Springstead's Szatkowski Captures Weightlifting State Title
– Advertisement – One year ago, Springstead’s Damyn Szatkowski left the RP Funding Center in Lakeland feeling the sting of disappointment. Yes, he had just collected his second boys weightlifting state medal in as many years, finishing in third in the traditional (bench press and clean-and-jerk) category at 138 pounds. It matched his third-place showing […]
One year ago, Springstead’s Damyn Szatkowski left the RP Funding Center in Lakeland feeling the sting of disappointment. Yes, he had just collected his second boys weightlifting state medal in as many years, finishing in third in the traditional (bench press and clean-and-jerk) category at 138 pounds. It matched his third-place showing in 2023. But he lamented scratching twice in both the bench and clean on what he deemed to be bad calls by the officials. He vowed to work 10 times harder next season.
On Friday, Szatkowski was back in Lakeland for the Class 2A Boys Weightlifting State Championship meet. The senior wrapped up his final high school competition with a decidedly better feeling and a gold medal wrapped around his neck as the traditional state champion at 139. “It’s so hard to think about because it’s something I’ve wanted since freshman year,” Szatkowski said. “I’ve been working at it four years now. I finally have that state champion title. Last year, I almost had it as well, but I ended up getting third, which really broke my heart. Bouncing back this year, it just made me so happy and proud.”
“… I think I did well, but I could have done better for sure. My clean-and-jerks were very rough in the beginning. I missed my first two. If I didn’t hit the last one, I would have been completely out and wouldn’t have had the chance to place and take the state title home. So I think I definitely could have done a lot better, but overall I’d say I did well.”
Szatkowski came in ranked second among all state qualifiers at 139 with a 510 total from regionals, behind only Tanner Ostrom from The Villages with a 520. But after failing on his first two clean attempts of 225 and 230, Szatkowski had to execute a second shot at 230 to keep him in the running.
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“It felt like the entire world was staring at me,” Szatkowski said. “I had so much anxiety. I felt scared and nervous, but also excited because I knew I was going to hit it on the last attempt. It was just a cluster of emotions all at once.”
On the bench, he put up 295 and 310 before scratching on his final lift of 315. That gave him a 540 total, besting Nick Bloomston of Fort Myers, who posted a 535 and Ostrom in third at 520.
With that, Szatkowski became the third state champion in Springstead history, joining Josh Magrini (2007) and Brandon Holmes (2013). “It’s been a while. It’s always good. A great effort by the young man,” Springstead head coach Justin Wentworth said. “He didn’t have the best showing at regions, but you want to punch your ticket to Lakeland and that’s the goal. When you get there, it’s just what you do with it.
“It all worked out. He hit the lifts that he needed to hit and then made a big display on the bench press, going 295 and then 310 to win it. It’s great for him to get that.”
It was also in stark contrast to last year’s ending that was unsatisfactory in Szatkowski’s mind. Redemption had indeed been achieved. “I’m reminiscing in the fact that I lost those two years. I mean, I didn’t technically lose, but I lost,” Szatkowski said. “Thinking about it now, just having that first-place title under my name, it feels amazing. It makes it so much better.
“… It feels great. It feels amazing. Honestly, I feel like there’s no better way to end than signing out by senior year as the state champ.”
He was not the only Springstead senior in a celebratory mood. Mykel Theriault collected two state medals at 199, finishing third in both traditional and Olympic (snatch and clean-and-jerk).
“He came in and wasn’t even on the spectrum for Olympic lifting and ended up going home with third place, which was amazing,” Wentworth said. “For him to take home third in both of those was a great day for him. He PR’d across the board and he went 9 for 9, which is another great thing from him.”
A state qualifier last year, Theriault was in position to medal this time around, ranked fourth in traditional coming out of regionals. The top six in each weight class for each category earn medals.
