The Summit Shasta gym roared with noise as the fifth set tightened. In their final game of the season, the Nueva boys volleyball team was working with some new positions—Oliver S. had replaced team captain Matias Ve. as setter—and, in a set that only went up to 15, every point mattered. But, they had already accomplished a stellar season over the last few months and it showed. Every boy was playing the best they ever had, hitting every set, well-placed pass, and pitch-perfect spike seamlessly. They were viscerally aware that a win against Summit Shasta, who they had never beaten, was all they needed to make it to their first CCS. 

In the final moments of the game, they fought to 12-14 before ascending to 13-14 with a well-timed spike by Matias. Then, on the final point, the Summit Shasta boys’ return of the ball sent it bouncing off Holden K.’s arms, and soaring into the crowd. They lost by the smallest possible margin, the closest they have ever come to eking out a win. 

Although it was a devastating moment, Matias still described the night as euphoric. 

“Even though we lost and we really wanted to win, throughout the entire game and post-game, I just couldn’t stop grinning the entire time. I was just having the best time,” Matias said. 

Similarly, for Max E., at the end of the game, his immediate reaction was not disappointment. 

“Especially for us seniors, I think our first thought after losing to Shasta was just, ‘Wow, that was a good game,’” Max said. “And our second thought was, I can’t wait to hear you guys beat them next year.”

That optimistic, perseverant team mindset remained consistent throughout the whole season, as they soared to victory at a majority of their league games, while also suffering a few disappointments in tournaments and against out of league opponents. 

“The lesson that I have taken away from Nueva volleyball is to have the memory of a goldfish.  There’s always gonna be moments of limbo or struggle, and so just come back to the next point with the same energy that you attacked the last point with and always reset,” Matias said. “If you always let yourself get bogged down by a setback or some other thing, then your motivation, your mentality, everything just goes downhill from there.”

Lev B., as a freshman, is certainly grateful for the welcoming upperclassmen and coaches who made that perspective come to life. In the next year of Nueva volleyball, he hopes to commit more fully to that kind of student leadership, having already started to develop such team-building skills this year. 

“It’s kind of abstract, but being able to motivate people just by the energy that you display as a single player—it can really affect everyone else on the team. It’s super important for me, especially, to always try and be excited about everything, because that’s one of the best ways that I can help the team,” Lev said. 

Admittedly, at the start of the season, Lev found one of Matias and other team captain Kevin S.’s tactics, their famous “family on three” cheer, a bit inane. Now, it’s one of his favorite team traditions. 

Looking back on their season, Max and Matias have no regrets. They might have not won against Summit Shasta, but the rest of their season was quite triumphant as they ended second place in their league. They credited their coaches Marc Kramer and Rachel Freeman, who both have much experience in indoor volleyball and have efficiently run practices the whole season. 

And with a bittersweet ending in store, Max has only fond memories of his time with his teammates, which he described as coming from different social circles, classes, and walks of life. In particular, he highlighted every van ride with the team and one of their coaches Rachel Freeman as distinctly memorable.

“It’s an elementary space where no one’s talking about volleyball—I’m sure Rachel has heard us talk about everything from college to drama to our thoughts on anything,” Max said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

For Matias, his favorite memories lie in all the small moments on and off the court. He recalled playing header ball during breaks, rushing to scarf down an inadvisable Chipotle bowl before a game, and just playing Brawl Stars together as the moments that really brought the team together. 

“I’m not gonna say, oh, my God, we’re a family,” Matias joked. “But I mean, there is some sense of camaraderie within the team that I think is quite unique. I want to always keep that alive.”