L-R: Allison Martinez, Makana Meyer and Eryn Boken By BRIAN REED BAIOTTO, Sports Editor | Photography by Melanie Horn Despite being moved up to the CIF-SS Division 3 this year, Westridge likes it chances to give anyone in their bracket a run for their money. Westridge opens what they hope will be a deep playoff […]
L-R: Allison Martinez, Makana Meyer and Eryn Boken
By BRIAN REED BAIOTTO, Sports Editor | Photography by Melanie Horn
Despite being moved up to the CIF-SS Division 3 this year, Westridge likes it chances to give anyone in their bracket a run for their money.
Westridge opens what they hope will be a deep playoff run on Tuesday when they host Cajon (13-13) at 5:30
The Tigers have won back to back Prep League championships.
Last season, though, they shared the crown with Chadwick.
This year, they decided to be stingy and not only earned their first outright league championship in 11 years, the Tigers went 12-0.
In Prep League matches, Westridge won 36 of 39 games, and no team won more than one game in a match with the Tigers.
They are led by three talented seniors.
Allison Martinez is arguably the area’s most dynamic player.
The Long Beach State commit is devastating with not only her fierce serving, but especially her ability to consistently score and lead Westridge in kills night after night.
Makana Meyer is the ‘Robin’ to Martinez being ‘Batman.’
Meyer is, in this reporter’s opinion, as underrated as any Pasadena-area player in that she is so versatile and does whatever coach Otto Lacayo asks and needs from her.
She compliments Martinez very well, and they make up the area’s best 1-2 punch, at least statistically.
No pair in the area put up similar stats to Meyer and Martinez night after night, and they are, what coach Otto Lacayo calls the best two players in school history.
FSHA has Megan Lund, and La Salle has a different leader each night it seems.
And last but not least is their fellow senior Eryn Boken.
Boken does a remarkable job in a supporting role to fill in any holes the Tigers need on any particular night.
She’s tall, bright, selfless and she could care less who gets credit for the Tigers’ victories.
Boken cares only about winning and making sure she does her part, whether that be with blocks, her share of kills or whatever is lacking that match.
Boken is also one of the three senior leaders that Lacayo’s young team not only looks up to, but as importantly, they set the tone for the kind of work ethic and the way things are done for a championship program.
What makes these three seniors such a good fit at Westridge?
“All three girls train year round at SG (San Gabriel) Elite. While other athletes take time off, these girls don’t. They are relentless in their pursuit of volleyball excellence. They are very talented but, now in the playoffs, their focus is on strategic execution,” Lacayo said.
Collectively, their 47-9 overall record and 22-2 Prep League mark in 2016-2017 is the best two-year run in school history, according to Lacayo.
“These three young ladies have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to help build this program and get it to where it is today. The Westridge volleyball culture has changed over the years because of their efforts,” Lacayo said. “This last year, they have proven what real commitment and dedication achieves. They inherited a program that was fighting for an identity when they were freshmen and sophomores. As juniors and seniors, they raised the bar for Pasadena area high school volleyball.”
Allison Martinez
Martinez, as we mentioned is the gold-standard for area players in that she’s got all the traits a program is looking for, including those at the next level.
She is what Lacayo called the best player Westridge has ever had, and she holds just about every offensive record after leading the program in kills for four consecutive years.
In fact, Long Beach State and their volleyball fans reacted very happily when she decided last year that she’d take her talents to the “LBC” as they call it, and play in front of the LBSU faithful at the Pyramid.
Said Lacayo: “Allison was born to play volleyball. She started at a young age and pushed herself into what she is today. She doesn’t necessarily need to be a vocal leader because her actions have always spoken strongly for her. When she swings over a block, everyone tends to understand.”
If Martinez isn’t the leader on a particular night in kills, she is never off more than three or four at the most.
But far more often than not, she is the Tigers’ leader offensively, and she and Meyer seem to make each other better.
“Over the past few years, I think I as well as the other seniors improved our leadership skills. We’ve been able to see and learn from the seniors before us, and truly discover what it takes to lead a successful team,” Martinez said. “My individual role is to make sure my teammates can always count on me, especially in critical situations to score a point. Whenever we’re down or need a quick point, I make myself available and try to break up the run the other team may be on.”
Martinez is as accomplished as a prep athlete can be in their respective sport.
She’s played at almost every level and even represented the United States on the Youth National Team in 2016.
As good and confident as Martinez is, she will be the first to tell you that Westridge needs to raise their game if their playoff run ends in what they consider a success, especially after being moved up to Division 3.
Said Martinez: “Winning the Prep League definitely will help with our confidence heading into the playoffs. We know what it takes to finish a game. However, the competition will be higher than what we’re used to in the upcoming weeks, so we have to really train hard in practice and play like we’re going to win.”