But in Olympic he was ranked 12th. Still, he posted a 220 in the snatch and 310 in the clean for a 530 Olympic total. Then he threw up a 330 on the bench for 640 in traditional that tied for second with Columbia’s Garret Shipley, who won the tiebreaker by weighing less.
“It felt pretty nice because it was just a goal I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to walk in and do my best. I was ultimately just rewarded for it,” Theriault said. “I’m not even going to lie, my back just felt good today.”
Theriault revealed that last year at states he herniated and tore two discs, and they were bulging against his spinal cord. He tweaked the injury at districts and it impacted him at regionals, yet it improved significantly on Friday. “I was just focusing on what I ate. I took it easy the past 2-3 days in the gym so I could let my back heal up from regionals,” Theriault said. “And then ibuprofen is a lifesaver.”
With only those two lifters, Springstead ended up finishing fourth in the traditional team standings with 11 points. “We go to the gym together, we work out together, we try to lose weight together,” Theriault said of himself and Szatkowski. “For me to be able to see him and his accomplishments work out, I was getting really sappy.”
Nature Coast’s Justin Delery was the county’s other medalist, the junior taking third in traditional at 183. “It feels good. Last year I came just short, got seventh,” Delery said. “I don’t feel like I did my best. I could have probably performed better on snatch and clean-and-jerk. But I am definitely proud of myself, the people around me are proud of me, so it’s a win.
“… Not getting a medal last time hurt a lot. I came into this with a lot more passion, a lot more energy. Really focused and dialed in on what I had to do. Still didn’t get the results I wanted, but there’s always next year.”
Delery had a 265 in the clean and a 320 bench for a 585 total that tied for third but he lost the tiebreaker due to weighing in heavier. He also had a 205 snatch for a 475 Olympic total.
Nature Coast’s Justin Delery poses with his state medal after finishing third in traditional 183 pounds in Friday’s Class 2A Boys Weightlifting State Championship meet in Lakeland. [Photo provided Tania Kelly]
“We had a few calls not go our way, which was a little frustrating,” Nature Coast head coach Tania Kelly said. “But I always say that real strength comes from getting it when you’re down. He came through and got the lifts when it came down to it. But it just didn’t end how we wanted it to.
“… That kid has worked so hard in the offseason. You can see the growth. But he just wanted more.”
Also from Hernando County, at 129 Central’s Luke Redmile had a 135 snatch and 190 clean for a 325 Olympic total, and Nature Coast’s Brendan Hofmeister put up 165 in the clean but scratched out on bench.
At 154, Weeki Wachee’s Sean Campbell had a 280 bench and 225 clean for a 505 to place 10th in traditional, while Central’s Justin Saya had a 250 bench but scratched out on cleans. Gideon Weber of Central had a 180 snatch and 265 clean for 445 in Olympic at 238, and a 315 bench for 580 in traditional.
Central’s Dominyk Carter (169 traditional) and Weeki Wachee’s Leelan Wright (199 traditional) were also state qualifiers, though they did not record a lift.
Observer-Reporter The Washington & Jefferson College women’s water polo team will be playing in the USA Water Polo Division III Nationals this weekend at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. It will be the first time in the national Final Four for the Presidents. W&J (14-7) will play Pomona-Pitzer (23-10) on Saturday (5 p.m.) in […]
The Washington & Jefferson College women’s water polo team will be playing in the USA Water Polo Division III Nationals this weekend at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.
It will be the first time in the national Final Four for the Presidents.
W&J (14-7) will play Pomona-Pitzer (23-10) on Saturday (5 p.m.) in one of the semifinals. The other semifinal will match Augustana (15-8) against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (19-10). The finals will be held Sunday.
W&J is ranked ninth in the Women’s Varsity Division III Top 10 and third in the Women’s Varsity CWPA Division III Top 5.
This will be W&J’s second trip to Rock Island. The Presidents competed there April 11-13 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Championships, where they advanced to the title match.
