We had a tournament and did well against some good teams”, said Bennett. “We were missing some guys so in the season we’ll be even stronger.” 

Overall, the team is hungry and ready to show the potential that they have. 

“We are excited to play Royal,” said Bennett. “There is usually some tough competition in that game with our history of butting heads but we’re ready.”

Boys volleyball will play their next game of the season on Feb. 20 against Agoura High School at Agoura.