Makana Meyer
Meyer wears No. 13, but she’s only been ‘unlucky’ to Westridge opponents.
The red-headed senior does so many things for Lacayo in ways that are documented in stats and in many that a stat sheet would never been able to quantify.
Meyer knows on almost any team, she could be the No. 1 star, but she’s not only mature enough, but also selfless to put her ego aside to be what we think is the most elite statistical 1-2 punch with Allison Martinez.
That said, even on nights Martinez leads the way, typically Meyer is a very close second in kills as well as aces.
“Mack,” as we like to call her is a versatile, team-first, and driven young lady that any school and program would be lucky to have at the next level.
Lacayo said Meyer in his mind is the second greatest player in Westridge history, and he couldn’t be more proud or appreciative of her contributions, success, work ethic, but mostly her maturity and willingness to do whatever is needed of her to win points, games and matches.
She’s athletic, bright, and very tough.
Last season, not many knew this, but she went a couple weeks competing when she probably should have been at home and in bed when she fell ill.
But she wasn’t going to let her coaches or teammates down, so Meyer willed her way to school and gave the Tigers at least as much as they needed, and despite being under the weather.
“Mak has grown into a very dynamic player. This young lady started the sport playing middle, competes in club volleyball as an opposite, and represents Westridge as a 6 rotation outside. Her energy is contagious and her presence is up-lifting,” Lacayo said.
Meyer is very cerebral and understands the game, as well as the physical and mental aspects of it.
“I strongly believe if you aren’t making a conscious effort to change, then you won’t improve, so I try to carry that attitude to volleyball and my Westridge team. On a personal note, I have devoted a lot of time to this sport and had the specific goal for high school season to improve my passing,” Meyer said. ” I think the hard work we all put in at practice has really led us to success, both personal and team wise. For the past few years, Westridge volleyball has constantly been growing. All of us seniors came in with a common goal to leave the Westridge volleyball program better than we found it, and I think we’ve done that.”
Meyer understands not only her role as a leader, but also as a player and someone others look up to. She also reflected on her past couple years in what has been incredibly memorable for the three seniors.
“My individual job is definitely being a vocal leader and all around contributions from defense, blocking, and hitting. Being a vocal leader is something that comes naturally to me, so I always try to facilitate communication and energy in games,” she said. “My favorite moment individually is getting consecutive aces during a playoff game last year (against Monrovia) where I served short and the ball landed right in front of the passes.
These serves ended up being crucial as it was the fifth game and the score was around 13-13. On a team end, this year before season started, we had an amazing conversation with our whole team about what we want to accomplish and how we are going to get there. No matter what we are going through as an individual or a team, thinking back to what we said before the season started to get us centered again and focused on how to achieve our goals.”
Eryn Boken
Boken is incredibly instrumental in putting all the pieces together for Lacayo’s master plan.
Lacayo gushed about just how many things Boken does to help his program continue to raise the bar at a school that until recently was only known for their incredibly difficult and rigorous academic courses.
“We all bring out good things in each other,” Boken said. “We have all become very close and they help bring out my leadership. We give each other confidence to be aggressive.”
Boken doesn’t just do her part physically, the selfless senior has the maturity and attitude that makes it possible for Westridge to be as cohesive as they are as a unit.
“Eryn is always active. As a middle, she is always tenaciously transitioning, working as an offensive option. She celebrates every teammate’s points as if it was her own. As a blocker, she physically imposes and defensively removes areas of the court,” Lacayo said.
Boken is vital, because she’s not only a contributor in many different ways, she accepts and flourishes in her role(s) for this program.
“Personally, I have tried to work on my defense both in my blocking and passing. As a middle blocker, I didn’t have much experience playing a lot of backrow defense in my previous years on this team. However, when we started to change up our rotations this year I was in the backrow more often. Over the years, I have wanted to become stronger defensively and I feel it is what I can really help bring to the team this year. I think through the support of my teammates and coaches, I have been able to become a more well-rounded player. By this I mean I do not only want to be an offensive middle or a defensive middle, but have a balance between the two.”
Lacayo said the three-way starter, among all the other things she does well, gives the Tigers a third offensive option and makes the team more versatile for that fact.
Boken has the character, intellect and work ethic that every program wants, she is the kind of young lady and athlete and person that every title-contending program needs.
Her teammates appreciate her contributions.
“Eryn is a great player and brings a lot of energy to the team. Great middles in high school are far and few between so her presence really gives us an edge,” Meyer said.
She’s also reflected on her time in the program.