In that tournament, W&J defeated Carthage, 16-14, and Macalester, 9-6, before losing to Augustana, 10-7, in the championship match. It was the seventh time W&J had been the runner-up in the CWPA tournament.
However, the title game was a stepping stone as it put W&J in the Division III Final Four.
W&J head coach Nikola Malezanov was named the CWPA Coach of the Year. The Presidents’ Emme Ratcliff was named to the All-CWPA first team in addition to being the CWPA Rookie of the Year. E. Ratcliff set a season-best with 11 goals in a game against Grove City.
Ratcliff was joined on the first team by Emma Halle. The senior from North Allegheny scored 60 goals during the regular season.
The Bold Type, with Commissioner Dan Butterly – April 29, 2025
Story Links
Hello to all after an exciting week of spring championships around The Big West! We crowned six champions with one more to come on Tuesday to finish out a whirlwind week. Congratulations to all our student-athlete participants and especially our title winners!
If you were able to attend […]
Hello to all after an exciting week of spring championships around The Big West! We crowned six champions with one more to come on Tuesday to finish out a whirlwind week. Congratulations to all our student-athlete participants and especially our title winners!
If you were able to attend a Big West Championship to support our student-athletes this week, THANK YOU. To our campus hosts – thank you for providing a highly positive atmosphere and tremendous experience for our student-athletes. As I was once told, the Big West Championship is a student-athletes first championship experience, but it can also be their last championship experience.
To The Big West staff, THANK YOU! Your preparation has prepared you to provide a first-class experience for our institutions.
Song of the day is “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood. Good luck to our teams and student-athlete that have advanced to NCAA Championships in the weeks ahead. . Let’s get to The Bold Type.
NCAA BOUND – CONGRATULATIONS!
To our two teams and three individuals who punched their tickets to NCAA Women’s Golf Regionals! Read more >>>
To Big West champion Long Beach State and Cal Poly who punched their tickets to the 2025 National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship! Read more >>>
To Big West men’s volleyball champion Hawai’i and Long Beach State, both poised to represent the conference on the national stage as the No 1 and 2 seeds in the bracket! And to UC Irvine, who had an outstanding regular-season and deserved an NCAA at-large bid, but unfortunately narrowly missed out on making the field as the first team out. Read more >>>
To UC Santa Barbara women’s tennis, set to play Rice in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, hosted at Texas A&M’s Mitchell Tennis Center, Friday, May 2. Read more >>>
To UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, who were both selected to the 64-team field for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship bracket. The Anteaters will play at No. 6 seed San Diego in the first round and the Gauchos are set to take on UCLA in a neutral-site match at California. Read more >>>
To back-to-back Big West champion and No. 4 seed Hawai’i women’s water polo, who will take on California in a rematch of last year’s semifinal in the 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship on May 9 at 2 p.m. Read more >>>
CONGRATULATIONS!
To the 2024-25 All-Big West Women’s Golf Team! Read more >>>
To the 2025 All-Big West Men’s Volleyball Team! Read more >>>
To men’s swimmer Milan Bukovics of Hawai’i who was honored as an Academic All-American! Read more >>>
To Arianna Sakallaris of Hawai’i who was honored as an Academic All-American! Read more >>>
To our three beach volleyball teams ranked in AVCA National Poll!
No. 3 Cal Poly
No. 16 Hawai‘i
No. 9 Long Beach State
To UC Irvine baseball who this week was ranked this week!
To Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara and Hawai‘i baseball programs for receiving votes in various national polls!
To our two men’s tennis teams ranked in ITA Rankings!
No. 34 UC Santa Barbara
No. 49 UC Irvine (LINK)
To our four men’s tennis singles players ranked in ITA Rankings!
No. 63 Gianluca Brunkow (UCSB)
No. 70 Noah Zamora (UCI)
No. 97 Azuma Visaya (UH)
No. 116 Diogo Morais (UCSB) (LINK)
To our men’s tennis doubles pairs ranked in ITA Rankings!
