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Sports

Swimming and Diving Prepares for a Big Match

Other Venice teams continue league play in this mid-season week.

It’s the middle of April meaning that we are in the heart of league play at Venice. The baseball team and the swimming and diving team are getting used to having targets on their backs, while the volleyball, softball, and tennis teams are all seeing where they stand in the middle of the league.

The week ahead for Venice High:

Baseball

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The baseball team is coming off a big 2-1 week where they split matchups with Palisades, the other top team in the league, before getting a win over University. Now they must prepare for back-to-back matchups with Westchester, Monday at 3 p.m. at Westchester, and Thursday at home at 3 p.m.

“We don’t feel much pressure now that we are at the top. Every team in our league is tough. Westchester will be another great test. They are a solid team that can beat us if they put everything together,” said coach Walter Fujita.

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At the end of the week, the team will be busy at the Dennis Gilbert Tournament, which starts on Saturday.

Softball

The softball team is licking its wounds after last week's 14-3 beatdown at the hands of Palisades, the top team in the league. However, the Gondos will have plenty of chances to bounce back this week, as they face three league opponents they have already beaten.

The team will start off with LACES on the road on Monday at 3 p.m.. Next, they will play back-to-back home games, versus Fairfax on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Hamilton on Friday at 3 p.m..

“I’ve really liked what I’ve seen out of my girls so far this year. I feel like every game we won we deserved to win, and the loss against Westchester, I really felt like we beat ourselves. We just need to learn to cut down on errors and we will be fine,” said coach Jessica Ruiz.

Volleyball

The boys volleyball team showed how much they improved last week, when they defeated a Fairfax team that had beaten them earlier in the year. This week, they will have two more tests. First, they will travel to Westchester on Monday to face a team they already defeated 3-0. They play after the JV match, which starts at 2:30 p.m..

Next, they will be tested by University, which is 6-2 in league play and defeated the Gondos 3-2 earlier in the year. That game will be at University on Wednesday, and with a win, Venice could vault into a tie for second.

“Our goal in the recent games was to just improve a little bit in all aspects, from serving to passing to getting our middles involved, and we did that last week. If we can keep that up, I like our chances against anyone,” said coach Allen Hunt.

Tennis

The boys tennis team is still looking to get back on track after dropping their last three matches. Their first chance will be a road game against Westchester on Monday at 2:30. The last time these two faced off, the result was a tough one.

“Last time we played Westchester, we should have won. We had a lead in three matches, lost all three, and lost the whole thing 4-3. I hope we can show how much we’ve improved and get a win over them,” commented Coach Randy Chew.

After that, they will travel to University on Wednesday for a matchup that will also take place at 2:30 p.m.

Swimming and Diving

The swimming and diving team has all week to prepare for its biggest heat of the year, when they will travel to Palisades.  Venice and Pali High are the two best teams in the league, and facing off against the Dolphins will be a great test for coach Sophie Sabbah and her squad.

“It's going to be very tough. Pali was one of the best teams at the Beverly Hills Invitational, and we struggled there. I’m just hoping that all the kids can beat their personal best times. That will make me happy in the end, regardless of the outcome," Sabbah said.

The competition will be at Venice on Friday at 6 p.m.

Now let’s take a look at the week ahead for Animo Venice Charter:

Baseball

The baseball team will be looking to continue its stellar league play with three home matchups this week. First, they will host Community Harvest at 3 p.m. on Monday. After that, they will play Harbor Teacher Prep at 3 p.m. on Wednesday before closing out the week against del la Hoya Animo at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Softball

The softball team will have three cracks at getting their first league win of the season this week. First, they will travel to Community Harvest on Monday for a 3 p.m. game. Then, they will wrap up the week with two home games. They will take on Harbor Teacher Prep on Wednesday and Animo South Los Angeles on Friday. Both games will also start at 3 p.m.

 

Correction: An earlier version of this article erroneously said that the swimming and diving competition would be hosted by Pali High. It will be at home at the Venice High pool at 6 p.m. on Friday.

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