FHS senior Devon Becker has been on FHS varsity team since his sophomore year and has been the team’s captain for the past two years. Playing as an outside hitter, Devon has been a huge part of the team’s 16-14 record this season.
As a junior in the 2022-2023 season last year, Devon led the team in multiple categories. This includes kills per set (4.3/sec), total serving aces (42), and total kills (448).
Devon’s 448-kill season ranked sixteenth in all of California for total kills, having the 4th most for any junior in the state. As a senior this year, Devon has not only kept his title for the most kills per set, serving aces, and total kills, but he has also racked up the most receptions on his team. Additionally, he had the second-most serving aces out of any player in the whole league. A kill is when an attack from a player is not returned, a serving ace is when a player’s serve is unreturnable by the opposing team, and a reception is when an opponent’s serve is received by the player to the setter.
“Devon really gets us moving and he reminds us to always keep our head in the game,” said FHS senior, teammate, and setter Nicolas Salenga. “I think he fits the role [of captain] well and he is just a great leader.
Volleyball is a huge momentum game. This is why the role of a captain is so important; making sure that your teammates are energized and trying to shift it in your favor.
“I’m definitely trying to do a big part of [keeping momentum],” Devon said. “Getting the team talking and moving.”
Outside hitters typically hit and block on the left side while in the front row, and play defense in the middle-back while in the back row. While in the front row, the middle-blocker and the outside hitter try to block the other team’s right-side (also known as opposite) hitter together. This requires trust between the two as FHS junior and middle-blocker Subhan Kunwar explains, “Devon is a really trustworthy blocker. I trust him to take the straight shot, I block the sides and we get a lot of blocks together.”
Devon originally started playing volleyball casually in seventh grade. Now, Devon plays club volleyball for MVVC (Mountain View Volleyball Club), one of the top clubs in the nation. Playing club volleyball requires lots of time, effort, and commitment. Devon’s team attends tournaments everywhere from Los Angeles to Orlando.
This year, Fremont’s men’s volleyball team had a league record of 7-8, finishing fourth in the SCVAL – El Camino league. Although they unfortunately did not make CCS, they had a great season filled with exciting and amazing moments. After high school, Devon plans to attend a four-year college.