To our three women’s tennis teams ranked in ITA Rankings!
No. 32 UC Santa Barbara
No. 59 Cal Poly
No. 73 Long Beach State (LINK)
To our two women’s tennis singles players ranked in ITA Rankings!
No. 16 Amelia Honer (UCSB)
No. 121 Ana Vilcek (UH) (LINK)
To our women’s tennis doubles pair ranked in ITA Rankings!
To all six men’s volleyball teams ranked in AVCA National Poll!
To our seven women’s water polo teams ranked in CWPA National Poll! SEVEN!
And to our outstanding student-athletes who were recognized as a Big West Player of the Week!
Baseball – Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara (pitcher); Colton Lomanto, UC San Diego (field player)
Softball – Leanna Garcia, Cal State Fullerton (pitcher); Zara Wasserman, UC San Diego (field player); Natalie Lozano, Cal State Fullerton (freshman)
Men’s Volleyball – Hilir Henno, UC Irvine (offiensive); Micah Goss, UC Irvine (defensive); Joe Karlous, UC Irvine (setter); Moni Nikolov, Long Beach State (freshman)
Beach Volleyball- Malia Gementera & Taylor Hagenah, Long Beach State
Track & Field- Aidan McCarthy, Cal Poly (men’s track); Trey Knight, CSUN (men’s field); Tatiana Cornejo, Cal Poly (women’s track); Jenelle Hurley, Long Beach State (women’s field)
Men’s Tennis – Noah Zamora, UC Irvine
Women’s Tennis – Yen Nhi Huynh, UC Irvine
Women’s Water Polo – Kendall Thomas, UC San Diego
MORE ON WOMEN’S GOLF
Our champion Cal State Fullerton is the 10th seed in the Gold Canyon regional which will be at Superstition Mountain Golf Club in Gold Canyon, AZ. Additionally, UC Davis was selected as an at-large as the 9th seed in the Lubbock regional which will be at The Rawls Golf Course in Lubbock, TX.
Having two teams in is great for The Big West but it was topped by adding three individual players selected to compete! Jasmine and Janae Leovao of Long Beach State and Jensen Jalufka of Cal Poly were selected to compete as individuals in the Gold Canyon region.
BOLD BREAK VIDEO FEATURE
For Hawai’i men’s volleyball setter Tread Rosenthal, being an exceptional athlete goes beyond individual accolades. It’s about making a lasting impact on the team and contributing to their success. Good luck to Tread and the Rainbow Warriors in the 2025 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyall Championship! Read more >>>
NCAA SETTLEMENT UPDATE #1
On Wednesday, commissioners received an update from Mario Morris, CFO of the NCAA letting us know that the national office surpassed financial revenue goals for the fiscal year, and because of that, the Board of Governors approved the use of $55M to be used to offset the expected damages payments for the preliminarily approved House settlement. The move reduces back damages for each conference this upcoming fiscal year – assuming court approval of the settlement – by 33%. “For example, if your original liability payment was $3M, the liability payment for the first year will now be $2M.”
NCAA SETTLEMENT UPDATE #2
Judge Claudia Wilken is withholding final approval of the House settlement for a period of 14 days and directing the plaintiffs, conference defendants and the NCAA to reach an agreement to delay implementation of Division I roster limits slated to be effective July 1, 2025.
NCAA SETTLEMENT UPDATE #3
The Division I Board of Directors acted to eliminate 150 rules for Division I, should the judge approve the House settlement (LINK). Per NCAA President Charlie Baker: “There is significant, positive change underway at the NCAA — from establishing post-eligibility insurance across the Association to new Division I scholarship guarantees — and, with approval of the settlement, a new system where student-athletes could receive up to 50% of athletics department revenue at some schools. While there is a lot more work ahead, NCAA members are making progress in creating a sustainable and stable future for all student-athletes.”
