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“Net net net!”

“Ball ball ball!”

“Good set, great set!”

Grand View’s men’s volleyball team enters the Heart of America Athletic conference tournament this year as a one seed with a 22-3 season record. The past two years the team has been a two seed and both years lost in the championship game. They enter this year hoping to be the team to hoist the trophy. With the team’s starting setter, Felipe Rosa, hurt, Alfredo Chacon has had to step up to help the team and most importantly the seniors win a Championship.

“It means a lot to make the tournament especially since we came in as a one seed,” said Chacon. “We’ve never gone into a tournament as a first seed, so as a team we really feel good about our chances.”

Chacon also discussed what he felt the team should strive for in the championship particularly as a one seed.

“Everyday our mindset is just to win the national title and nothing less,” said Chacon, “We’ve came in second twice in the past two years now, and we have to send our seniors out with that championship.”

Donan Cruz is entering his sixth season as the head coach for Grand View’s men’s volleyball team. He has won many awards for his coach including two coach of the year, but has yet to win a national championship.

“We’re returning to a tournament that we have attended and qualified for in the last four years and I think preparation wise we’re just another year veteran and we have figured out things that have worked and have not worked,” said Cruz. “Our preparation started immediately after the game ended Saturday in the conference championship.”

Grand View’s team is ranked number one in the nation. Along with being the number one team comes some pressures. Coach Cruz says that as the coach he does not feel much pressure.

“Not much (pressure) at least from my perspective, I don’t feel any pressure because we haven’t won anything yet we just happen to be the number one ranked team in the country.”

Coach Cruz knows that being overconfident can be bad for the players and the championship game.

“Last week in practice before our Friday match I kind of got on the guys, I just didn’t feel like we were training to the level that we should be training and we just beat the opponent that we thought we would end up facing, which we did and we beat them, But I felt that we had this aura like ‘oh we’re going to win’  I think there is a fine balance between having confidence in your skill-set and your abilities versus overlooking somebody.