Coming into the season, the Raiders men’s volleyball team had playoffs in mind, above all other goals. With just under two weeks past the season, we reflect on the season that was.

“We had other goals that we did well on, but everyone including us, look at the playoffs as the biggest one we missed out on,” said head coach Aaron Hedland.

The Raiders finished the season going 2-14, and 2-10 in WSC play. The Raiders were in all of their games this season, but were unable to get over the hump of winning a close game.

“It’s about mental toughness,” said co-captain Jamal Balkhi. “We have to take the wins.”

The wins came hard for the shorter, volleyball team. Coach Hedland said in the beginning of the season that their defense and passing would have to be the best part of their game, in order to make up for the lack of height.

Instead of playing in the postseason, the Raiders look to rebuild, and start recruiting to start the offseason. This was Hedland’s first year as head coach for the team, and he will look to build off this season by further implementing his philosophy.

He wants his team to hit the gym more in the offseason in order to get stronger and build more stamina to compete with the powerhouses in the WSC. The record did not show what kind of team Moorpark is, but the league took notice.

“We turned a lot of heads this year, and other teams are starting to note what we are about,” said Hedland. “We look to practice hard in the offseason to get back to what this college was in volleyball.”