UCI DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS PAULA SMITH ON LEADERSHIP
UC Irvine Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Paula Smith sits down with ADU’s Tai M. Brown at the 2024 NACDA Convention for a discussion about implementing a “democratic” leadership style, workforce management and succession planning and cross-campus collaboration. (LINK)
WOMEN’S WATER POLO
The NCAA Sports Oversight Committee has formally approved the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship date change, beginning for the 2026 championship. The official championship date formula will now be the last full weekend in April. Attached is a document with the new dates through 2030. (LINK)
MEDIA REPORTS ON NCAA AND LEGAL MATTERS
The NCAA’s national office exceeded its financial goals for the fiscal year, and $55M of the resulting budget surplus will be used to offset payments for damages in the House settlement. The NCAA explains this decision to “direct the surplus to reduce the cost burden was made in consultation with South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who raised financial concerns of some schools that are not in autonomy conferences.” (link) (link)
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey spoke during the CAA World Congress of Sports yesterday in Nashville and said the House settlement is “not the end of the story. It is a chapter. It’s a necessary chapter. And one of the realities around other ideas related to college sports is they have started at a point ignoring what we have to deal with from the past. … The coping that you hear is we’re trying to figure out what we have to deal with from our past. That’s the chapter we’re in right now.” (link)
Cal Poly AD Don Oberhelman says of the decision to discontinue swimming and diving: “It’s painful. It causes anger and a lot of misdirected rage and things like that. It’s an awful situation to go through, but we didn’t go into it lightly.” Oberhelman cited multiple issues, including budget reduction, the House settlement and Cal Poly’s large number of sports offerings, as factors in the decision. “We’re really, really large and we’re trying to hold on. What it’s starting to do is impact the student-athlete experience.” Oberhelman indicated that the 8% budget cuts to California State universities are impacting athletics, and that’s on top of the $550K the House settlement will cost the Mustangs each year for the next 12 years. “We have to start tightening our belts and figure out how we can function in this new reality without further cuts. … This is just the beginning rather than the end of what these new realities are going to look like for us. We’re doing exactly what we’re supposed to do, which is prepare for those realities, uncomfortable and painful as they may be. We have to make sure our sports are primed for success, and we were just too big at that point in time.” (link)
Disney CEO Bob Iger during the CAA World Congress of Sports remarked that the launch of ESPN’s DTC Flagship product “might be the biggest move since getting the full season of the NFL. (link)
QUOTES OF THE DAY
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammad Ali
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter Bagehot
Thank you to all! Thanks to all of our athletic trainers, game managers, SIDs and volunteers for their work all season long, but particularly at our championships.
No. 17 Winter Haven beach volleyball wins regional quarterfinal game over George Jenkins
WINTER HAVEN — It was evident that the Winter Haven beach volleyball’s No. 1 line was challenged by the No. 1 line of George Jenkins. That isn’t surprising, though, as like Winter Haven (17-0), George Jenkins (7-6) has been a winning program all season. And both teams met in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals Tuesday […]
WINTER HAVEN — It was evident that the Winter Haven beach volleyball’s No. 1 line was challenged by the No. 1 line of George Jenkins.
That isn’t surprising, though, as like Winter Haven (17-0), George Jenkins (7-6) has been a winning program all season. And both teams met in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals Tuesday at Winter Haven High School.
Both No. 1 lines battled it out, but in the end, No. 1 seed Winter Haven prevailed 2-0 behind the efforts of senior player Rylee Tanner and junior Kylie Catrett, which helped catapult a 4-1 win over George Jenkins ― the No. 8 seed in regionals.
“(I’m) incredibly proud. It’s all really about that five-game mentality of playing the best that you can for five matches, and you win the state title. Today was game one of the five-game goal, so one step closer is exactly what it’s all about. One game at a time. And we’re just one step closer, which is where we want to be, so it feels amazing. I’m so proud of the girls for staying locked in and staying focused and finishing our last match against a Polk County opponent for the season,” Winter Haven head beach volleyball coach Dylan Sechrest said after the game.
