Championship blues Brahmas finish sixth in conference standings, 3-13 overall

SHAWN UPSHAW Reporter @RoundupNews

Men’s volleyball last season won their eighth state title in program history, their first in 15 years. However, when you have players leaving, new faces coming in and changes on the sidelines, things can get difficult.

For the Brahmas this year, their title defense didn’t go as expected as they finished the season 3-13 and 1-11 in conference play.

Daniel Grogan, libero, said that playing for Pierce has made him push himself.

“The volleyball team gives me a place to work hard. It lets me know that I’m working at something and improving,” Grogan said.

Edison Zhou took over the program during the offseason when Lance Walker decided to step down as he would become a father for a second time.

Walker led the Brahmas to the state championship beating Orange Coast College in four sets last year in Fullerton.

After three games, the team were 1-2 to start the season getting a win at Fullerton before losing to Irvine Valley College.

Grogan said the season didn’t go as planned, he said that it was a combination of a few things.

“We had high hopes for this season and we got frustrated. We definitely had leadership though; Grant [Degrasse] and I and of the others held the team together," Grogan said.

Grogan led the Brahmas in digs with 98, while Gene Kim, setter, had 40.

After the Golden West game, they would go on a nine-game losing streak only forcing a fourth set on three occassions.

Grogan has stated though that this year, there has been a much bigger effort to recruit new talent onto the team.

“A couple of big things would be recruiting and going to offseason and non-conference games to practice. It makes a difference and gives you a better understanding of the game,” Grogan said.

Kim said that he came to Pierce and joined the team based off of the alumni who had a good experience here.

“I think next season, we have a lot potential. We had a bare bones season this past season, so we have been recruiting heavily,” Kim said.

Kim led the team in assists with 178, while Grant DeGrasse had 84 kills.