South Placer Boys' Volleyball roundup: Whitney and Woodcreek performing well halfway through league action

There are just a few weeks remaining for area boys' volleyball teams and many squads are roughly halfway through league competition. Teams such as Whitney High and Woodcreek High are off to great starts while others are looking to get back on track. Sierra Foothill League Whitney High is 14-1 and has only lost six total sets all season. Yet to lose a game in the Sierra Foothill League, Whitney High defeated Granite Bay High in three sets on Wednesday. On Monday, the Wildcats faced Oak Ridge High and despite being down at least once in the second and third sets, Whitney won 25-10, 25-22, 25-20. Senior Aidan Van Dam had 11 kills in the match, bringing his total up to 97 on the season. He is right behind Chase Schwab ,who has 103 kills. "It's just really nice knowing that we are rolling for the season and we have already played half of our matchups, so we know what we can look forward to in the second half of the season," Van Dam said. "We are really good at being able to run different sets and plays. A lot of teams don't really follow their hitters and we are able to get back sets and go balls. We run a really quick offense and our coach really urges us to pass low to keep our opponent on their toes." Another player who has stepped up is freshman Kale Cochran, who had eight kills in Monday's match against Oak Ridge High. The Wildcats face Rocklin High on Monday before playing Del Oro High on Wednesday. Granite Bay High is off to a solid 7-5 start to the season and despite the loss to Whitney, defeated Rocklin and Folsom in three sets to begin league play 2-2. The Grizzlies attack has been led by senior Andrew Tanner, who has 64 kills while junior Tobey Jennings has 49. "Attacking at the outside hitter position has been very new to me since I usually play middle blocker in my club but my team has done a great job at helping me adapt to the new position," Tanner said. "I have worked very closely with my setters to give me a perfect ball to swing at and they have adapted very well to me and they work very hard." Rocklin High is 5-7 and has lost the last five matches in a row. Rocklin is a relatively young team with only two seniors, six juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. They face Whitney away on Monday before returning home to play Folsom on Wednesday. Del Oro is currently 2-9 and coming off of a three-set loss to Folsom on Wednesday. They will face Granite Bay on Monday. Capital Valley Conference Woodcreek High continued its great stretch of play on Wednesday with a 25-16, 25-17, 25-19 win against Roseville and the Timberwolves are currently leading the Capital Valley Conference at 6-1. Senior Nico Nielsen totaled 13 kills in the match, bringing his total on the season to 148, good enough for seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The player of the match was senior Caden Schauer, who had 16 kills, five blocks and two aces. Schauer has led the team in serving aces and is second in kills, blocks, digs and assists. "Our team is working together with good chemistry and we utilize our options while playing hard," Schauer said. "I'd like to win a section title." The Timberwolves dominated the first set but Roseville took an early lead in the second set before Woodcreek High got back in it and came away with the win. The Tigers were led by sophomore Gannon Conners with five kills and two blocks while senior Nick Primavera added four kills. Roseville High, 7-6 and third in league competition, will play their next match on Monday against Antelope. For Woodcreek, they face Bella Vista at home on Monday before playing Inderkum on Wednesday. Foothill Valley League Oakmont High has been struggling at 3-8 but won their second league game of the season on Tuesday 25-17, 25-17, 25-22 against Lincoln High. The Vikings were led by sophomore Harrison Houser, who had 10 kills, including the match-winning kill in the third set. "It feels good to get the win. We had a rocky start but it's a great way to finish the first half of the league," Houser said. George Buljan also played well with six kills and three aces while Gavin Howes had four kills and three blocks. The Vikings face West Park at home on Tuesday. West Park is off to a solid start at 4-2 and third-place in the Foothill Valley League. The Panthers defeated Lincoln on March 24 in four sets, limiting the Zebras to only 23 points in the final two sets. West Park has six sophomores and five juniors on their roster. After facing Oakmont on Tuesday, the Panthers will play Placer on Thursday in a potential battle for second-place in league competition. Western Sierra Collegiate Academy The Wolves have been struggling as of late, losing their last six matches, including a five-set loss to Sacramento Adventist on Tuesday after starting the season 3-1. Despite the rough stretch, Western Sierra Collegiate Academy has multiple players who have been performing well, such as Jacob Fletcher with 31 kills, including 11 in a loss against Leroy Greene Academy. Junior Robert Nasanbat has led the way defensively with 64 digs, including 20 against Faith Christian and Leroy Greene Academy. "What's working really well for me is my coverage and dives," Nasanbat said. "I've had many amazing saves by diving for the ball and keeping it in play. My biggest goal this season is to work on float serve reception." The Wolves face Cristo Rey in their next match on Tuesday. John Adams Academy The Patriots are off to a fantastic 15-3 start and are currently in the Top 20 in the Sac-Joaquin Section MaxPreps rankings. Their only losses have come against El Camino, Grant and River Valley and they have lost just six sets outside of those games. They won three matches in a tournament on Saturday before defeating Pine Hills Adventist in three sets on Tuesday. John Adams Academy will face Bradshaw Christian on Monday and Encina Prep on Wednesday.