San Joaquin Delta Mustangs, coach expecting eventful volleyball season
By Scott Linesburgh
Record Staff Writer
STOCKTON — Delta College’s volleyball team won’t get to be called an “underdog” often this season.
But the enthusiastic and optimistic Mustangs are fine with that.
Delta was the runner-up to the state championship last season, and hope to start on the path to taking the final staff when it opens the 2018 season with a doubleheader at home Wednesday against Yuba at 3 p.m. and Solano at 5 p.m.
It’s an exciting time for the Mustangs on several levels. Last year’s run into the finals has raised expectations, and there are 20 total players at practice, raising the competition level.
And head coach Molly Mordaunt-Hummel is expecting one more new arrival: she is scheduled to give birth to a daughter in about a week.
“I’m excited, we have a lot of new freshmen and getting them incorporated into how we run things around here is going to be fun,” said sophomore outside hitter/setter Amilya Thompson, a returning first-team All American.
“Molly having her child soon is just going to put pressure on us to hold each other accountable. And our chemistry early on has exceeded what I thought it would be.”
Delta was the third seed in the North Region at the 2017 state tournament and made it into the finals where it lost to Irvine Valley in four games.
It’s a new season, but the Mustangs are reaping the benefits of last year’s success.
“I think it attracted some really great kids to our program, it certainly helped with the recruiting aspect,” said Mordaunt-Hummel, 36. “And there is talk about the expectation of what our program stands for and the success we’ve had.”
Sophomore Alanna Valdez, who is set to take over as starting libero, said the Mustangs know they won’t sneak up on anybody this season.
“As our coach said, we definitely have a target on our back,” Valdez said. “I think we just need to hold ourselves accountable, and keep getting better as a team and develop our chemistry.”