They kept a substantial lead throughout the entire first set of the match, ending with a 25 – 7 score.  Their energy level was so high that the entire crowd was out of their seats by the start of the second set.  The second set proved the strength of the lady bulldogs.  They kept their intensity up throughout the entire set and ended the game with an impressive 25 – 7 score to take set 2.  They dominated Saint Andrews Priory in two sets to take the match.  “They were good, we were just that much better,” said senior Samantha Gabrelcik.  The varsity volleyball team has put a lot of preparation into their off season and it showed through their play on Friday.  “They’re okay, the games are fun, but they interfere with my homework hours,” said senior Logan Fornes.  The games are all primarily during 6 or 7 so it’s understandable how it couldn’t interfere with homework schedule. “We played really well as a team and we were lucky enough to come out with the W,” said senior Kea-Marie Olaso.

On Oct. 4, our Lady Bulldogs played in their senior night game and it was extremely successful.  They took the first set and battled to take the second, there was fantastic school support there as well.  The Lady Bulldogs are currently 5 and 3 in the regular season.  Come out and support them in the playoffs coming up!

The first set was filled with great receives by our boys. Jake Blaskowski, a sophomore, was diving for the ball with wild abandon, passing the ball to the setter, Eric Kroll, who would set up Sam Spangler, a junior, and Jamie Marin for perfect spikes that left the whole gym screaming with excitement. They played a great first set, but nothing compared to the second set.

The number of rallies was unbelievable, all ending in our school having the last spike. The cheers of the people, the sound of the air-horn and the continuous announcement of our team receiving points were echoing in the gym like never before.  This was their hardest set played yet! The boys were running around the court, yelling at one another to get a spot on the net so that they can win the plan. Communication was great, intensity was high, and it all paid off when the score board beeped and our boys won 25-23!

Jamie Marin made the first point in the third set. Both teams needing this set to win the whole game, there were more rallies than ever. Spikes, serves, blocks, anxiousness, anger, and joy was filling the court. The crowd was out of their seats screaming and cheering and as the score board got closer to ending, the crowd went wild. The final score was 19-25. The LJA boys were so close.

Our boys may have lost this game, but they played an amazing game that will be remembered.  Congrats on the season boys, you did awesome!

As a freshman, Angeleen started playing volleyball for the first time.  After a good beginning experience, she took it upon herself to start playing club volleyball for an outside team her sophomore year.   Little by little she has improved her skill ever since to eventually become one of the team’s major driving forces for this talented girls’ team.  It’s all a learning experience though, and she has had some great accomplishments.  She notes, “In general, I’d say it was making Varsity junior year after only two years of playing.  This year, I’d say working on my hits and improving overall in my skills.  ”  

As a senior she’s even able to look back upon it all and see how volleyball’s helped her grow as a person.  She says, “I had to learn to look after my teammates and never leave anyone behind. I had to learn to shake my mistakes off and come back with something better to make it up.  They [my teammates] are my friends and I enjoy being around them.” 

This past season, despite a strong squad, the girls played against a tough lineup and unfortunately had only one win.  Tough losses definitely didn’t go down without a fight from these girls, but Pedersen credits this to, “I think it was like this because the mentality wasn’t all there. We have the skills and every player is excellent at what they do; it was just chemistry and mentality. Sometimes, we would just get super down and wouldn’t be able to get back up. We just didn’t play like ourselves or how we know we can play. We can go against D1 teams and stay with them (and we took sets from them in the Kamehameha tournament where we did really well), but we just can’t get pass that threshold of ‘almost winning’ and ‘winning.” 

Angeleen has considered playing volleyball at the next level at possibly a Division II or III college and for this senior we wish her the best in whichever path she chooses.

Their season started August 28^th and is finishing up this Saturday, October 2^nd. They will then go into the playoffs once their season ends, which probably will extend for another week. Rachel Larsen, a junior on the team, says that their goal is to finish their regular season in 4^th to 6^th place, so they don’t have to start the playoffs playing some of the top teams and getting kicked out automatically, but then do really well in the playoffs.

