Agoura boys' volleyball squad looking to shake off slow start

SPIKE-Agoura's Ben Stralka, left, hammers a shot against Royal. It's been a struggle for the Agoura High boys' volleyball team this season, but head coach MarlaO'Hara is not disheartened.

That's because of the 10 players competing for the Chargers this season, only senior outside hitter Ben Fredgant will graduate in June.

Agoura was 1-5 overall, and 14 in the Marmonte League before playing the Simi Valley Pioneers yesterday. The chargers face Thousand Oaks Lancers tomorrow at home and game time is 6 p.m.

The Chargers defeated Moorpark last week, 3-2, on scores of 25-22, 25-20, 25-27, 22-25, 15-13. Fredgant had 31 kills and sophomore setter Nat Thompson was credited with 50 assists in the win.

"I'm so happy," Fredgant said. "That ended our losing streak. I think now that we're going to be on a roll. I think this is the start of a great rest of the season."

O'Hara, in her eighth season at the helm, also was pleased that her team won its first game.

"These kids are starting to have some success together," she said. "We started out the beginning of the season at the Ventura Tournament and we finished fourth. That was the strongest we've ever finished. Then we had a couple of real tight games."

Fredgant has been the team's backbone, and for that O'Hara is grateful.

"He makes most of the kills every game," she said. "We can rely on him, definitely, but for the most part we have our setter, who is only a sophomore (Thompson). He's very young, but he's really stepped up at the varsity level."

Fredgant said the reason why Chargers have been a little slow to start because the players have been developing team chemistry.

"We have a young squad this year," Fredgant said. "They're the best I've ever played with and I think we're only going to get better. As we go through the season, we're going to clean up those mistakes. I believe in these guys all the way."

Above all, Fredgant appreciates having his younger brother, sophomore outside hitter Aaron Fredgant, on the varsity squad with him.

"He is my co-captain," Ben Fredgant said. "I've been waiting all my life to play with him. He's amazing. I have all the respect in world, and I'm so proud of him. He does a great job."

O'Hara said that Aaron Fredgant "is going to step right in to his brother's shoes when Ben graduates this year. He's coming up to be a very strong player also. He's very aggressive, very focused and he thinks very well on the court."

Ben Fredgant applauds Thompson for his clutch blocks, junior middle Ben Stralka, who Fredgant said is fun to compete with, and junior opposite Max Rosenblum.

"All these guys are doing so well," Fredgant said.

O'Hara salutes the play of two others, sophomore middle Jeff Herbst, who came from the frosh-soph team last year, and Strolka.

"(Strolka's) a big guy, 6-foot5, and he's young also and this is his first year on the varsity," O'Hara said.

After opening the season at the Ventura Tournament, Agoura began a four-game losing streak, losing to the Oak Park Eagles, 3-0, on scores of 25-18, 25-18, 25-16.

The next three losses were against league opponents-beginning with the Newbury Park Panthers, 3-0, on scores of 2518, 25-18, 25-21; the Royal Highlanders, 3-0, on scores of 25-18, 25-18, 25-21, and the Westlake Warriors, 3-0, scores of 25-18, 25-5, 25-16.

The Chargers played in a tourney at the UC Santa Barbara Event Center on March 18.

"We had the Dos Pueblos Tournament, one of the strongest tournaments in Southern California with all the top teams," O'Hara said. "We have a really strong future and we are doing better and better with each game."

Agoura beat Moorpark, then lost to the Calabasas Coyotes last Friday, 3-2, on scores of 25-17, 14-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-13.

"They did not have any bigname players, but they played very scrappy defense," O'Hara said of CHS. "They dug every ball we hit at them. Their setter made very good setting choices."

As the Chargers prepare for Thousand Oaks tomorrow and the completion of the first half of the season, the Agoura coach said she expects her team will be tested.

"(Thousand Oaks) looked pretty strong against Westlake," O'Hara said. "That was the first week. Westlake beat them in four (3-1). They're very tough, very strong. It was considered an upset."

Next Wednesday, Agoura will host the Newbury Park Panthers. Game time is 6 p.m.

"Against Newbury Park, I think we'll be better, a stronger team than when we played them before," O'Hara said. "I am very proud of how they are progressing."

With five more league games and two tournaments ahead, the season will wind down to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs in mid-May.