West Park advances to section title match

A playoff team the last two years, the West Park boys' volleyball team had high expectations this season. The team hasn't disappointed. The Panthers (23-9), the No. 2 seed in the Division II playoffs, will play for a Sac-Joaquin Section championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Del Oro (22-13), the top seed. The Panthers played well on Tuesday and swept the No. 3 seed Nevada Union, 25-20, 25-22, and 25-21. "It was an amazing atmosphere," West Park coach Zach DeBoer said. "Boys volleyball doesn't always attract the largest crowed, but the fans who were there made it electric. Going into this match, I told my boys we had nothing to lose and they played like it. Tristan (Apurado), Vince (Sison), and Noah (Moon), in particular, played some of their best volleyball to date. Nevada Union is always a tough team to match up with because they have tall, lanky, and strong players, but we were able to minimize our mistakes and keep them on the back foot to take the match in three sets." Playing a tough schedule helped prepare the Panthers for the season. It not only helped prepare them to face tough opponents, but the team improved their play and built confidence in itself along the way. "The season has gone great," DeBoer said. "Starting off the preseason, we played some tough teams that really opened our eyes to what we were leaving on the table offensively and defensively, but you could tell our team had the talent to do well. A lot of my players are playing in new positions they haven't played before, so it took some adjusting for them find their stride." The Panthers have a deep team with a lot of talent, but have been led by three players: Apurado, Sison and Moon. "Senior and captain Tristan Apurado has been a huge impact player," DeBoer said. "Not only does he hit well from both sides of the net, he also produces from the service line, serve receive, and defense. "Another impact player this season is our senior libero and captain Vince Sison. This is his third season on varsity and he has really owned his position well. He owns the backcourt in serve receive and makes amazing plays on defense. "Junior setter and captain Noah Moon, despite this season being his first year on varsity, he has developed into an outstanding distributor of the ball and floor leader. Noah exceeds my expectations of him every time he steps on the court and I couldn't be more proud of him." The leadership provide by the three captains has helped the Panthers to strong 23-9 record and a Metro Conference championship. "Our biggest strengths are the depth of the team and the trust between our setter and hitters," DeBoer said. "We have a lot of weapons on this team, so if someone is struggling to produce, our setter just gives the ball to someone else; those types of teams are dangerous. Our hitters know that our setter is going to give them the best ball he can and our setter knows that his hitters are going to do everything they can to put those balls away."