By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor Otto Lacayo is a proven winner. In his eight years at Westridge, the Tigers have had a higher winning percentage than the season before. Lacayo led Westridge to the most wins in the area (26) and a .788 winning percentage. The Tigers also won their first Prep League title in […]
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
Otto Lacayo is a proven winner.
In his eight years at Westridge, the Tigers have had a higher winning percentage than the season before.
Lacayo led Westridge to the most wins in the area (26) and a .788 winning percentage.
The Tigers also won their first Prep League title in 10 years and went further than any area team in the CIF-SS and CIF State playoffs.
For his unmatched success this season, Lacayo has been named the Pasadena Sports Now Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Westridge won CIF-SS Division 4 matches over Royal, Simi Valley and Monrovia before falling in the semifinals at Elsinore.
The Tigers also defeated Ramona near San Diego in the first round of the State playoffs, but fell at Claremont to end a record-breaking season.
Junior outside hitters Makana Meyer and Allison Martinez were off the charts good, as was setter Angelica Raymundo and Eryn Boken, just to name a few.
Perhaps what stands out most is what Westridge did in the clutch and how they responded to adversity.
They were 10-3 in deciding sets and won 18 matches by sweeping their opponents.
“We teach players that great volleyball is a process and that success isn’t necessarily defined by winning,” Lacayo said. “As a staff, we’re more concerned about technique and quality reps than immediate results. With that said, the focus on each individual contact is up there with team morale and mentality. There have been matches that we have won, but the quality of play wasn’t there. We’ll take those wins with the understanding that more efficient play can be achieved. In turn, we made sure that each loss was viewed as an opportunity to learn rather than passing blame. Ultimately, the team became a family that played each point for one another. When your team captures that level of chemistry and drive, winning in every form finds you.”
Lacayo has spent much of his adult life teaching young men and women to become the best athletes and people they can be.
He spends the high school “off season” at the San Gabriel Elite Volleyball Club, where he serves as an assistant club director and head coach for the 17 Elite Boys and 16 Roshambo Girls.
As competitive as Prep League play was this season, even rivals admire Lacayo for his vision, work ethic and in-game strategies.
“I think what Coach Otto does well is that he uses unconventional lineups, and rotations that best suit the skill of his players,” Mayfield coach Stephen Bernabe said. “A good coach recognizes what he has to work with and builds from that. What I enjoy watching the most, and I’m sure any coach can agree, is that his players know what he expects from them, and they perform for him.”
Lacayo wanted to make sure Angelica Raymundo, Cheyenne Dobine, Stephanie Davis, Quincy Foster, Makana Meyer, Allison Martinez, Eryn Boken, Krystal Raymundo, Nicole Gibbs and Julia Cruz all knew how much their contributions and efforts have made this season so special for him.
He also credits coaches Jenna Orlandini, Jezreel Nueve and Brian Thornton for the success Westridge has enjoyed in recent years.
It’s his players, though, that give Lacayo the most joy.
“I hold this team very close to my heart,” he said. “When we dealt with adversity in the form of injury or illness, I knew we still had a great chance to take a match. It was in their nature to compete and I could not be more proud of them. Whatever we lacked on any given night was made up with grit and passion. This team was lead by many different personalities and without one, I don’t think it would have worked. We became a family that supported one another in every situation. I’m very lucky to have coached such a wonderful team.”
Quotable:
Angelica Raymundo: “Otto has been with us through it all. Even if we were down, he knew how to lift us back up. He taught us what it truly meant to play together as a team. This teamwork that he helped create got us through even the toughest matches. As a player, his constant support and encouragement inspired me to be a better teammate. That is why playing for him is an experience that I’ll never forget.”
Quincy Foster: “If there was one message Otto taught us this season, it was the power of what we could do as a team rather than individuals. Everything we achieved was because we were working together. What he taught all of us was about even more than the game. He understood how to communicate with us so that we could become better players, teammates, and leaders. He believed in us even when we didn’t believe in ourselves, and that was what allowed us to become a great team.”
Allison Martinez: “Otto really makes sure to have a good connection with all of the girls, so he can help nurture their success. He makes sure to always motivate us when we are down and tell us that we are able to do anything we put our minds to. He has helped this program grow over the past few years and continues to make Westridge volleyball better and better each season.”
Makana Meyer: “I think Otto fosters a winning atmosphere at Westridge by encouraging us to have fun, but stay focused and work hard. Our practices are very conducive to a winning environment and we always have goals we set out to accomplish every day.”
