Volleyball succesful season ends with playoff exit; Daily ends coaching career
Coach Daily looks to give instructions to his team as they take on Lathrop High.
November 22, 2013
After a successful year, the Tracy High volleyball season came to an end with two losses. The Bulldogs lost to Roseville High School in the first round of playoffs and Coach Daily’s coaching career came to an end.
Thirteenth seeded Tracy lost to fourthseeded Roseville in the Division II Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, three games to none, 25-23, 25-16, 25-17, at Roseville on Nov. 12.
Despite the playoff loss, Tracy felt that overall it was a great year. The Bulldogs finished the season 15-7 overall and 8-2 in San Joaquin Athletic Association (SJAA) play.
“I think the season went very well,” Head Coach Mahina Tankersley said. “We took second in league and made it to playoffs.”
Although Tracy did not achieve its goal of winning league, the Bulldogs beat Lodi High School for the first time in Tankersley’s eleven years coaching at Tracy.
“We did not meet all of our goals,” Junior Casey Eddy Berry said. “One of our goals was to beat Lincoln, and we didn’t, but we did beat Lodi for the first time in over eleven years.”
After 20 years of coaching volleyball at Tracy, Assistant Coach David Daily is officially putting an end to his coaching career. Daily, who is also a math teacher at Tracy and a scuba diving instructor, feels like he no longer has the time or physical fitness to continue coaching.
“I have other things that are keeping me really, really busy,” Daily said. “Also, physically I can no longer do what I used to be able to do.”
Daily still wants to be involved with the program.
“I still am going to be involved,” Daily said. “Just not going to be there all the time.”
There is no doubt that Daily is going to miss coaching.
“I am going to miss working with the kids the most,” Daily said. “The competition, having fun, and watching them get better is what it is all about.”
Not only will he miss coaching, but the players will miss his coaching as well.
“I think I am going to miss him a lot because I have been on the varsity team since freshman year,” Eddy Berry said. “He has been a big impact on my playing and skill level.”
Tankersley is working to find someone to replace Daily.
“Those are some big shoes to fill, but I am working on that,” Tankersley said.
Freshman Grace Murphy received the SJAA Outstanding Hitter award, Eddy Berry received the SJAA outstanding defense, and junior Mika Fithian received SJAA outstanding setter. Fithian was also named 1st team All-SJAA and senior Sammy Gonzalez and junior Jenna Wesely were named 2nd team All-SJAA.
With only one senior on this team, the Bulldogs are expecting a big season next year with all the experience.
“I have high expectations for our team next year,” Tankersley said. “We will, however, be changing leagues, so all the teams are very tough, but we will be tough too.”
Next season Tracy will be leaving the SJAA, which consists of Bear Creek, Chavez, Franklin, Lincoln, Lodi, and Tracy. The Bulldogs new league will consist of Lincoln, Lodi, St. Mary’s, Tokay, and West.
