Amanda Peterson took over the Aptos High girls volleyball program during the offseason after the departure of former head coach Hunter Zeng.
The Chicago native had some experience leading club programs or teaching private lessons on the side, but nothing of this magnitude.
So far, so good as Peterson has the Mariners currently owning a 4-0 overall record following an impressive sweeping victory over Palma in three sets 25-19, 26-24, 25-19 in nonleague action Wednesday night.
“We watched some video, they’re a great team,” Peterson said. “I literally put in our team chat today, ‘Hey, it’s going to be a battle tonight. Let’s get ready.’”
It was a battle indeed. The Mariners got off to a hot start similar to how the season has been going, taking the first set at 25-19.
Then the tides quickly turned as Palma — a Central Coast Section finalist and California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Division V qualifier in 2025 — took a commanding lead in the second set.
The Chieftains were on the verge of tying the match at one set apiece until senior outside hitter Ella Dueck helped Aptos strung together a couple of rallies en route to closing out the second set in spectacular manner.
Dueck finished with 13 kills, eight digs and four blocks for Aptos, which is off to its best start since 2023 when it began the season with a 4-1 record.
“I think we just really want it a little bit more this year,” Dueck said. “We’re just really noticing that, and we all want to push together this year as one. With Amanda this year, we’re getting that hypeness of what we really want.”
Junior middle blocker Caitlin Lavelle was also a critical piece in the second set that helped the Mariners get back on course Wednesday evening.
She had seven kills, two digs and three blocks, while sophomore libero Halene Curutan tallied 17 digs.
Sophomore setter Cana Taylor was all over the court as she dished out assists like a conductor of a grand orchestra, guiding her teammates to smack the ball at the right time.
“They had incredible defense,” Taylor said. “They were able to block really well, they got every ball up, it seemed.”
Taylor, who finished with 28 assists, two digs and a pair of kills, was named one of the team captains along with Dueck and senior Mady Reed.
“It just means a lot of hype and love,” Taylor said. “Being there for your teammates in a way that they feel appreciated and that everyone feels seen, and not just an intensity of we need to win. More like we can win, and how can we get there?”
Aptos is coming off a successful 2025 campaign. They finished with a 20-13 overall record, and reached the CCS Division III quarterfinals.
They placed fourth in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League standings with a 6-6 record in league play. However, the Mariners stunned defending league champion Scotts Valley High in the semifinals of the end-of-the-season tournament.
Aptos returns as one of the longtime members in the SCCAL along with Harbor, Mount Madonna, Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley and Soquel.
It’s been nearly a decade since Aptos—winner of 19 league titles—last captured an SCCAL crown in 2017.
Two years later, they came up short of a CCS title, but they did go on to win the program’s first-ever CIF D-IV NorCal and State championships.
Dueck’s older sister, Peyton, was a part of that 2019 group, and their older sister Maddie played for the Mariners until she graduated in 2016.
The youngest of the Duecks said without a doubt there’s some pressure to perform at a high level, yet none of it comes from her family in any way, shape or form.
She knows her older siblings made a legacy for themselves, and now it’s her turn to live up to it.
“Outside things have affected that but it kind of makes me, a little bit, want it more,” Dueck said. “I want to be better, I want to do what my sisters did. It’s not that I need to make my own path, I want to follow my sister’s path. I want to be as good as they were, and if I could, even better.”
Peterson said Dueck is already the type of player who can take big swings in big moments, while Taylor is putting up great balls for hitters to swing at.
The Mariner first-year head coach did mention it’s not just one or two people on the team who can put it away, though.
“They have to respect all of our hitters,” she said. “Cana’s doing a really good job of spreading out the offense, making sure we’re not just relying on Ella.
Other Mariner upperclassmen include seniors Isabella Briceno and Elle Mumford, along with juniors Hannah Kapadia and Kala Harrah.
The underclassmen are also well represented with sophomores Emily Mumford, Ellie Hardesty and Sophie Liu.
“I just loved how, as a new coach for the program, I came in, I’m asking a lot from them and they are rising to the challenge,” Peterson said. “I’m really grateful to them for embracing it and working really hard in the gym every day.”
