On Tuesday night, March 26 the Tracy High School boys’ volleyball team played a tough game against Kimball High School. Despite a few key players being out, the Bulldogs persevered and gave their best effort that night. Unfortunately, they did not come out with a win in the end, but their hard work and dedication showed through the game.

With the team captain, Rowan Imperial out on an injury, the co-captains and the rest of the team had to step up their game. Even though Imperial had to sit the game out, he was still a great help to the team during the game.

“Even with a back fracture I can still help the team out a lot,” Imperial explained. “I am still able to lead the team strategically with rotations and physically by getting kills and assists and other things.”

Eugene Contreres, the team’s libero and one of the team’s most reliable players gave an insight into his mindset going into what he knew would be a challenging game. His work on defense helped the team put up a fight and constantly contributed throughout the game.

“I knew that I just had to stay focused, lift up my teammates, and go out there and give it all I had,” said Contreres.

Davaun Palmore, a sophomore at THS got promoted to varsity this year after being on the boy’s junior varsity team during the 2023 season. So far this year, he has shown improvement during the few games the team has played and has gained the captain title while only being a sophomore.

“There’s a lot that’s different between varsity and JV but what I would say is the most different is how much faster the game goes and how much higher and taller my opponents are,” Palmore added when asked about the change from JV to varsity.

“If we start the games more aggressively and are more willing to swing, we’ll do better next time,” Imperial said, after losing 17-25.

Even though the team had a minor setback this week, they still have a full season ahead of them. With the right enthusiasm and drive the team will continue to set themselves up for success.