PHOENIX - After spending years competing in 3A, Bourgade Catholic girls volleyball enters the 2026 season in a new conference, a new region, and with a renewed sense of possibility.
For fourth-year head coach Jesse Santos, the transition comes at an ideal time. He has coached many of his current players since they were freshmen, including several who also play for his club team during the offseason. The familiarity has helped create a veteran group Santos believes is ready for the challenge.
"It actually does," Santos said when asked if this season feels different. "I feel that this group is ready for this kind of competition."
With the move comes a schedule filled with unfamiliar opponents and a sense of optimism to a team that returns much of its varsity core. The lady Golden Eagles embraced the opportunity during the offseason. Santos said every junior and senior participated in summer workouts, motivated by the chance to make an impression.
Santos believes the change benefits Bourgade Catholic after several of the teams the Golden Eagles previously faced in 3A also moved down to 2A. But rather than continuing to see the same opponents, BCHS will face a new group of programs.
That means preparation has taken on a different look. Santos and assistant coach Isa Colin have spent the offseason studying film of their new opponents, looking at offensive threats, returning players and areas where each team may be vulnerable.
"It all comes down to film," Santos said.
While the Golden Eagles will have plenty to learn about their opponents, Santos already knows what he has in his own locker room. Team chemistry has emerged as one of the group's biggest strengths, with payers who spend time together away from the court bringing that same camaraderie into competition.
The challenge now is maintaining discipline and consistency. Santos has emphasized that discipline isn't simply about following rules; it is about doing the small things correctly on every play, from maintaining proper technique to staying focused throughout a match.
That focus was reinforced during a recent clinic at Phoenix College, where Bourgade Catholic players worked with college coaches and athletes. Santos, who also serves as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Phoenix College's women's volleyball program, wanted his players to experience a collegiate training environment firsthand.
For Santos, the experience was also about expanding his players' view of what might be possible after graduation. He said players can sometimes feel pressure to pursue Division I program without realizing there are numerous paths to playing college volleyball. Seeing collegiate athletes closer to their own size helped make that possibility feel more tangible.
Senior Natalya Perez was among those players who took notice.
A defensive specialist libero, Perez has played volleyball all four years at Bourgade Catholic and spent the past three seasons on varsity. She used the offseason to continue playing volleyball and build chemistry with her teammates while working to improve her serving.
Now, she enters her final season as one of the team's leaders.
The role is different from what she expected, but she's embraced the opportunity to help younger players and be someone they can rely on.
"It makes my heart happy that I'm able to help the younger girls with any questions, just be there for them in whatever they need," Perez said.
Santos has seen that leadership develop since he first met Perez when she was in eighth grade. He said her work ethic has consistently separated her from others and that she understands her responsibility extends beyond her own performance.
"She's the hardest working person out there on the floor," Santos said.
Perez's final season is about more than wins and losses. With graduation approaching, she wants to leave the program knowing she gave everything she had while helping the team grow together.
"I just want to know that the girls learn something new, whether it's from me or as a team that we grow together not just as players but as people," Perez said.
For a team entering a new conference and region, that chemistry could be particularly important.
The schedule will provide several early tests, including the Epic Tourneys Girls Volleyball Invite at the end of September. Bourgade Catholic won its bronze division at the tournament two years ago before struggling last season. Santos believes this year's team has the passing ability to make a stronger showing
The Golden Eagles will also have to adjust to playing teams they have never faced before, something Perez is looking forward to.
"I'm really excited to see how the season goes with new opponents," she said.
For Santos, however, success won't be measured solely by the number in the win column. His goal is to build a program that players want to return year after year.
"I want these girls excited to come back next year," Santos said. "It's not about the number of wins."
With a veteran core and strong team chemistry Bourgade Catholic volleyball enters the season ready to find out what it can accomplish in 2A.
"I'm just going to go out there and have fun and give it my all no matter what happens," Perez said.
Bourgade Catholic volleyball begins their season at home on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. against Rancho Solano Prep.