The 2023-2024 Bonita Vista High (BVH) boys’ volleyball season is co-Captain and outside hitter Daniel Robitaille’s fourth year playing on varsity volleyball. Throughout his career in the sport, Robitaille’s love for volleyball grew, with his team and family’s support.
“I got into volleyball because my mom played in highschool and recommended it. Volleyball has definitely opened up a new avenue to relate to my mom. My dad has taken a big interest in the sport as well. It’s fun to talk to them about aspects of our games, what went wrong and what went good,” Robitaille said.
Robitaille began playing the sport at Bonita Vista Middle (BVM) in seventh grade, after seeing an advertisement encouraging students to join BVM’s boys’ volleyball team. After discussing it with his mom, he gave it a chance. BVH boys’ varsity volleyball head coach Luis Contereas has known Robitaille since he first started playing in seventh grade, and has seen him grow and develop.
“I had a feeling he was going to grow up to be the player he is now. His family expressed interest in him playing volleyball after the seventh grade season,” Contereas said. “As far as him making varsity his freshman year all the way to senior year, I had that expectation. He wowed me with how quickly he progressed.”
Contereas explains that Robitaille is always making an effort to improve his skills, specifically on defense. While also working on his offensive skills, Robitaille switched to playing outside hitter during the 2022-2023 year after previously playing as a middle hitter—the first line of defense. This season, he showcases the four years of work he put in as a varsity team athlete.
“Freshman to sophomore year was probably the biggest jump [on] all my offensive improvement. Junior to senior year was my mental improvement because volleyball is a big mental sport,” Robitaille said. “I studied myself and my attitude which has helped my defensive game with things like digging and setting.”
Furthermore, Robitaille has been improving his skills by joining Coast Volleyball—a club team based in Sorrento Valley—his sophomore year. Since then, he has gotten to experience a new perspective of volleyball along with playing against opponents with more talent and skill.
“I like the club game because it’s really competitive. They have multiple teams per age group. Everyone’s filtered by skill level . You travel to tournaments and play against the best talent in the country. I’ve played against kids on the [United States of America] national volleyball team,” Robitaille said.
As a result of being on both club and high school teams, Robitaille has been able to create new friendships. BVH boys’ varsity volleyball co-Captain, Libero and senior Noah Kircher has deepened the connection he has with his fellow captain over the years.
“He’s a good friend of mine, good leader, a genuine person all around and has a positive attitude on the court. That’s why he makes for a really good captain. We build off each other really well and he pushed me to get better and I do the same for him,” Kircher said.
As co-captain, Robitaille has consistently attempted to lead by setting a positive example for his teammates . He mentions that he contributes to the team by improving on his own performance, so that together, his team will be better overall. As well, Contreras has seen Robitaille’s efforts to be the best version of himself.
“He became a captain this year [because] of the way he approached practices and communication, not only with his team, but with his coaches too. This showed me that different side of him, he’s matured a lot to get to this point,” Contereas said.
Reaching his final season, Robitaille hopes for his team to make it further in the playoffs in contrast to his previous years. He views that as a way to end off his high school volleyball career on a good note. Along with his other teammates, Kircher already has begun to hold on to this last season playing alongside Robitaille.
“I’m definitely going to miss [Robitaille]. His seniority helps push our other teammates. Him being on varsity all four years is also really important since he’s more of a leader because a lot of people look up to him for that reason,” Kircher said.
After this spring season, Robitaille plans to continue to play for his summer club season. Although he is unsure about what follows as far as his volleyball career, he is aware of the support he has from his teammates, coach and family for his future.
“My family has supported me throughout playing volleyball. They take me to all of my tournaments, they come [to] watch me at as many games they can. I really appreciate them. Club volleyball is definitely not cheap. They’ve helped me financially, supporting me to stick with volleyball and being the best player I possibly can,” Robitaille said.
