Boys Volleyball:
Since becoming the head football coach at Maranatha two years ago, Rand Holdren has made a dramatic impact on the success on the MHS program.
In 2021, the Minutemen went 1-7 overall and 0-3 in Olympic League games.
Fast forward one season, and Maranatha finished 11-1-1 in 2022, including a 5-0 run to an Olympic League championship.
And MHS earned a spot in the CIF-SS Division 13 semifinals before falling short to the eventual champions from San Gabriel.
What some might be unaware of is that Holdren also took over the Maranatha boys volleyball program.
After a first-year run of 6-10 overall and 1-5 in 2022, the Minutemen are on a pace to have their first winning season as a program.
According to Maxpreps, Maranatha has never had a winning season since it started in 2008, and they’ve only made the playoffs once with a 5-6 record.
MHS is currently 8-5 overall, and they sit in second in the Olympic League (3-1) standings after beating Valley Christian for the second time this season, both of which were five set matches.
If the Minutemen defeat Heritage Christian on Tuesday, their Thursday showdown at Village Christian would potentially have the league title on the line.
The following is a season roundup thus far:
Senior captain Lucas Dacosta continues to lead the way with consistent play and he is in the top three in all major categories for our team.
Along with being a great passer who can put the ball away (151 kills), he is a seasoned leader with a high volleyball IQ.
He also is 8th in the CIF Southern Section in digs at 193.
Basketball transplant, Alec Smith, has been fantastic playing middle all season.
Smith leads the team in kills (148 kills) and blocks and has improved a significant amount since his 2022 rookie season in the sport.
Setters Aaron Chang (222 assists) and Luke Devarian (211 assists) continue to improve their consistency.
Chang also leads the team in aces.
Senior libero Andrew Round and junior outside hitter Bryan Chi provide major pieces for the program.
Quotable:
Maranatha coach, Rand Holdren: “Lucas and Andrew do a fantastic job providing the senior leadership as our captains and our setting (Devarian and Chang) has been far more consistent this season. We’re also super proud of the improvements Alec and Bryan have made in their second seasons. We did a lot of team building in the first half of the season and when we believe in ourselves, we play great volleyball.”
Notable Matches:
– Lost to Arcadia in 5 sets.
– Beat Valley Christian in 5 sets both times we played them.
Maranatha Schedule:
Tuesday: Heritage Christian at Maranatha
Wednesday: Maranatha at Rio Hondo Prep
Thursday: Maranatha at Village Christian
Olympic League Standings:
Village Christian (20-6-1, 3-1)
Maranatha (8-5, 3-1)
Valley Christian (7-9, 3-2)
Heritage Christian (3-5-2, 1-2)
Whittier Christian (0-8, 0-4)
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