Strength in team unity has brought positive results to the Sacramento State men’s volleyball team.

One of the team’s captains and outside hitter, sophomore Jason Borchin, said he thinks the team’s success stems from the player’s closeness with each other on and off the court.

“We get along real well, we hang out (off the court) and we all bond real well,” Borchin said.

Senior Matt Johnson is in his third year on the men’s volleyball team.

“The dynamic of personalities on the team mesh real well, we’re all laid back and love playing volleyball and that’s really why we get along so well,” Johnson said.

The team finished sixth last March in the Las Vegas Open against teams from across the nation like UC San Diego, Texas A&M and Illinois University.

Less than a month later, the Hornets finished 21st in the National Intramural Recreation Sports Association’s National Campus Championship Series Division I in Louisville, Ky.

“Our coaches promote us (the players) to hang out together – we have team dinners, team meetings and we watch game film at their house,” Borchin said.

The Hornets are coached by Joseanna Tse-Lim and her husband Kheng Lim who are in their third year coaching at Sac State. Both of them coached UC Davis for nine years before crossing the causeway to lead the green and gold in 2005.

Tse-Lim said the men’s volleyball program at Sac State is not as developed as the UC Davis men’s program.

“When we came here we had high expectations from winning championships and producing All-Americans (at UC Davis),” Tse-Lim said. “We actually had to teach a few players how to play when we got here (to Sac).”

She said the Sac State men’s Volleyball Team has made steps toward improvement since she and her husband arrived.

“It’s been an 180 degree turn from when we started coaching,” Tse-Lim said. “Players have become more and more committed each year.”

“We tried to teach them (the team) how to operate as a club which would help them to understand teamwork and commitment,” Tse-Lim said.

Tse-Lim said it can be a challenge for players to balance volleyball and school.

“We got here and some of the players didn’t know what to expect and had a hard time going to school and playing (on the team),” Tse-Lim said.

“(This year) we have a lot of returning players and they know what to expect and how to schedule their classes so they can make time (for practices and games),” Tse-Lim said.

Borchin said players help each other even when it comes to school.

“We might be on a trip and I might have trouble with an essay I’m writing, but a guy (on the team) might be good at English and would be able to help me out,” Borchin said.

“I’m a math major so guys always know they can come to me for help with homework,” Johnson said.

Tse-Lim said the Hornets will play more than 50 matches this season between league play and tournaments from November to April. She said that the team will participate in preseason tournaments and matches until January when the league play starts.

The Hornets play in the Northern California Collegiate Volleyball League alongside other schools like UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Jose State.

Tse-Lim said during the past two years, the San Jose State Spartans have won matches against the Hornets in season-ending national tournaments.

“Both years, we lost crucial matches to them which knocked us out of contention,” Tse-Lim said.

She said the team has also suffered crucial injuries in the past that hurt their chances at nationals.

“We only carried 10 guys last year (in nationals) because of injuries,” Tse-Lim said. “We were good enough, but not healthy.”

“Other teams were able to carry 14, 15, 16 guys, which allows them to always have fresh legs out there all the time,” Tse-Lim said.

Borchin said the team relies on every player to be successful as a team.

“From a team aspect, we will only be as good as our weakest link,” Borchin said.

Tse-Lim said her expectations for the upcoming season are higher than they have ever been at the start of a season.

“This year our goal is to win (our) league, finish in the top four at Las Vegas and nationals,” Tse-Lim said. “We hope to have a lot of fun and win along the way.”

“We try to teach (the players) friendship through brotherhood so that 20 years from now they will have friends for life and will look back on it as a good experience,” Tse-Lim said.

Andrew Eggers can be reached at [email protected]