As for the Wildcats of Whitney High School, nothing could be truer than “With great promise comes great responsibility.”  After recording one winning season in seven years, the Wildcats are looking to build off of two successful years under third-year volleyball head coach James Todd.

“We have improved a lot,” he said about the team since his arrival in 2011. “We’ve been bounced out of the first round the last two years, but we have been winning more preseason and regular season games.”

Todd is taking a different approach to the team this season.  He’s making them more accountable and more disciplined, considering they are young this year.

“We have five freshmen; four of which could possibly start; three juniors; two sophomores; and one senior heading into day one this year.” he said.

But being young isn’t always a bad thing.

“The freshmen have brought in a new sense of excitement, a new breath of fresh air for the upper classmen,” Todd started, “I mean, yesterday was our first day and it was probably the best practice we had in two years of me being here.”

Going off of the idea of taking a new approach for the season, Todd moved the squad away from goals and set one expectation for them: to get better, you must get better on the next rep, the next day and the next game. Take it one day at a time.

The one challenge Whitney will be faced with this season is their inexperience.

“We are so young out there that I look at it as how will they react when the lights turn on?” said Todd.

Todd is expecting senior Mackenzie Berlin and junior Erika Holiday to step up as leaders this year.  Berlin was a Capital Athletic League All-League selection as an outside hitter. 

As for Holiday, Todd said she is eager to learn, is more coachable and willing to step up as a leader of the team from the left defensive slot.

Whitney competes in the Capital Athletic League that includes El Camino. The Eagles have won the last two Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships.

From the article at:  http://www.placerherald.com/article/great-promise-comes-great-responsibility