Mauro Salinas

MVVC Youth Program & 18-2's head coach

Having an older sister in volley since I waslittle, exposed me to the sport at a young age. I started playing and lovingthe sport for myself at the age 10 when my grade school formed our first boyssand volleyball team. During my high school career at Moreau Catholic, inHayward, I was a four year starting utility player, helping my team to two NCStitles and gaining recognition for my efforts as the Bay Area's prep athlete ofthe week awarded by The Daily Review. I have two years of competitive clubexperience as the starting setter with a Junior Nationals open qualifyingDiablo Valley Volleyball Club team. During my summer vacation before college, Ipicked up beach volleyball again and recently earned an A ranking in my firstcompetitive summer of CBVA volleyball. As a collegiate student-athlete, I willbe in my third year at UC Santa Cruz, setting for the Banana Slugs. During mysophomore year, I held an 11.03 Assists/Game average and took on some of thebest collegiate teams in the country with my teammates, some of my closestfriends.

Back tracking to my time in high school, I studentassisted for the girls varsity my senior year and started coaching at summervolleyball clinics for beginner to advanced boys and girls for DVVC. During myfreshman year at MVVC, I am excited to pick up on the successful system here atMountain View and integrate with my technical background of the game, whilealways reinforcing the value of friendship, respect and responsibility. Withthat being said, as my players develop over the year, I will personally valuethe effort, time and energy they put into becoming the best players and thebest team they can be. "You can only get out life, what you give," Ido not know who has credit for this phrase, but it is all to true.

    In a world without volleyball, you couldprobably find me studying for a biology test during the school year, playing agame of Starcraft if I have some free time, jamming out to a repeating countryCD on a drive down to sunny southern California to visit some friends duringthe summer, and possibly cooking some bomb dessert I found on stumbleupon.com.