Blake Pohevitz
Chatsworth, senior
because I was a perfectionist and I wanted to succeed in every realm,” he said. “Volleyball definitely teaches you that failure is possible. A good hitting percentage is not even .500 and you've just gotta accept failure sometimes. You've gotta work through it and push to be a better player.”
Pohevitz feels he improved as an individual, particularly when it came to leadership, as the Chancellors grew as a team around him to eventually go unbeaten in the West Valley League and win the L.A. City Section Open Division championship on May 31 via a sweep of Palisades. Pohevitz had a match-high 18 kills.
Chatsworth dropped a set against Narbonne in the first round of the City Section playoffs. After that match, the Chancellors vowed to win every set from that moment on. They swept El Camino Real in the next match, then swept Palisades for the title.
“I realized as we got into playoffs the teams we played two or three times in season, they know our game plan,” Pohevitz said. “It was up to me and my other captain Jacob (Peres) to step up and put a great attitude and lead the team and do whatever we can to make them positive so that we can win a City championship.”
Pohevitz's older brother swam and played water polo for Cleveland and his older sister played soccer at Birmingham.
Pohevitz will continue playing volleyball in college — at NCAA Division I George Mason University — while studying statistics. The goal is to become a baseball statistician or analyst, but what volleyball has done sticks with him.
“Chatsworth volleyball definitely shaped me into the person I am today,” he said. “I'm just so thankful for the experience and meeting so many great teammates and all these amazing coaches that came into my life.”