Rachel Roth
After losing to top-ranked Long Beach City College Wednesday, the Pierce College men’s volleyball team needed to fix a laundry-list of things.
They needed to re-discover their passion for the game, they needed to play like a team and, perhaps most importantly, they needed a boost after suffering back-to-back losses.
That boost came Friday night when the Brahmas swept Santa Barbara City College in three games, winning 30-21, 30-27 and 30-26.
Pierce is now 2-3 in conference play and 9-3 overall, while SBCC is 0-4 in conference and 4-8 overall.
Eddie Stanislawski, head coach of the Brahmas since 2007, called the win critical.
“We needed to come out and prove to ourselves that we still are one of the best teams in state,” he said after the game. “We need to figure out how to get back to basics and play this game, and play this game with heart.”
The search for the heart of the team has been a recurring theme all season. Both players and coaching staff agree that it’s the missing component — and is ultimately preventing them from being successful.
Rich Barraza, an assistant coach, played for Pierce last season. He had a closed-door talk with the players after Thursday’s practice in an attempt to motivate his former teammates.
What he told them was simple — he reminded the guys what it means to be a Brahma.
“Never give up,” he told them. “If something is in front of you that you really want, then you’re going to do everything in your power to get it. Regardless of if you win or loose, you’re gonna be proud of what you put in.”
He reiterated to his former teammates that hard work and determination “really does mean a lot” and admitted that this season has been rough for him to watch at times.
In addition to Barraza’s heart-to-heart, Stanislawski decided a change in personnel might inspire the type of play the coaching staff was looking for. He said that some of the guys who work the hardest in practice, don’t get a lot of playing time, so he gave them a shot.
Guys like Joaquin De Artola, who got his first start in his college career, Shaun Dryden and Josh Marbach joined the starting line-up. Alex Cottier, Ryan Arthur and Jordan Craig also saw significant playing time.
The energy from the new-look Brahmas was key in sealing the victory.
“They played their hearts out,” Stanislawski said after the game. “Josh ‘Game Time’ Marbach went All-American … He swung hard, he played hard on every play. I couldn’t be prouder of that type of performance from those guys.”
Marbach recorded 18 kills, seven digs, two aces and hit .520 percent. Arthur and Terry Galabreath added seven kills and De Artola contributed five.
“I think the coaching staff and the guys out there agree that there was a good atmosphere,” Stanislawski added. “The atmosphere, the camaraderie, the wanting to play and wanting to compete were there.”
In a match where the Brahmas never trailed, Barraza finally saw the passion that’s been missing.
“I felt pretty upset for a long time this past week, mentally drained,” he said. “To see that performance lit something inside me… It was nice to see a Pierce team fight.”
Dryden, who started at libero for the first time this season, felt that they, at long last, played like a team.
“It was so much more fun,” Dryden said. He also that playing like a team made it easier to do everything needed to control the game. He noted that they were passing and setting well, and getting good touches on the block.
“Everyone had their head in the game and it was so much easier,” he added.
It was also a lot more fun for the coaches to watch.
“I actually sat back for the first time, and it wasn’t just because Santa Barbara wasn’t a strong team, but I was enjoying watching them play,” Stanislawski said. “(It) is a good feeling.”
Everyone was feeling good after the match. De Artola, who was so nervous about starting that he “almost puked,” said he had the best match of his entire life.
“As you can see, we’re really fired up after this game,” he said “I think we needed to take it to somebody. It sucks to be Santa Barbara right now.”
Hopefully, the Brahmas can ride this wave. They hit the road for five of their next six games, starting with Santa Monica College tonight.
It is very difficult to steal a victory on the road in the Western State Conference, and if Pierce wants to make the playoffs, they will have to win them all.
“We’ve got some huge games,” Stanislawski said. “I think we need to start getting back to our system offense. We’ve done really well with implementing a different tempo, but now I think Jackson’s (Metichecchia) kinda got his swagger back a little bit. He’s setting better… Josh Marbach, he can can crush that ‘go’ ball. He’s gonna be the hardest person to stop in state if he can hit that ball.”
The pressure is on. Cottier, a co-captain along with Metichecchia, is looking forward to it.
“At this point we have to play game-by-game,” Cottier said. “We can’t overlook anyone. We can’t loose focus on the task at hand. We’re kinda backs against the wall, but the pressures on. I like it.”
“I feel confident that this team is coming together now, a lot better,” he added. “Our work ethic has changed in the last couple of days. I’m fairly confident that we can turn this season around as of tonight.”
For more coverage on the men’s volleyball team, check out www.roundupsports.wordpress.com.
