Lady Mariners 4-3 in League with a Handful of Games Left in Volleyball Season

The Lady Mariners are ready to turn things around. With only five games left in league, they’re on the right track.

Mar Vista’s volleyball team is currently 4-7 overall, 4-3 in the South Bay League after a 3-0 win over Chula Vista last Friday.

The squad has a mix of talent with eight returning varsity players and six newcomers.

“As a coach, I'm trying to find the right combination of girls that communicate, play hard and work well together,” said head coach Joe Penolio, who has been head coach of the boys’ volleyball team for the last three seasons.

He took over the girls’ program this year after Robbie Cole, who led the program since 2000, retired.

Cole and the Lady Mariners finished last season 11-14 overall, 7-4 in league.

Although this years' team lacks the experience that past teams have had, Penolio said he has seen a lot of improvement since the start of the season.

“We are constantly working on passing and ball handling, which is the key to running any kind of offense,” he said. “Our goal as a team is to reduce our mistakes which lead to points for the other team, serve more aggressively and finish the rest of the season strong.”

The girls are having a hard time finishing plays, an issue that has proved to be costly.

“Our team can compete but they struggle to find a way to put away matches,” Penolio said. 

But he is hoping that changes with experience.

“We are learning to communicate better on the court and that will come in time with confidence in their own abilities as well as trusting others to be responsible at their positions,” Penolio said.  

With just five games left in league, the team is constantly making improvements.

“Our teams’ greatest strength is probably our defense,” said team captain, Meghan Penolio. “Our libero, Ashley Harbin, does an amazing job and has improved a great deal since last year. I’m proud to play on the court next to her.”

The coach said senior outside hitter, Meghan Penolio, is fourth in league in kills. Junior libero, Ashley Harbin, is seventh in digs.

As of Oct. 12, Meghan Penolio leads the team with 89 kills and 75 digs, while Harbin has recorded 85 digs, according to Maxpreps.com.

The captain said the team has improved on its’ defensive skills and has overcome challenges on the court.

But the players still need to work on their communication.

“The team is struggling with communication when times are rough,” Meghan Penolio said. “We are really struggling with playing as a team the whole game. It starts off really well but we don't finish as a team or vice versa. Also trust on the court, trust in one another to get a ball is important.”

With only a handful of games left the Lady Mariners have their work cut out for them. But Meghan Penolio said she’s eager to see where the season leads.  

“Our chemistry is rusty,” she said. “We have a few returning players and some newcomers, not quite in the varsity tempo yet. But we have a whole other half of the season left so I’m anxious to see how we compete in future matches.”