By Jordan Hum | Copy Editor
On April 20, the Gabrielino High School boys volleyball team defeated El Monte High School, 3-0, in their final league match of the season. The team finished with an undefeated league record, only having lost one set.
On April 18, the Eagles defeated South El Monte High School, 3-1, at home on Gabrielino’s senior night. With this being the last home league match, the team took the opportunity to celebrate seniors Nathan Huang, Sunny Liang, Kenneth Pan, and James Yang with a ceremony and gifts.
“It was nice to receive all the gifts and sentiments from the younger players,” said Liang. “It made me reflect back on the season and helped me realize how much fun it was.”
With the win, Gabrielino became Mission Valley League champions in their first season participating in the league. Previously, the Eagles played in the Rio Hondo League.
“Being league champs is really special especially with the team being so new and young,” said senior Nathan Huang, captain. “Winning so dominantly helped us enjoy the games and practices more.”
After going 6-11 the previous year, this season can be seen as a complete turnaround for the Eagles. Despite most of the players graduating last year, the team was able to rally beside each other, securing a winning record and a league championship.
Part of the success can be attributed to first-year Head Coach Cory Ishida, who also happens to be junior Seth Asaoka’s grandfather.
“Having my grandpa as a coach is really cool because I kind of know how he operates,” said Asaoka. “It makes it so that I can understand him when other players maybe can’t, and so I can help those players.”
From April 14-15, Gabrielino competed in the Crescenta Valley High School Tournament at Crescenta Valley High School.
On the first day of the tournament, the team went 2-1, pulling out impressive victories against La Canada High School and Simi Valley High School Gold, while suffering a loss to Crescenta Valley.
After placing second in their pool, the second day of the tournament proved to be much more difficult. The Eagles lost to Thousand Oaks High School, Simi Valley High School Maroon, and La Canada High School, finishing the tournament 2-4.
“We played some D1 teams even though we’re D5, so the team didn’t take the losses too hard,” said junior captain Nathan Truong. “But it made the wins we had really gratifying since we were underlooked.”
On April 12, Gabrileino beat Alhambra High School, 3-1, at home in a non-league match. The meeting between the Eagles and the Moors was the first between them since 2019, in which Alhambra was victorious.
On April 7, the Eagles played Mountain View High School and won, 3-0. The game was played at Mountain View.
Two days before that, the Eagles took on Rosemead High School at Rosemead, defeating the Panthers convincingly, 3-0.
On March 31, Gabrielino defeated Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, 3-0 in an away game.
