Spikers Set for Title Run

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” That was the phrase scribbled on a blackboard in the Palisades High gymnasium Monday during the boys volleyball team’s first indoor practice. New coach Matt Shubin will have a new inspirational message for his team each and every day. He hopes the quotes will motivate his players to achieve their goals, the last of which he hopes will be Pali’s first City championship since 1998. “The first step towards the ultimate goal is to win our league,” said Shubin, who was hired to coach the girls team in the fall and now inherits a once-proud boys program that has been only mediocre in recent years. “We have a lot of players still competing for positions and I want to give everyone a fair chance to show what they can do.” With 27 players vying for 10 to 12 varsity spots, Shubin will have a lot of decisions to make before Saturday, when the team travels to Cal State Dominguez Hills for the pre-season Tournament of Champions. The Dolphins will be led by four seniors: outside hitters Joey Sarafian and Beck Johnson, middle blocker Rob Mees and opposite hitter Jacob Khovbian. According to Shubin, junior opposite hitter Will Smith “can jump out of the gym” and will also be a key contributor on offense. Sophomore Scott Vegas, one of four left-handers to make varsity, is expected to be the starting setter. Freshman Matt Hanley, son of local beach volleyball player Linda Hanley, will play libero while fellow ninth-graders Henry Conklin and Jordan Cohen has showed promise at outside hitter. “It’s a privilege to coach this program,” said Shubin, who grew up in Malibu and knows all about Pali volleyball’s storied tradition. “The fact that we’ve had so many kids tryout is good because our junior varsity team will be formidable too. We’re going to take them with us to tournaments and they’ll be competitive.” After compiling an 11-3 record and finishing second in the Western League behind Venice last season, Palisades was awarded the eighth-seed in the City playoffs and was swept by top-seeded Granada Hills in the quarterfinals.