Timberwolves turn heartbreak into happiness with a Northern California Regional Division II volleyball championship

The Clovis East Boys Volleyball team pose with their CIF Valley Volleyball D-II Title. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLOVIS EAST high school

Although the Clovis East Timberwolves were a few sets away from a Valley Championship weeks ago, Marcos Orro and company turned their shortcomings into something spectacular.

With a 3-1-win victory over Serra-San Mateo, winning 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, the Timberwolves were crowned Northern California Division II champions. Clovis East received the top seed in Division II, and they took the competition to their opponents.

Coming from the Tri-River Athletic Conference, Clovis East was used to the grind of a back-and-forth volleyball match. Clovis East upended the best team in the TRAC and one of the best in the nation in Clovis North, but also finished off a strong 43-11 campaign.

All season long, Orro preached about getting better and focusing on improvement. And, after their Valley Championship loss, the Timberwolves dug deep to find themselves. During the 2018-19 season, Clovis East was 8-5 at home, 5-2 away from home and 30-4 in a neutral setting.

No matter where the Timberwolves played, they were more than prepared to win every set.

With a regional championship under their belt, the Timberwolves look to build off their success and missteps in 2019. Like Orro said after the Valley Championship loss in the Clovis High gym, “we’ll be back.”

For the past three years, Nugesse has been a vital part of the Madera Tribune covering sports, news, entertainment and feature writing. Nugesse’s ability to interact with the community allows him to promote students, athletes and community members with fairness and objectivity. We are happy to have Nugesse join our team here at the Clovis Roundup.