Last season ended perfectly for Jake Arnitz and the Esperanza boys volleyball team.
One week after capturing the CIF-SS Division 2 title, Arnitz led the Aztecs to the CIF Southern California Regional title. It was the perfect send-off for the team’s seniors. It also set up the Aztecs as the favorites to do the same thing this season as Arnitz, who was the Register’s player of year last year, would be returning.
Coach Isaac Owens called Arnitz the “most dominating high school player” around. But instead of preparing for this season, Arnitz, a senior who signed with UCLA in the fall, has been busy trying to get back on the court.
The 6-foot-7 outside hitter has been sidelined by a back injury suffered while playing with the U.S. junior national team during the summer. He has been diagnosed with a slipped vertebra with a pinched disc.
“I don’t have an exact date or time,” Arnitz said about his return. “I’m taking it easy. I don’t want to come back too fast, like I was trying to do.”
Arnitz has been undergoing physical therapy twice a week. He hopes to start passing shortly.
“It is hard,” Arnitz said of not being able to play. “It has been eight months. The past eight months have been pretty rough.
“I’ve already been out for so long. I just want to play. It is tough to sit here (in practice) all the time.”
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Owens has no choice but to move forward. The Aztecs return five players with varsity experience, including setter Ryan Heller, outside hitter Ben Oxnard, opposite Connor Jordan and middle blocker Will Hastings.
“With the guys a year older, another year of experience with club (volleyball), I think we have the talent where we don’t have to rely on Jake as much this year,” Owens said. “We can spread the ball out a little bit more.”
With a couple of tweaks here and there, Owens believes the team will be able to stay competitive until Arnitz returns.
“It might be in the second half (of the season), it might be before the CIF playoffs …we’re going to play without him until he’s strong enough to go,” Owens said.
The Aztecs don’t have one player who can duplicate what Arnitz did as a junior: 686 kills, 76 aces, 39 blocks, hitting percentage of .421.
So for the start of the season, balance will be the key.
“If you have an average hitter, and if you have a really good setter, he’s going to take those average hitters and make them really good,” Owens said. “I think we have a bunch of good hitters and that’s the key.
“Not only do we have good hitters, but we have that good setter (Heller) and he knows when to distribute the ball to the right guys at the right time.”
The season is off to a great start for the Aztecs (7-1). They finished third at the Redondo Tournament and swept Foothill in Thursday’s Century League opener. Heller and Jordan were selected to the all-tournament team at Redondo.
NOTES
Josh Tuaniga, who transferred from St. John Bosco to Huntington Beach, will be eligible to play on April 7, after the 30-day sit-out period for transfers. …
The Oilers are trying to become the first team since Loyola of Los Angeles (2009-2010) to repeat as CIF-SS Division 1 champion.
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
