PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT-Newbury Park's Tyler Laurin stays after practice Tuesday to work on his game. NPHS head coach George Ostrovsky called the sophomore the Panthers' "best all-around player."

To the left and right of the scoreboard in the Newbury Park gymnasium are championship banners of every sport from years gone by.

However one sport—boys’ volleyball—remains noticeably absent from the wall of glory.

And while it’s true the program’s never won a Marmonte League title or even qualified for the playoffs, head coach George Ostrovsky remains optimistic, confident his program is on the verge of rewriting its ill-fated past.

"I’ve been here now for five years," Ostrovsky said, "and when I first came here, we couldn’t even get enough kids to come out to have teams. We never had cuts before. And then this last year we had to cut 30 kids from the program. So it shows that we’re starting to get better and starting to get more interest from athletes.

"We have a lot of good athletes here now, and a lot of dedicated athletes," he added. "We’re just hoping to continue that and see if we can pick up the level of Newbury Park boys’ volleyball."

The Panthers (4-6, 2-4) face an uphill task if they want to be one of the four teams from the Marmonte League that will likely qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs in a few weeks. And judging by the intensity of Monday’s practice session, there’s little doubt that this week’s matchups against Royal and Moorpark have taken on extra importance in the minds of Newbury Park players and coaches.

"We need to start playing with more intensity and start playing as a team more," sophomore setter Alex Pastucha said. "Our coach has already told us that our practices are going to be a lot more focused and a lot harder so that we can start winning these games that are really important for our season."

Junior outside hitter Jordan Cameron, a standout of Newbury Park’s boys’ basketball team, also knows that the key to a late-season run will be the Panthers’ ability to prepare for each game with the utmost intensity during practice.

"We must practice hard and that will carry over into the games," Cameron said. "When we are playing, we can’t get down on ourselves and must maintain our energy. We need to play as hard as we can in each game we play."

Ostrovsky said sophomore opposite Tyler Laurin is perhaps the most pivotal player in the Panthers’ quest to lock up a playoff berth.

"I’d probably say (Laurin) is our best all-around player at this time and I expect great things from him," Ostrovsky said. "I think he’s going to be one of the best players to ever come out of here when things are all said and done."

Pastucha, junior outside hitter Alex Wargnier and junior Brian Barker will also have to raise their level of play over the next few weeks, according to their coach. A trio of seniors—middle blocker Bobby Levsey and defensive specialists Alii Keohohou and Zack Thomas—are being counted on to provide leadership down the stretch run.

Yesterday, Newbury Park faced off against Marmonte power Royal, a team they took to five sets before losing on the road several weeks back. On Friday, the Panthers will travel to Moorpark to take on a gritty Musketeers’ squad that defeated NPHS on March 18. Friday’s match begins at 6 p.m.

"We’re coming down to the nitty gritty at this point in time," Ostrovsky said. "These games will be crucial. We’re at the turning point of our season right now."