Outside hitter Erik Hernandez of the Long Beach City College men’s volleyball team was named the player of the year for the Western State Conference.
Hernandez hit 200 kills and more than 70 digs in 20 games, including averaging more than 3 kills per set and 18 service aces in the conference season.
For Hernandez, staying disciplined is what played the biggest factor in being able to consistently perform well all season.
“Something that keeps me motivated to keep going is staying disciplined,” said Hernandez. “You can’t rely on motivation, you gotta rely on discipline because the motivation won’t always be there.”
Hernandez is from Whittier, California and has been playing volleyball since his freshman year at California High School.
According to Hernandez, he nearly did not play this year until he was convinced by a coach from Long Beach Poly to return.
“There’s a Long Beach Poly Coach named Syd Davison, he’s always kind of guided me through volleyball and he’s the one who pushed me to come back and play this year,” Hernandez said.
The men’s volleyball head coach, Jonathan Charette, says that one of the things that makes Hernandez such a valuable member of the team is his ability to take feedback.
“Erik is always looking for feedback, he has no problem with us giving him feedback or pointers where he can improve and grow. He’s very coachable and he’s looking to expand his game,” said Charette.
Charette went on to say, “Erik has a good mentality towards the game, he’s always looking for areas to improve, looking for feedback. Those two things combined make him a pretty good athlete for us.”
When he’s not playing volleyball, Hernandez dedicates time to trying to give back to the community.
“I really like helping people out. I have a non-profit and I’m working on bringing the community closer together and helping out the youth as well,” said Hernandez.
The Vikings finished the season with an overall record of 18-3 and a conference record consisting of just one loss and 11 wins.
After clinching the first seed in the Western State Conference, the Vikings made it to the final of the CCCAA State Championship, where they faced Orange Coast College and fell just short of becoming back-to-back champions.