Star Volleyball Players Shine on Las Lomas’ Varsity Team
Senior Joe Wood
Two star volleyball players that have truly stood out on Las Lomas’ boys varsity team are senior team captain Joe Wood and junior team captain Cody Howard.
In his last year with the Knights, Wood is ready for a successful, memorable season. Wood’s leadership and dominance is very no- table on the court. “Joe is pretty dominant. He’s very competitive,” said three year varsity coach Jim Changaris.
Wood’s first time playing volleyball was when he made the JV volleyball team his sophomore year. During junior year, Joe achieved his goal in making it onto the varsity team as a rightside hitter, or oppo. “He’s a really good right side,” said Changaris. “He blocks well.”
Along with his athleticism, Wood’s strong leadership and control team has stood out. “He knows how to motivate and also calm the team when we are at our worst or when we are stressed,” said sophomore varsity starter Gabe Fernandez. “He is able to execute the position of a captain very well.”
“As a captain, I am a team leader, and I have responsibility to make sure the team is working hard and not getting flustered during games,” said Wood.
The varsity team’s other captain Howard, on his second year of varsity volleyball, has already shown great leadership and enthusiasm on the court this season. “He shows great leadership skills by making the team lis- ten to [our] coach,” said sophomore varsity player Gabe Fernandez.
Inspired by his sister’s and cousin’s play, Cody started teaching himself how to pass and serve the volleyball in the sixth grade. Ever since then, with two years of club under his belt, Cody has stuck with volleyball, making the JV team his freshman year at Las Lomas.
As a sophomore, Cody made varsity as the starting libero for the Knights. A big accomplishment considering the Knights great success these past two years. In 2015 and 2016, the Knights made it to the NCS finals, but fell short of the championship title both years.
Not only does he bring his leadership aspect to the team, he also brings his hustle and competitiveness. “He goes all out all the time; if he’s doing it, he expects other people to do it too,” said three year head varsity coach Jim Changaris.
“Tremendous defense, consistent serving, he really wants to win,” said Changaris, “He could very easily become a libero in college.” Howard has shown great volleyball skills and competitiveness has shown through on the court this season.
And when it comes to helping out his teammates, Cody Howard is the guy. “He’s the very technical, show-people-how-to-do- it-captain,” said Howard’s co-team captain Wood.
“You definitely have to forget somebody’s mistake or forget your mistake, that’s something that I’ve been working on,” said Howard. Being a team captain isn’t always easy, but Cody’s effort shows through on and off the court.
