This year the Cerritos College women’s volleyball team is being taken over by 27-year old, first year head coach Kari Pestolesi.

Originally from Huntington Beach, Calif., and growing up with a father who was a coach himself, she understands the nature of competitive sports.

“I’m a coach’s kid […] I feel like I have a different understanding of the game I know how this level works. How they run things at Cerritos is a little different than what I’m used but that’s easy to get used to.”

Avenging last season

Last year, the team had an average season ending with a 16-11 overall record.

Only four players from last season had over 100 kills. No one else had over 57.

Of the four athletes only one is returning, Monica Vega.

She was second on the team with 191 kills trailing only Nicole Spigner.

Two of the four were sophomores in Spigner and Valerie Montoya.

“A lot of girls are actually more into the sport,” said the aforementioned Vega.

“Last year I feel like girls just played to play. This year everybody looks like they have love for the sport,” she added.

Last season, 10 of the 17 players on the roster were freshman.

This season, the odds are a bit more even with eight sophomores and seven freshmen.

With more seasoned players on the roster this time around, the team hopes to build in skill and technique to produce a winning season.

Making the most of the move

Nicole Flores, who spent last season as a red-shirt, is returning this season with high hopes.

Despite not wanting to compare, she sees the bright side of having a new vocal leader in the locker room.

“We’re learning a lot,” said outside hitter Nicole Flores, “Teresa [Velasquez-Ortega] was a great coach but I think we are very lucky to have [Pestolesi].”

The team is having to start all over with learning a new coaching style and working with the new players.

“Their brains hurt,” Pestolesi said jokingly, “I’m bringing in [my] kind of volleyball.”

It’s a combination of things she has been taught and played against that she loved, as well as things that she hated which she plans to avoid.

“They are learning pretty much a whole new style of volleyball,” she said, “They haven’t had a lot of time- its only week two- but it’s really cool to see that they are catching on a lot quicker than expected.”

In the few short weeks since they began practicing she has seen much improvement in players.

“We are getting to see two different sides of volleyball that benefit us in different ways,” said Flores.

The dynamics of the team are changing and they are starting to learn things that benefit them not only as individuals but as a team.

“Its cool to have a coach that played recently and to get the experience that she had. We are getting to learn new dynamics that the [we] can work on to be better as a team not just as individuals,” she added.

As the season goes on, Pestolesi wants give her players the tools and experience necessary to continue on in their careers whether it be in school, volleyball or both.

“These are the kind of kids that are just trying and working their butts off to get to the next level,” she said.

“My goal is get the student athletes on my squad moved on to the next level whatever that may be,” she added.

What’s to come

The team is set to start the new season this Friday at home against Citrus College.

Conference play will begin on Sept. 23.