Derryl's Musings--The thoughts of a rookie sports reporter

  For this post I want to talk about my journey into officiating and hopefully draw some consideration to people who may want to get into our ranks. I offciated high school volleyball from 2012-2016 and also am a current club offcial in addition to working as a collegiate line judge.    My journey in volleyball began as a team scorer at Woodcrest Christian. I served in that role from '05-'07 and then from '09-'11. During those years I met and got to know several of our officials who constantly encouraged me to join the ranks.     I joined the ranks in 2013 and worked double or triple the minimum number of court hours in order to catch up and show my willingnesss to learn the craft along with sport. In the offseason I work club volleyball although it has some subtle rule differences it's a chance to keep the whistle going.  Why do people get into officiating?  1. A chance to stay involved in the sport they loved from playing to coach...

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 By: Derryl Trujillo Inland Sports Volleyball Correspondent Division 1's #5 rated team in Temecula Valley made the quick trip down I-15 and came back victorious in a 3-0 sweep by scores of 25-22,25-22,25-13. The last time we covered the Bears coach Roberto Rodriguez said his side needed to come out with more intensity. He gave his team flying colors for their intensity even in that 3rd set when the outcome was mostly decided. I was very impressed with the Bears service game even though the ace to service error numbers may have been on the skewed side towards errors (11 aces to 13 errors led by 4 aces from Madison Endsley). In postmatch comments both Amoy and McBride said that they knew of Great Oak's prowess in serve receive and that winning the service game would be huge. When we talked to Endsley last Thursday she lamented the hitting errors as one thing that needed to be cleaned up. As a team in a sweep they went from 14 hitting errors to 6 and...

Today's Inland Sports Volleyball Match of the night takes us back into Southwestern League country as Great Oak welcomes Temecula Valley (#5-Div 1). Great Oak Wolfpack- Overall: 4-1 Southwestern League: 1-0 Head Coach: Mark Motluck Notes: Tonight is an opportunity for the Wolfpack to make a statement with a victory against the visiting Bears. Last time out Delaynie Maple and Summer Ellis (25 & 21 kills respectively) led Great Oak in a 5 set victory on the road at Chaparral. Madi Allen threw in 35 digs for good measure on the defensive end. Defending home floor is imperative for this team as they have the next 4 matches at home. Temecula Valley Golden Bears: Overall: 11-0 Southwestern League: 1-0 Head Coach: Roberto Rodriguez #5-Div 1 Last time out the Bears took care of business in a competitive 3 set sweep at Murrieta Mesa. Madison Endsley had 15 kills & Peyton McBride added 13 as the Bears recorded a team .305% hitting percentage. Jordyn Amoy recorded 41 as...

Here are some matches to watch for the week of September 25: Monday 9/25-- Big 8 League Norco @ King 4:30pm--The Cougars make a quick trip over to King for their first big test on their path thru the Big 8. King faces a must win to keep in contact with Corona Santiago. Citrus Belt League Yucaipa @ Citrus Valley 4:30pm-- This match pits two of the contenders for a league title in a matchup for early control of first place. Yucaipa got a late assist from Redlands to win a sole league title a year ago. Citrus Valley faces another big test along the path to taking it away from the Thunderbirds. South Valley League Santa Rosa Academy @ Calvary Murrieta 5pm: The Rangers after knocking off Rancho Christian look to continue their undefeated start to league play. Calvary Murrieta looks for a ranked opponent win as the Warriors were on their division watch list but did not appear in the first division poll. It's the battle of rookie head coaches in South Valley League play. Tuesda...

So Josef Newgarden clinches the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Championship in a race which was decided on Saturday when he won the pole. We need a better venue than Sonoma for a final. Fontana, Michigan, Richmond, or Homestead come to mind among ovals. I'd love to see the Glen or Laguna Seca, or maybe Baltimore be considered for road courses. IndyCar struggles for TV ratings as it is but when the season finale is practically a session of follow the leader it does no one any good. The era of aero kits ended Sunday and I can't wait for our 2018 season to start.

Many leagues are already underway but a few others get going this week. Here are a few matches to keep an eye on around the area: Monday 9/18: Ambassador League-Notre Dame/Riverside @ Loma Linda Academy 6pm: After a stretch of 5 ranked opponents in 10 matches the road to a league title does not get any easier this week. This Monday evening special is for early control of 1st place at the halfway mark of rd 1 and starts a back to back to back for the Titans. Citrus Belt League-Citrus Valley @ Cajon 4:30pm: This match will be live streamed by our partners at IEMG (Inland Empire Media Group) and is also for early control of first place in the Citrus Belt. Winner will join Yucaipa (should they take care of business against Carter) in first place after 4 matches. These two teams met each other in Queens Court play earlier with the Cowgirls coming out on top in 3 sets. Citrus Belt League-Redlands East Valley @ Redlands 4:30pm: This is a pivotal matchup for both sides. Winner evens the...

For tonight's Inland Sports Volleyball match of the night we visit Woodcrest Christian  (Div 5-#9) as they host Linfield Christian  (Div 8-#10). Here's a preview: Woodcrest Christian Royals: Head Coach: Teri James  Current Record: 8-4 overall, 1-1 Ambassador League  Last 5: 3-2 (2-2 at Dave Mohs: Wins against Northwood & Fountain Valley, losses to Bakersfield and Saddleback Valley Christian. Ambassador League win against Western Christian) Notes: Tonight's match is the front end of an Ambassador League back to back for the Lady Royals who will host Notre Dame tomorrow evening. Coach Teri James side has had an excellent preseason earning their way to the Azusa Tournament finals along with the 2-2 mark at Dave Mohs in Div 2. Raimi Albee leads the way offensively for Woodcrest Christian with 88 kills (3.0 kills per set) and is hitting .179% on the year. Setters Elyssa Smith and Katie Peterson have plenty of other options as Emily White, Tristen Walte...

Hi my name is Derryl and I'm a rookie sports reporter from Southern California. I love all kinds of sports from motorsports (IndyCar & NASCAR), to baseball (Phillies), college basketball, volleyball,and softball; football (Go Eagles), and golf. As a prep athlete I played 3 years of high school golf (2 on varsity). My love of prep sports started with basketball. I share the scorers table at Woodcrest Christian 12 years after graduating with my former golf coach (Charlie Ricards-Middle) and Bible teacher (Dave Burdett-Right). From them I've gained a deep appreciation for volleyball. I officiated at the High School level for 4 years along with club volleyball. In addition to that service I've also been a college linesperson for the last 3 years. This is my first year in journalism serving as a volleyball correspondent currently for the Inland Sports Show. You'll get to hear my thoughts and musings from all things sports.