“As a team, we have all grown so incredibly close. Though many of us are in different grades, we have still created such incredible bonds at Westridge. We have improved a lot defensively over the course of my years on this team and though we have incredible offensive players, we have worked to improve what we do in the backrow. We have also worked on improving our serving, which has gotten better and better each season,” she said.
Over the next couple of weeks, the senior trio will do everything they can to continue their prep careers.
But had the season already ended, Martinez, Meyer and Boken have collectively raised the bar for the school and the program.
And their education and work ethic will give them the opportunities to succeed in life, far after their playing days are over.
Westridge athletics and primarily the volleyball program going forward will be better off because Eryn Boken, Allison Martinez and Makana Meyer walked their halls and suited up the Tigers.
Quotable:
Westridge coach Otto Lacayo: “These young ladies, and because of their collective worth ethic, their desire, character and talent have been a huge key in why these last two years have been the most successful stretch in school history. What some don’t realize is how much time they have to spend studying and on school work to succeed at such a prestigious institution like Westridge, not to mention the time they spend sharpening their volleyball skills, and leading our younger players in how we do things at Westridge. This school and our program is far better off because we have Eryn Boken, Makana Meyer and Allison Martinez in it. I will always be thankful for the sacrifices they made for the school and our program. Underestimating any of these seniors will never bode well. They compete at the highest level and continuously find ways to surprise us.”
Westridge senior Eryn Boken: “Individually, one of my favorite highlights was our first CIF game last year against Royal High School. We had serve and the libero gave an overpass to the left of our side of the court. I remember going up and hitting the over pass ball on the ten-foot line right between one of the players legs. That was a very special moment for me because my whole team erupted in cheers and I feel so supported by everyone on the court, the bench, and in the stands. As a team, I think one of my favorite moments was our win against Poly this year because it meant that we had won the Prep League Championships for the second year in a row. I loved the Poly game because we really came together and supported one another on and off the court. I have grown so close with this team and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for CIF!”
Westridge senior Makana Meyer: “My individual job is definitely being a vocal leader and all around contributions from defense, blocking, and hitting. Being a vocal leader is something that comes naturally to me, so I always try to facilitate communication and energy in games. I am extremely excited to see how the newcomers handle play offs and excited to have our gym packed with people again. Playoffs bring a lot of energy to a game and it bleeds onto the court, making for some exciting volleyball. My only concern is that everyone stays healthy and motivated for this last push.”
Westridge senior Allison Martinez: “Over the past few years, I think I as well as the other seniors improved our leadership skills. We’ve been able to see and learn from the seniors before us and truly discover what it takes to lead a successful team. One of my favorite moments was getting third place in the Hudl Invitational San Diego tournament last year. We came in as underdogs and were able to compete with such highly ranked teams and beat them! This gave all of us such a confidence boost going into the playoffs and really showed how much Westridge volleyball has improved over the past few years. Winning the Prep League definitely will help with our confidence heading into the playoffs. We know what it takes to finish a game. However, the competition will be higher than what we’re used to in the upcoming weeks, so we have to really train hard in practice and play like we’re going to win.
Getting To Know Eryn Boken:
Favorite Team: Clippers
Favorite Athlete: Blake Griffin, Michael Phelps
Favorite Movie: The Sandlot
Favorite Musical Artist: Zac Brown Band
Musical Artist People Might Be Surprised I Like: Josh Groban
Famous Person (Alive of Dead) I’d Want To Talk To: Barack Obama
Getting To Know Makana Meyer:
Favorite Team: Lakers
Favorite Athlete: Kevin Durant
Favorite Movie: 2001 A Space Odyssey
Favorite Musical Artist: Chance the Rapper
Musical Artist People Might Be Surprised I Like: Beatles
Famous Person (Alive of Dead) I’d Want To Talk To: Asistotle
Getting To Know Allison Martinez:
Favorite Team: Lakers, Dodgers
Favorite Athlete: Courtney Thompson
Favorite Movie: Bring it On
Favorite Musical Artist: Chance the Rapper
Musical Artist People Might Be Surprised I Like: Showtunes
Famous Person (Alive of Dead) I’d Want To Talk To: Hillary Clinton
2017 Prep League Stats:
Allison Martinez: 180 kills, 70 digs, 42 aces
Makana Meyer: 130 kills, 68 digs, 31 aces
Eryn Boken: 55 kills, 31 digs, 30 aces
2017 Prep League Standings:
Westridge (22-4, 12-0)
Poly (21-4, 10-2)
Mayfield (11-13, 8-4)
Chadwick (12-10, 6-6)
Flintridge Prep (13-10, 4-8)
Rio Hondo Prep (10-10, 2-10)
Firebaugh (0-18, 0-12)
