The Los Banos High volleyball team is looking forward.</p><p>After a three-win season, that's about all it can do, and though the team itself remains largely unchanged, a lot of change has gone on around the players.</p><p>"Last year, we were a very inexperienced team, as far as playing competitive ball," said fifth-year coach Greg Soliz.</p><p>For one change, there was the drop from Division I down to Division IV, brought on by the opening of Pacheco High, dropping Los Banos High's enrollment numbers.</p><p>The other major change was the creation of the Altitude Volleyball Club by Soliz and his assistant, Deveny Jou.</p><p>"I feel real positive about this season, just because of our club season," Soliz said. "Out of 13 players, nine played club all year long. We're coming in with experience. This is the first year I've had more than about two players playing all year round."</p><p>With the season opener at Atwater a week away, Soliz and Jou said they have already seen a difference across all levels of the sport.</p><p>"Both of us were coaching at a club team in Hilmar," Jou said. "We were coaching players who were going to be our opponents. We had five eighth-graders on the club team, and one of them went to Pacheco."</p><p>The change is something the players can feel as well.</p><p>"There's a different energy this year. It's already getting better," said senior outside hitter Jae Bondi. "I'd never played club. I've gotten better. Everyone who's played has improved a lot."</p><p>With only a couple of players on club teams last season, and none from the JV and freshman teams, all three levels struck out during Central California Conference play, without a single conference win between them.</p><p>This year, Soliz said his goal is for his varsity squad to win the inaugural Western Athletic Conference championship. The WAC is a new league with Los Banos, Central Catholic-Modesto, Central Valley-Ceres, Ceres, Livingston, Patterson and Pacheco, which will enter varsity competition next season.</p><p>"The WAC: it'll make it different," Soliz said. "I'm not saying it'll make it an easier league, but I feel there's some competition we can play with this year."</p><p>Added Bondi, "It's going to be very different, because we went from D-I down to D-IV, and those are very different situations."</p><p>Senior opposite hitter Xitlalli Bobadilla put down her goals for the team as finishing above .500 -- something that hasn't happened since she's been with the team -- and to make the playoffs. All the while, the team keeps in mind the feeling from 2009 when things started to go south.</p><p>"The goal is mainly to keep our energy up, even if we're losing," Bobadilla said. "We have to keep up emotionally. Our biggest fear is getting down on ourselves."</p><p>With junior Serryna Gonzalez guiding the offense from the setter position, the Tigers head into the 2010 season with a different mindset.</p><p>"We're really excited," Soliz said. "But we still have some work to do."</p><p>Below is a look at the 2010 varsity volleyball team:</p><p> Coach: Greg Soliz, fifth season</p><p> Overall record in 2009: 3-18</p><p> League record in 2009: 0-12 (CCC)</p><p> Key Losses: Sabine Arbelbide.</p><p> Returning starters: Xitlalli Bobadilla, sr.; Jae Bondi, sr.; Taylor Snowden, sr.; Serena Gonzalez, jr.; Courtney Mitchell, jr.; Yibet Aguilar, sr.</p><p>Key newcomers: Leanna Bravo, jr.; Madison Fullington, so.</p><p>Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at sports@losbanosenterprise.com