By Jeremy Dent-Smith, Sports Editor
The Toro women’s volleyball team split their first conference home series of the season on September 27-28, facing stiff competition from CSU-San Marcos and Cal Poly Pomona. The first homestand was a significant test for the Toros, as they faced the top-ranked Broncos and a determined San Marcos squad seeking their first conference win.
First-year head coach Teddy Esko credited the preseason schedule for giving the Toros the experience they needed to succeed.
“During that time we were really trying to figure out the recipe … we utilized those first two weekends to test our rotations to figure out where we are good as a team.” Esko said. “We have a huge squad – a lot of depth, a lot of quality volleyball players, and a lot of versatility, too. We have players in our gym that can play multiple positions which is a huge asset for our staff.”
Esko said that the preseason taught the Toros resilience, showing them that success in volleyball isn’t always pretty. She added that cleaning up technique is the easy part, but without the right mentality, the game won’t come together.
Sophomore libero Nina Robles echoed Esko, saying preseason helped the team prepare them for conference play.
“Being able to play for the first time with the new girls on the team during the preseason and season games was good for us.” Robles said. “We have some returners, but there are a lot of new faces, and any opportunity for us to gel and become stronger as a team is a plus for us.”
During the first match of the weekend, the Toros fell 3-0 to the Broncos, currently the top team in the CCAA. For Esko, the loss served as an object lesson for her new team.
“First set, we came out and played toe-to-toe with them and my take as a coach is, I’ve got quality athletes on my team and we can compete against anybody – I don’t care what their national rank is or where they are in conference.” Esko said. “When you focus on your job and you play together … any given day you can compete.”
The lesson paid off against the Cougars, as the Toros bounced back on September 28 to beat CSU-San Marcos 3-0.
The Toros bounced back against CSU-San Marcos on September 28, besting the Cougars 3-0. Esko said she couldn’t have been more proud of how her team recovered from the previous night.
“We showed up hungry, we switched the lineup, and tried something different,” Esko said. “They responded to it, they executed, they were positive, and man, we got the result.”