While essentially the entire team was consistent on Tuesday, Sechrest said the No. 4 line should be able to tighten things ahead of the regional semifinals later this week.
“We got to get the 4 line moving a little bit. Got to get to get them playing a little bit better ball (and) a little bit more competitive, and really going forward,” Sechrest said. “We weren’t really happy with how we played.”
Winter Haven’s district title: Winter Haven captures district title in beach volleyball, looks to take new road back to state
Prepping for regionals: No. 1 Winter Haven beach volleyball preps for regionals
Still, the No. 2 (Sophia Whitaker and Kindyl Goff), 3 (Emily Drier, Addison Traina) and 5 lines (Camila DeJesus and Leah Robles) won like they’ve done all year, and their record is the same as the team’s: 17-0.
“That’s exactly what we were looking for. It’s really nice having those teams play solid. Can’t say a big enough shoutout to the 2, 3 and 5 lines. Can’t say enough good things about those three seedings and how solid and consistent they’ve been for our program in helping us to win,” he said.
Yes, the district champions are playing great. But Sechrest said he wants everyone to work on those deep corner shots heading into the regional semifinals, as they are by far the hardest shots. And they are the hardest shots because teams are usually occupying the middle, of course.
Winter Haven, the No. 17 team in Florida, will be gearing up to play Riverview Sarasota (11-3) in the semifinals 4 pm Friday at Winter Haven High School.
The first spring in the new era of Stanford football has concluded, with the final four spring practices taking place this past week. 15 practices scattered over four weeks in April are over, and improvement was clear from practice one through practice 15. As spring progressed, there became clear signs as to what this year’s […]
The first spring in the new era of Stanford football has concluded, with the final four spring practices taking place this past week. 15 practices scattered over four weeks in April are over, and improvement was clear from practice one through practice 15.
As spring progressed, there became clear signs as to what this year’s version of the Stanford Cardinal is going to be. This team is going to be physical. This team is going to be fast. This team is going to be aggressive. This team is going to be all-in on being there for each other.
At the end of the week, Coach Reich addressed the team after practice with what he liked from that week’s sessions. That is typical following all practices with Coach Reich, but it had a different energy level than normal. There was an additional fire in his voice, and a palpable excitement reverberated throughout the huddle.
“The first few weeks, there were some ups and downs as we figured things out. This last week, these four practices? We absolutely crushed it!” he exclaimed to the team. “[Andrew] Luck challenged us on Monday, he got after us a little bit, and you guys responded. You came out here to work for four days with monster preparation.”
UCLA men’s volleyball reflects on effects of service errors on the court
This post was updated April 29 at 10:30 p.m. The service line often drives success in volleyball. It can make or break a set, match or even a season. And despite UCLA men’s volleyball’s struggles from the back line – committing a nation-leading 603 service errors and averaging 6.15 per set – the team continued […]
The service line often drives success in volleyball.
It can make or break a set, match or even a season. And despite UCLA men’s volleyball’s struggles from the back line – committing a nation-leading 603 service errors and averaging 6.15 per set – the team continued to flourish.
“Every team will tell you that it’s all about serving,” said coach John Hawks. “We spend time on our ability to tactically serve and exert pressure.”
Although UCLA has sported a .367 hitting percentage – the third-highest in the nation – the squad’s service line blunders have negated the attack’s contributions and have cost the team crucial sets and matches.
In the Bruins’ six losses this season, only one opponent recorded more kills. But the squad committed more service errors in five of those matches, including 26 in a four-set loss to Long Beach State on Feb. 7 and 28 in the MPSF Semifinal loss to Pepperdine on Friday.
