Experience proved to be the difference as Lanier handily defeated the Alpha Theta Pi Razorbacks in two games, 25-17 and 25-15 on Monday, April 7.

“We lost two seniors last year, and we basically have a fresh group of people coming in this year,” said sophomore coach Tommy Colavito. This is Colavito’s first year coaching.

Lanier, on the other hand, has three strong returning players, led by senior coach Joshua Huber. The defending runners-up also have three new talented members with previous volleyball experience, led by a powerful left-handed hitter, freshman Samuel Sotelo.

Lanier jumped out to an early lead in the first game and controlled the pace of the entire match. Huber made strong contributions to Lanier’s offense, while Sotelo made his dominant presence to Lanier’s lineup known as well with his offensive attacks.

Lanier, although getting together to play in preparation for the start of the season, still showed signs of sloppiness on defense.

“Our biggest struggle is passing and blocking,” said sophomore Kenny Infante. “Our offense was good, but we have to play good defense in order to do well.”

The second game was much like the first, with Lanier maintaining a steady lead. Regular season matches are a best-of-three series, so Lanier’s second win handed them the victory Monday night.

“We did a good job of keeping our heads up and not getting down after a bad pass or a block or something,” Alpha’s Colavito said.  “They’re fantastic.”

Alpha will look to grow from their season opener against such a tough opponent, while Lanier is expected to compete for the championship again this year.