Report: Injuries don't deter resilient Ohlone volleyball

By Mike Wood

It was another serious injury, and the Ohlone College women's volleyball team couldn't believe what had happened to star outside hitter Sabrina Quilalang.

Not again.

"I knew right away what happened, although I didn’t want to believe it," Renegades coach Jeremy Penaflor said. "I know when an athlete randomly collapses due to what should have been a standard landing, it’s almost always an ACL injury. I think my first feeling was disbelief. Like the thought 'this can’t be happening to her again, could it?' or 'Why her?'"

To all, it seemed so cruel that Quilalang had suffered her third season-ending torn ACL in as many years, this one in a Sept. 21 match against Siskiyous. The latest injury, this one to her right knee, halted an improbable, inspiring comeback by Quilalang, who torn her left ACL in her senior year at California High School in San Ramon, then again in 2017 as an Ohlone freshman, missing the final five matches that season with a tear again to the left knee.

She still made the Coast Conference South All-Conference First Team, and this year she seemed destined for bigger things, ranking third in the conference in hitting percentage (.228), fourth in kills per set (3.16) and in total kills (120) at the time she was sidelined.

Stats aside, there's much more that will be missed. The Renegades will try to recover and continue the momentum generated by a 12-2 start, the best in Penaflor's 11 seasons leading the program. Conference play starts Friday, Sept. 28 at home against Las Positas.

"It’s obvious that we miss Sabrina’s play already, but I think it’s more of Sabrina’s presence that we miss," Penaflor said. "Her competitiveness and spirit combined with her skill and athleticism was a combination that rivaled some of the best players I’ve coached at Ohlone, and I’m just so sad for her that she is forced to end her career at Ohlone in this way. Especially since she worked so hard to come off the other leg’s ligament tears."

Right now, she is pondering whether to continue volleyball, seeking advice from her coach.

"I told her my feelings and what I would do if I was in her shoes, which was to continue to pursue volleyball," Penaflor said. "I made her aware (not that she wasn’t already) that it would be a longer and harder road than the last rehab stint just because of the situation, but that she could potentially come out of all this even stronger than the previous knee injury that abruptly halted her freshmen season."

The Renegades again will have to tap into their reservoir of resiliency, which they already have displayed in the face of injuries that could cause other teams to buckle under. Nine other players are battling injuries, in what Penaflor describes as "arguably the worse injury-plagued season I’ve ever had."

Outside hitter Hailey Amaral is playing with a torn labrum in her right shoulder and with knee plica, caused by her patella not tracking correctly, Penaflor said. Still, she entered this week tops in the Coast Conference South with an average of 0.76 service aces per set and is part of a core of sophomore leadership that has a been a catalyst for the strong start. She noted how impressed she was in how Quilalang was able to return from last year's ACL injury.

"Personally she is one of the strongest people I know and is one of our very best players," Amaral said of Quilalang. "Seeing her working hard on her rehab, it set an example. You can be injured and you can push through it, and if you are mentally strong, that is all that matters."
For Amaral, how she deals with her own injury is something she hopes sets a good example for her teammates.
"What I deal with is numbness and tingling, down to my fingers," said the Washington High-Fremont graduate. "It has taken a while and taken a toll, but this has taught me a lot about pushing thru and what my true strength is. Overall it has made me a stronger person and a stronger teammate, and I feel like I can be an inspiration to others. You want to be a good example, being brave and not being a baby."

With Quilalang out, freshman outside hitter Kayla Valencia, whom Penaflor describes as "dynamic, athletic, and has the ability to hit all kinds of sets," will step into her lineup spot. For a player of Quilalang's impact, Penaflor there will need to be a "collective stepping up" to fill the void.

"Sabrina had much of our offensive load statistically, which I was OK with considering the player she was," he said. "For someone to take on that same load would be unfair and setting up that individual for failure. My hope is that we can spread the offensive load around."

The leadership of the sophomores will be even more critical.

"It's nice to have a group of sophomores, to have that experience show and how they conduct themselves,"Penaflor said. "That really works well in that they help usher in the freshmen, who can just slot into their positions and let the sophomores do the heavy lifting."
Mental toughness is something Ohlone will need, particularly with Quilalang sidelined. It's a trait that Amaral saw emerge in spring workouts.
"In spring we had a different team," she said. "Our team is very different mentally. We were more emotional on the court last year; this year we are a lot stronger mentally and know how to finish the job."
Another sophomore captain, Katie Souza, has stepped up her game this season despite a variety of injuries. She ranks second in conference in assists per set (8.63) and is third in service aces per set (0.74).
"I knew her freshman year she would be a solid setter for us," Penaflor said. "Last year she had so many questions and now she just gets it. She is so good defensively, is a vocal leader and is who we want our setter to be. She has been huge."
Another fiery competitor is starting libero Malia Silva, who leads the conference in digs (175) and is second in dogs per set (4.07). She is battling constant lower back pain.
"She has been a rock for us in the back row," Penaflor said. "She is the reason why our passing has been so good, and why our defense has been so good."
With conference play at hand, the Renegades can put their mental toughness on display.

Penaflor noticed early on that this group had a chance to do special things this fall. Last season Ohlone finished 15-10 and barely missed being selected for the final regional playoff berth. This time, they aim to make a much better case for themselves.

"If sophomore setter Katie Souza and sophomore libero Malia Silva continue to have the stellar seasons they’ve been having, and the rest of the team can shoulder the load Sabrina leaves behind among all of them, I think we can still at the least make playoffs," he said.

Through all the trying times, the Renegades haven't lost a sense of what they have accomplished, and what they still can.

"Our team is more injured but way more success (than last year) though it has taken a toll physically," Amaral said. "It makes you think ... When we are healthier, just imagine how successful we can be."

Photos by Donald Jedlovec