Soquel Childers helping lead the charge for Patriots
While expectations were high for the Pioneer High School vastity volleyball team this season, coming off a Golden Empire League title, the results didn’t quite meet them as the Patriots finished in third place in the league behind Dixon and Woodland.
First-year head coach Emily Horner had a great debut season and will look to continue building her team to what she wants. One player that unfortunately will not be a part of that future but helped lead the way and influence this year’s team in the present was senior standout Soquel Childers.
“I really enjoyed coaching her,” Horner said. “She is a natural leader. She plays with heart, and she really cares. There was never a time where I doubted that she was not giving her best effort, and as a coach, that’s something that you cant always teach and instill in players.”
A multi-sport athlete who was the GEL’s Most Valuable Player last year in basketball, Childers ability translated to the volleyball court after taking last season’s shortened season off due to most of the high school sports happening simultaneously.
In the Patriot’s three-set victory over Casa Roble this past Tuesday, Childers was all over the court, winning points and serving up aces as well. She finished the match with five kills, an ace with only one error on 13 attempts.
“Her effort was totally there,” Horner said. “Her heart was in the game for every single point. She was not going to let the ball drop without a fight or go for it with her best effort. Offensively she had a very strong performance. Her connection and approach were such a game-changer in comparison to the matches before that.”
While the Patriots lost their next game against Dixon in four sets, Childers once again played well, but according to Horner, it was an outstanding team effort that nearly got the game into a fifth and final set.
“Dixon was by far our best showcase of our team playing altogether,” Horner said. “Yes, Soquel had a great game, but honestly, I think everyone had a great game. The difference just came down to our serving in those clutch situations. we just had a lot of unforced errors.”
Childers ended the match with a team-high seven kills as an outside hitter, with only one error. Her improvement throughout the course of the season has impressed the coaching staff.
“I’m impressed by her ability to be coachable and adjust to my feedback since it’s not her number one sport,” Horner said. “Coming back after not playing a sport for a year, there are some things that make it harder to get back into the swing and groove in terms of technique, and I think she did a great job at adjusting to that.”