The girls succeeded this past Saturday, September 25, in getting their first win against Christian Academy. This is said to be due to the fact that they have played all the hard teams first and are now able to play the remaining teams which they are able to beat. These girls practice long and hard for each and every game, Monday through Friday from 3:20 pm to 6:45 pm each week. Each practice ends on a team meeting going over the stats sheet and other team business.

When asked who she thought the most important player was, Rachel had this to say “I know this will sound really cliché, but it’s true.  I don’t think anyone is the most skilled. We all have different skills that combine and make a team. You can’t play volleyball without six players. The most experienced players are Sammy and Kea, that’s why they are our captains. They have seen everything. Both of them have traveled to the mainland and seen different types of volleyball from all over the country. They keep our team going and can pull us out of any kind of hole because they believe in our abilities as a team.”

This shows how closely knit this team of girls is, which is extremely important for any team sport.

Team Roster:

Angeleen Pedersen #2

Sarah Goldner #3

Taylor Valentine #4

Carina Oswald #5

Jasmine Baginski #6

Kea Olaso #7

Kanani Souza #8

Rachel Larsen #13

Brianne Tabios # 14

Jaqueline Maero # 15

Sammy Gabrelcik #16

Waverly Kaukeano #22

Kaitie Farden #25

“We now have our own home court this year, so we will have more pride in defending it,” says head coach Jason Popejoy. The 2010 season team consists of returning starting seniors AJ Shiarella, Kalani Soeda, Taylor Gray, and John Whitty. With the team being virtually the same as the team that went to states last year, this year’s team is expecting the same result and maybe a chance to go further into the playoffs.

The boys varsity program is starting now with conditioning, and is hoping to make big strides in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu (ILH). Games start in March and the bulldogs have many home games so come and show your support.

Throughout the match the crowd helped sway momentum for our team and allowed them to go on runs scoring point after point. During time outs and breaks, the Bulldog fans were thrilled by the musical brilliance of Mr. Lundgren and the LJA Pep Band. After the match was over emotions ran high as the crowd watched the six LJA seniors follow their team mates into the locker room; the last time they would do that as a part of the LJA Volleyball team.

Though their season is over, the seniors will always be a part of the Bulldog Ohana. They will be remembered for their contributions to the team and for how they battled throughout the seasons, dedicated and strong. We are sad for those who are leaving but with the new gymnasium and new found spirit, we look forward to next year and what it will bring for our Varsity Lady Bulldog Volleyball team.

The bulldogs retained their lead from the beginning taking the first set 25-14. The second set came out like the first and the lady bulldogs coasted in for the win taking the second set 25-12

“I was proud of our team,” Coach Jason Popejoy said, “they came out hungry for a win, and I am especially proud of the seniors.”

The game was not only dedicated to the seniors, but for the parents as well who received leis from the players.

“I was really proud winning our game on senior night,” said Larissa Ing, one of the senior volleyball players being commemorated on senior night. Joining her were other seniors Sarah Recktenwald, Brittany Daniels, Kelly Connors, and Jessie Steiner.

The Girl’s Volleyball record is 4-12, but this record doesn’t reflect their effort and game performance. The Girl’s Varsity lost games by very narrow margins and have played in an extremely hard conference which includes Punahou, Iolani, Kamehameha, and Mid Pacific Institute.  So far this season, the bulldogs have beaten Christian Academy, Hawaii Mission Academy, Island Pacific Academy and Lanakila Baptist.

The lady bulldogs dominated the first set winning by 17 points and allowing Christian academy only 8 points. In the second set, the patriots came back from a 7 point deficit and tied the game at 24-24. The bulldogs stayed focused and took the game 26-24, ending the contest getting their first win of the season.

“It was a good start of the season,” Head Coach Jason Popejoy stated. When asked about his goals for his team this season he said, “I want our team to be a well-oiled machine.” He also said that they should have a good chance of getting into the State Tournament, which will be held at the end of the year.

The girl’s varsity volleyball team has high expectations for the rest of their season, and they have kept the supporters of Le Jardin athletics enthralled with their efforts. Keep up the good work!