Aptos began the 2024 regular season with three consecutive losses, including two against a pair of defending league champions.
They dropped the season-opener to Homestead—winners of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division, followed by a loss to Christopher High—winners of the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa East Division.
Two formidable programs in the entire Central Coast Section.
“We’re really young,” Zeng said following a loss to Christopher High on Sept. 2.
Despite a choppy start full of waves, this year’s fresh crew of Mariners isn’t ready to back down just yet. Ella Dueck had 14 kills to help defeat Hollister in three sets (25-16, 25-18, 25-18) on Wednesday evening. The sophomore outside hitter also had six aces and a pair of blocks.
Dueck—the reigning Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Freshman of the Year—returns to the court after a stellar 2023 season with the program. She finished with a team-best 262 kills, according to statistics on the MaxPreps website.
Zeng said in an email that Dueck plays with an intuition for the game that comes only from being around volleyball and sports her entire life. Her older sisters—Madison, Paige and Peyton—were all former Aptos athletes.
“Ella is a tremendous positive force on the court, plays with joy and focus, and unselfishly is the first to celebrate the successes of others,” Zeng said. “We’re looking forward to seeing her in action this season.”
Fellow teammate freshman Sienna Fozzati had six kills and 10 digs, while junior setter Isabella Magaña finished with 13 assists for Aptos.
Chloe Luis, a senior, returns as a starting libero. She is known for being a hard worker, highly accountable and a great positive influence in team culture.
Zeng said Luis helps build the program’s culture by being encouraging to others, especially the underclassmen.
“She loves volleyball and plays with lots of passion,” Zeng said.
Senior middle blocker Claire Willoughby also makes her return with the Mariners. She received the team’s Offensive Player of the Year award for having the highest hitting efficiency in 2023.
Zeng mentioned how Willoughby has grown a lot as an athlete in the program, and she is one of the most genuine people Zeng’s had the pleasure of working with.
“She brings joy, a strong work ethic and care for the people around her,” Zeng said.
Kenzie Smith, a junior, last year played mostly as an outside hitter and led Aptos in blocks. She returns on the right side but she’ll also play as an outside hitter after honing her skills on the beach during the summer break.
“Kenzie is driven, hard working and incredibly dedicated to getting better at her craft,” Zeng said. “Beyond her level of discipline she is respectful and a great piece of our team culture.”
The rest of the roster includes seniors Mackenzie Danish, Kailey Farris, Brooke Gomez and Elle Mumford; and juniors Reva Frej, Naomi Fazo, Mady Reed and Kenzie Smith.
Fozzati was the lone freshman to make the varsity team this year. She was focused on returning to play following an ankle injury over the summer.
Zeng said Fozzati has proven herself on the court with the upperclassmen with dangerous serving, fearless attacking and elegant ball control.
“Sienna is competitive, driven and will have a great future in our program,” Zeng said.
Aptos last season took fifth in the SCCAL standings with a 5-7 record in league play, and finished with a 12-16 overall record. They also lost five seniors due to graduation.
The program’s future isn’t at stake, but Zeng mentioned this year’s turnout was an anomaly for them. He said typically there’s always a pyramid shape in grade levels: large amounts of freshman and sophomores, less juniors, and way less seniors making it through the program.
This upcoming fall season Aptos has a smaller freshman team than usual due to less tryout numbers. While the turnout was lower than expected this season, the program will still field three teams.
“There are many new athletes in our program. Many of them have demonstrated impressive character qualities and are a joy to work with,” Zeng said. “The coaches are looking forward to the growth we’ve seen so far to continue into the season.”
Amani Keller—a transfer student from Monte Vista Christian—is one of the junior varsity players on the rise. Zeng said the sophomore middle blocker is off to a great start, helping lead the Mariners’ offense.
The Mariners (1-3) varsity team has one final non-league match against Carmel on Monday at 6pm. Then it’s the start of SCCAL play against defending league champion Harbor on Tuesday at 7pm. Both games are in Aptos.
Harbor—which also captured a Central Coast Section Division IV title—is the heavy favorite to repeat as league champs. They have a core of solid returnees, including first-team All-SCCAL stars Maren O’Farrell, Isla Johnson and Sabine Kemos.
The only other all-league first team returnee is Soquel’s Jesse Dueck. Other teams in the mix are Mount Madonna, San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, which could be a dark horse of the league.
Scotts Valley junior Hayden Smith and Ava Morrison—the lone senior on the Falcons—are expected to fill in the vacant leadership roles.
“Really being the nucleus, getting girls fired up and making sure we’re in it 100% of the time. Being the backbone for our team,” Scotts Valley coach Mikayla Fish said.
Fish said the goal is taking the Falcons back into the CCS playoffs by always keeping an eye on the prize. She believes they can turn some heads going into league action.
“We have potential, we really do. We just have to tap it,” Fish said.
*Editor’s note: Gordon Kass contributed to this story.
