By VINCENT CASTRO

Orangewood high school girls participated in a volleyball tournament Dec. 6. The tournament was at Citrus High School in Fontana. 

The starting lineup of the girls was seniors Selena Gomez, Siniva Tuaumu, Blessen Thomas, Samantha Espinoza, Mya Trujillo, and Alicia Zaragoza.  

Orangewood High School senior Siniva Tuaumu practices hits before tournament games on Dec.6 at Citrus High School in Fontana. Tuaumu plays on both the girls and boys volleyball teams. (JORDAN CARRANZA BECERRA/ Ethic News photo)

¨It’s harder than it looks and it’s a lot more fun than I thought it was gonna be,” said senior Mya Trujillo.

The girls went into the tournament as the bottom seed of the bracket. It was a two elimination tournament stating if you lose twice you are eliminated for the tournament.  

The first game Orangewood played was against the top seed which was Citrus High School, the girls of Orangewood lost 18-25.  

The Orangewood High School girls volley team prepares for games on Dec.6 at Citrus High School in Fontana. (JORDAN CARRANZA BECERRA/ Ethic News photo)

In the second game Orangewood won 25-17, which led to a third game to decide the winner.  The girls went in confident but lost 13-25.  

Going into the losers bracket, Orangewood ended up playing Birch.  The girls ended up losing all three games and were sent home.

¨Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom,¨ said senior Alicia Zaragoza.

The Orangewood High School boys also participated in a volleyball tournament on Dec. 7. They also played in Fontana but at Jurupa High School.    

The starting lineup was seniors Daniel Mejia, Samnuel Bahena, Victor Soria, Jonathan Reynoso, Moktar Rejah, and Siniva Tuamu.  

Orangewood High School coach Mark Perkins gives the boys volleyball team a motivational speech before the games on Dec. 7 at Jurupa High School in Fontana. (SAMANTHA ESPINOZA/ Ethic News photo)

The first game Orangewood played was against March High School. 

The boys lost two straight games putting them in the losers bracket.  

In the losers bracket Orangewood played against Lincoln High School, taking the win twice in a row.  

Going back into the main bracket, Orangewood also played Citrus High School, the top seed team. Orangewood beat Citrus two straight games, moving Orangewood to third place.

Orangewood High School coach Mark Perkins speaks to the team during a team huddle on Dec. 7 at Jurupa High School in Fontana. (SAMANTHA ESPINOZA/ Ethic News photo)

¨Work hard, play hard,¨ said Carranza.

Orangewood went in confidently, but the tournament was running out of time so both coaches decided to only play one game.  

The boys ended up losing 10-25 which led to them leaving the tournament in third place.

¨We went farther than expected,¨ said Bahena.

Orangewood High School coach Mark Perkins and members of the boys volleyball team shake hands with the opposing team after a game on Dec. 7 at Jurupa High School in Fontana. (SAMANTHA ESPINOZA/ Ethic News photo)