With the school year just about over, a number of Mission Bay High spring sports teams have much to be proud of.
On the boys volleyball court, the Bucs restarted their program this spring after there was no team the previous year.
With only one starter having played indoor volleyball before, the focus of the season was to teach fundamentals of volleyball.  As the only Division IV team in the Eastern League, which was composed of all Division II and III teams, the Bucs only played teams that were much higher-ranked and experienced during the season.  However, the improvement over the season was remarkable in that the team was consistently winning games against some of the top-ranked Division II teams like University High. Due to the extremely hard league schedule, the team still almost qualified for the Division IV playoffs.  According to head coach Nikki Caufield, with only one senior graduating this year, next year looks to return a squad of experienced players, with a number of incoming players for next year’s program that should continue the base from this year.  Kieran Wills led the team in kills and aces and was named 2nd Team All-League. Senior Jefree Johnson led the team in blocks and will move on to play at Point Loma Nazarene next year. Junior first-year setter, Jacob Cayetano, topped the team in assists and digs.  MBHS will also field a boys beach volleyball team for fall.
If anyone is interested in joining the team they should contact coach Caufield at: [email protected]. Sand volleyball
In girls’ sand volleyball play, head coach Brittany Johnson’s team had a strong finish to the season. Mission Bay made it to playoffs and had a bye in the first round. Then, Mission Bay beat San Dieguito in the quarterfinals and Francis Parker in the semifinals, respectively. The Lady Bucs (eight All-Stars, including five seniors), barely lost to The Bishop’s School in the finals, finishing second in the silver bracket or Division II.  “I believe the program will still be strong next year with Alex Briski (junior), Maddie Tandy (junior), and Bethany Kepner (freshman) leading the pack,” Johnson commented. “All of the girls are such motivated athletes and I had the greatest time helping them maximize their sand volleyball talent.”
As Johnson sees it, she imagines the league will continue to grow and become increasingly competitive.
“I have high hopes that Mission Bay will persist with a strong program and presence,” Johnson added. Boys tennis
On the boys tennis scene, head coach Trong Tong’s team finished with three wins, still allowing the Bucs to qualify for a Division III Team CIF playoffs spot based on the strength of schedule. Moreover, Mission Bay squeaked by Hilltop in the first round of the playoffs before succumbing to a superior Olympian team in the second round. “Our senior standout, Simon Glezer, dominated most of our league in singles and once again qualified for individual CIF for his third straight year,” Tong noted. “Shawn Ries had improved tremendously as a second-year player as did our senior, Jacob Sapp, who had also shown more focus and dedication than ever.
“With a majority of our team graduating this year, we’ll have some rebuilding to do next season. Hopefully, we’ll get some familiar faces back,” Tong added.
. Since all the tennis leagues will be reshuffled next year based on power rankings, it’ll make the rebuilding process a tad easier and our matches considerably more competitive. We’re looking forward to some exciting competitions with mostly new rivals,” Tong added.