Cholla volleyball coach Kellin Lovegren can summarize five years of non-playoff-worthy struggles in two words: academically ineligible.
"There is talent all over Cholla. But there is a problem keeping talent eligible," said Lovegren, in his ninth year at Cholla. "We've emphasized that on this group. I think that's showing up in our record."
With the wealth of the squad's stars remaining academically passable, and shining in several cases — headlined by juniors Michael Luna and Miguel Arandules — the Chargers (9-12, 0-1) have already more than doubled their win total from a year ago (4-23).
"Grades hurt us bad the last few years. The best players weren't on the court all together, and you can't win like that," said Arandules, Southern Arizona's leader in kills. "We've been able to keep pretty much everyone around this time."
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The nine wins are equal to what Cholla has totaled in the last three years combined.
And if the 4A/5A-II state playoffs were to begin today, the Chargers would be seeded into the No. 12 slot, a long way from the No. 23 finish in 2008.
Luna, a 6-foot-3-inch outside hitter, points to experience as a crucial factor in the turnaround.
"Losing gets tiring. You lose your confidence, and that used to happen to us," said Luna, one of five returning starters for the Chargers. "This team has the experience to get over the losses and then come back."
Proof: After a recent four-match losing skid in Mountain View's Ryan Sherrow Invitational, Cholla responded with five straight victories before falling to Pueblo in the region opener Wednesday.
Lovegren isn't ready to say the Chargers will contend for a state championship, or even a region title — not with three-time defending state champ Catalina Foothills in the Sonoran Region. But the progression back toward the state playoff scene is a definite sign of life from a program that Lovegren described as having "fallen apart some" since its last state tourney appearance in 2003.
Among the new techniques Lovegren is using to keep his team intact is mandatory after-school tutoring for 30 minutes to an hour per day before practice – an idea that basketball coach Ricky Luna, Michael's father, implemented during the high school basketball season.
"I'm not going to say that it's perfect and that the kids show up every time they should," said Lovegren.
"We are going in the right direction with it, though."
