Daily Journal Athlete of the Week: Aragon’s Santiago Smirnoff

Smirnoff is in the home stretch of a monthslong game of Senior Assassin, a nationwide trend in which high school seniors hunt one another down “Hunger Games” style with water guns. In a field of over 200 Aragon seniors, Smirnoff is among the final nine — oh, make that eight! We have another kill to report, as Smirnoff conspired with another classmate to hide in a household closet Saturday afternoon to lay in wait, take aim, and drench his prey.

“I’ve never taken my protection off,” Smirnoff said of his trusty “bulletproof” goggles, preventing other players from eliminating you, which he smartly fastened to his head before stepping off the court Saturday morning at St. Francis. “It’s guaranteed immunity.”

While Smirnoff’s survival instincts in Senior Assassin are impressive, it’s facilitating volleyball kills that have earned him Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors.

On the court, Smirnoff is the one who sets up his classmates for kills. He assisted on over half of Aragon’s 55 kills against Mountain View, as the senior setter recorded 32 assists.

It was the focal point of an impressive double-double performance, as the six-rotation hybrid setter added six kills, four big blocks and 15 digs.

“He’s been performing really well,” Aragon head coach Meliame Hala’ufia said. “The team feeds off of him. He’s gotten better each year that he’s played, and just brings the energy and knowledge of the game, and knows what to do in that moment.”

Smirnoff comes from a volleyball family. His father, Sergio, runs the girls’ volleyball program at Carlmont High School. His mother Grace was Carlmont’s previous head coach.

“I’ve been playing the sport a long time,” Smirnoff said. “My parents are coaches. Hours in the gym with my dad after his practices ... just working on our blocking, and just anything, to be honest.”

It’s one of many volleyball outlets for Smirnoff. He also plays at a school run by a prolific volleyball family, where Meliame Hala’ufia is in her second year as head coach of the boys’ team, but is in her 13th year with the program after her mother Diean Hala’ufia, now an assistant coach, previously ran the program.

Smirnoff also plays for Bay to Bay Volleyball Club in Campbell. But, it’s in the Carlmont gym where he gets the most reps, often working one-on-one with his father.

“He knows a lot bigger personal side than a lot of people do,” Smirnoff said. “I mean, I live with him, so he’s able to communicate with me a lot more because he knows me more.”

A native of Buenos Aires, Smirnoff grew up playing soccer. But after moving to the U.S. in 2016, he gave up the rigors as a two-sport athlete to focus on volleyball.

“I decided to take the volleyball route, and it’s gotten me here,” Smirnoff said.

It’s gotten Smirnoff to the next level, as well. The senior is on the verge of making even more history. Committed to play men’s volleyball at University of the Pacific, Smirnoff is on track to play for the resurgent Tigers as the NCAA Division I returns to the Stockton campus. UOP last fielded men’s volleyball in 2013, a team for which Matt Houlihan, Smirnoff’s coach at Bay to Bay.

“I’m super proud to be one of the guys that can be part of this process,” Smirnoff said.

The multi-faceted setter has sure left his mark at Aragon.

The Dons utilize a depth of hitters, with a three-pronged front-row attack. Through the postseason, Aragon has been most deadly through the middle. Middle hitters Cameron Ngai and Raghav Vemulapalli shared the match-high against Mountain View with 12 kills apiece, but opposite hitter Benjamin Cheng scored at a more prolific rate, playing in just the final two sets but totaling nine kills. Senior outside hitter Ailesh Chauhan added eight kills, senior Charlie Wilcox had five, and junior Tyler Rivera had four.

There was no slow in Aragon’s roll, even after dropping Game 2. The Dons stayed with their same lineup, and continued the same inside-out approach to serving the middles to open up the pin hitters.

“Just clean up on our side what we can control,” Smirnoff said. “We missed a lot of serves. ... We knew we just needed to play our game and not overthink the stuff we usually do, and just get right back after it.”

Two sets later, Aragon was CCS champions.

By virtue of advancing to the CCS finals, Aragon qualifies for the CIF Northern California regional playoffs. Despite winning their section championship, the Dons open Division II play on the road, traveling to Elk Grove to take on Laguna Creek Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“To be honest, we’re happy to be where we’re at,” Smirnoff said. “We’re happy to play a new team and compete a little bit more.”