Former UCLA head coach John Speraw talks to David on the court. Speraw, most recently led the Bruins to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. Speraw is now the President and CEO of USA volleyball, and led the national team from 2013 to 2024. (Edward Ho/Daily Bruin)
“It’s really hard to assess if it’s a great serve, and it depends on what the (opposing team) is doing,” said redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson. “We really want to dial in on serving.”
And even in UCLA’s triumphs this season, the backline has marred the team’s success.
The Bruins have committed more back line errors than their opponents in 17 of their 20 victories, making it harder to close out games.
Especially late in the season, the team’s service issues worsened
Four out of the Bruin’s last six games have been pushed to a fifth set, accruing 246 total kills across these five-set games while averaging 32.8 service errors per contest. During this stretch, UCLA set a season-high 42 service errors in its victory against Grand Canyon on April 5.
“I think that they’ll be the first to tell you that they got to be better from the service line,” Hawks said. “That’s a part of the game that’s going to improve, and we haven’t seen anywhere near where these guys are capable of going.”
The serving philosophy former Bruin coach John Speraw ingrained into the program may be the reason for UCLA’s persistent service shortcomings. The last time the team accumulated less than 500 service errors came during the 2021 season.
“As Bruins, the serving motto is to just go rip it,” said junior outside hitter Zach Rama. “That’s what got us these two past national championships.”
Coach John Hawks coaches and claps his hands from the sidelines at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. (Selin Filiz/Daily Bruin staff)
Despite the errors, this service game plan has also contributed to the Bruins’ ace production.
UCLA boasted two-straight seasons where the group averaged at least 1.9 aces per set in 2023 and 2024, winning the national championship in both campaigns under the tutelage of Speraw.
And this season has been no exception, with Hawks embracing his mentor’s perspective.
“When you have to get a team off the net, you have to serve tough and take gambles,” Hawks said.
UCLA’s approach from the service line has helped it register 1.97 aces per set this year, which ranks fourth in the nation. And despite falling in the MPSF semifinals to eventual champion Pepperdine on Friday, UCLA delivered 15 aces in the affair.
The Bruins’ serving unit has been without steady contributions from senior Ido David, who has been hampered by a knee injury since February.
The outside hitter/opposite has amassed 126 aces across his four-year career at UCLA and has recorded 29 this season despite playing just 53 sets.
However, David’s accuracy seems to set him apart from the rest of the Bruins’ service arsenal.
The 2023 AVCA First Team All-Americanhas committed just 59 service errors this season, sporting a .49 ace-to-service-error ratio to complement his team-leading .55 aces per set.
David’s injury could sideline him from the NCAA tournament, leaving the squad’s back line without the serving consistency he provides among a seemingly inconsistent unit.
Just as matches are often won or lost from the service line, the Bruins’ three-peat hopes may depend on it as well.
San Marcos Girls Beach Volleyball Falls to Redondo Union in CIF Quarterfinals, 4-1 | Sports
San Marcos girls beach volleyball’s season came to a close with a 4-1 loss to Redondo Union on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Div. 1 Quarterfinals in Hermosa Beach. Redondo Union, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, will be on the road against JSerra for the CIF-SS Semifinals on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Royals’ […]
San Marcos girls beach volleyball’s season came to a close with a 4-1 loss to Redondo Union on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Div. 1 Quarterfinals in Hermosa Beach.
Redondo Union, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, will be on the road against JSerra for the CIF-SS Semifinals on Thursday at 2 p.m.
The Royals’ lone victory on Tuesday came at court two, where Sam Fallon and Evyn Miller battled to a two-set win, 22-20, 21-17.
“Passing, tough serving and creative offense were keys to defeating a very strong Redondo twos pair,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said. “Finishing the season with a quality win was gratifying for the pair.”
San Marcos wraps up the team season with an overall record of 22-4. The Royals’ No. 1 pairing of Josie Gamberdella and Cora Loomer will continue their season at the CIF-SS Individual Pairs Tournament on May 6 and 7.
