Spring Break Doesn't Mean a Break from Sports

It’s a slow week for sports at Venice High School as the Gondoliers are on spring break. There are no league games, but some teams have scheduled nonleague and tournament games. Here's a closer look at the week ahead:

Baseball

The Gondoliers won Saturday's Dennis Gilbert Tournament game by forfeit 7-0 over Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies--a much-needed win for a team which had lost three of its previous four games.

“The Westchester game was tough because we had them and we lost it," Venice Coach Walter Fujita said. "It’s simply a fact of us needing to put it all together: hitting, pitching, and fielding. We haven’t done that yet, and we need to do it quickly." 

The Gondoliers played West Adams Prep on Monday morning and resume league action next Monday at home against Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. 

Softball

The Gondolers are riding a three game winning streak after their loss to Palisades on April 8.  The team won two close home games last week, knocking off Fairfax 7-5 and Hamilton 9-6. Now the Gondoliers have one week to prepare for the huge rematch with Palisades.

“I’m really excited for that game," Venice Coach Jessica Ruiz said. "I feel like last time, we beat ourselves more then they beat us.  So I’m excited to see how far we have come since the first game."

Volleyball

Coach Allen Hunt says his boys team has slowly been improving all year long, but didn’t have enough matches before league play to be where it wanted to be. Hunt gets his wish this week as his squad is preparing for at least four matches at the Easter Invitational in Las Vegas.

“It’s great to get all these games under us, especially because we need to win two of our last three [league] matches to get into playoffs," Hunt said. "I’m hoping we can find our identity before then."

On tap for the Gondoliers on Monday are pool play matches against Fresno Bullard, Sacramento Grant and Coronado of Henderson, Nevada.

Tennis

The boys team has the week off, but several of the top players are preparing for the 111th annual Ojai Tournament. The CIF (high school) division begins April 28 and the Gondoliers' top doubles tandem of Daniel Kim and Trevor Minkle will be making the trip north to Ventura County. Coach Randy Chew has been there before and knows what to expect.

“Realistically, our kids won’t win the tournament," Chew said. "These are the best players from all around California, but it'll be a fantastic experience for them and they will get an idea of what elite tennis players look like.”

Swimming and Diving

The boys and girls teams had a tough night last Friday when they were soundly defeated by a Palisades squad that Venice Coach Sophie Sabbah believes could be the best in the City Section. The diving team won by default because Palisades has no divers, but the Dolphins dominated the swim competitions at both the varsity and junior varsity levels. The Gondoliers have the week off before traveling to LACES for a league meet next Monday.

Animo Charter Venice 

The baseball and softball teams are both on extended breaks as they enter the home stretch of the season. The baseball team doesn’t play until May 4, when it has a rematch with Harbor Teacher Prep--a club the Pirates defeated 9-6 in their last game.

The softball team's nightmare season is almost over. The Pirates have one game left, May 9 at 3 p.m. against Animo Robinson at South Park Recreation Center.