West Hills senior Kelly Whitehouse (11) spikes the ball past Valhalla blockers Emily Klarer (18) and Kristin Wolfe for a kill during Thursday's CIF Division II semifinal round victory. (11-20-03). (photo by Nick Pellegrino)
Whitehouse caps career with top local
award, signs letter to attend Portland
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - West Hills High volleyball standout KELLY WHITEHOUSE
is one of two key players to sign a national letter of intent
with the University of Portland, the school announced Monday (Dec.
8). Whitehouse heads a team of 18 players on the All-East County
team, as selected by EastCountySports.com, claiming the
Player of the Year Award.
A three-time pick on the All-Grossmont North League first-team,
including twice as player of the year, Whitehouse is among the
favorites to become the San Diego CIF Division II Player of the
Year. The outside hitter spearheaded the Wolf Pack to four consecutive
league titles, then led the school to the SDCIF championship match
this season.
"She loves volleyball and they play the sport all the time,"
said Portland coach Doug Sparks. "She enjoyed a lot of success
and have played on the higher level club teams. Kelly is a strong
physical player who will add depth to our left side. She is a
savvy player who will bring an immediate impact to our program
with her ball control."
In club play, Whitehouse, powered her team to the championship
of the UC Davis Volleyball Festival in 2002 after a runner-up
finish in 2000, and was listed among the nation's top recruits
by PrepVolleyball.com.
Meanwhile, West Hills dominated the selections with five of its
six starters landing berths on the All-East County team, including
four on the first team. The list includes outside hitter WHITNEY
ANDERSON, defensive specialist AIME CORDEIRO and setter SARAH
STRANGE. All four are seniors.
The other first-team honorees include Valhalla High junior outside
hitter KRISTIN WOLFE, the Grossmont South League player of the
year in voting by the coaches, and Helix senior ADRIANA DEJONG.
Both are outside hitters.
(12-08-03)
2003 ALL-EAST COUNTY VOLLEYBALL First Team Name School Yr Pos Whitney Anderson West Hills 12 OH Aime Cordeiro West Hills 12 DS Adriana DeJong Helix 12 OH Sarah Strange West Hills 12 Set *Kelly Whitehouse West Hills 12 OH Kristin Wolfe Valhalla 11 OH *Player of the Year Second Team Jessie Balanay Valhalla 12 OH Brittany Erickson Christian 11 MB Jordan Franey Santana 10 OH Jennifer Kandt Helix 11 Set Emily Klarer Valhalla 12 MB Kelsey Mitchell Christian 11 OH Third Team Dana Burkey Valhalla 9 Set/OH Amy Johnson West Hills 11 OH Kara McGill Christian 11 Set Jamie McNally Valhalla 12 Set Alyssa Mendes Helix 12 OH Jessica Milligan Helix 11 OH Brittney Williams GraniteHills 12 MB (12-08-03)
Grossmont Conference All-League Teams
Grossmont North League First Team Kelly Whitehouse West Hills 12 Whitney Anderson West Hills 12 Sarah Strange West Hills 12 Amy Johnson West Hills 11 Aime Cordeiro West Hills 12 Jordan Franey Santana 10 Second Team Melissa Peabody West Hills 10 Vanessa Fitzgerald West Hills 11 Jennifer Comfort Grossmont 11 Maria DeBarrows Santana 12 Heather Thomas Santana 12 Rodreen Gonzalez El Capitan 12 Player of the Year: Kelly Whitehouse, West Hills Championship Team: West Hills Honorable Mention West Hills (8-0): Amy Boutelle, 12; Elizabeth Vaughn, 11. Santana (6-2): Dominique Deluca, 12; Alyssa Ramirez, 12. Grossmont (4-4): Allison DeDontao, Jessika Vidal. El Cajon Valley (2-6): Nicole Cope, 12; Marissa Utley, 10. El Capitan (0-8): Allison Duffy, 10; Alyssa Loveday, 10. Grossmont South League First Team Kristin Wolfe Valhalla 11 Adriana DeJong Helix 12 Jennifer Kandt Helix 11 Emily Klarer Valhalla 12 Brittney Williams Granite Hills 12 Jessie Balanay Valhalla 12 Second Team Alyssa Mendes Helix 12 Jamie McNally Valhalla 12 Dana Burkey Valhalla 9 Jennifer Whitmoyer Granite Hills 12 Natalie Davis Granite Hills 12 Jessica Milligan Helix 11 Player of the Year: Kristin Wolfe, Valhalla Championship Team: Valhalla Honorable Mention Valhalla (9-1): Kylie Beilharz, Kelle Cantwell. Helix (8-2): Chasity Toilolo, Andrea Ness Granite Hills (7-3): Melinda Brazell, Mallory McClain Steele Canyon (4-6): Victoria Mazon Monte Vista (1-9): Sammy Bushue, Savannah Moves Mount Miguel (1-9): Jessica Van Pelt, Megan Mitchell. (11-30-03)
West Hills senior Kelly Whitehouse (11) spikes
the ball past Valhalla blockers Emily Klarer (18) and Kristin
Wolfe for a kill during Thursday's CIF Division II semifinal round
victory. (11-20-03). (photo by Nick Pellegrino)
EastCountySports.com
CIF STATE PLAYOFFS
DIVISION II
Southern Calif. Quarterfinals
West Hills at No. 2 Manhattan Beach-Mira Costa
Mira Costa 3, West Hills 1 -- Kelly Whitehouse posted 20 kills, including
a single-game playoff best of 10 in the second set, but the Wolf
Pack fell in four games to the second-seed.
Whitney Anderson added 12 kills, but West Hills, which had several players suffering from flu symtoms, couldn't match-up with a MiraCosta frontline standing at 6-3 and 6-2 in the middle, a 6-3 outside hitter, and a 5-11, left-handed setter.
One of the middles, 13-year old freshman Alix Klineman, paced the Mustangs to their 13th CIF Southern Section championship last weekend, recording 18 kills and seven blocks to down Newport Harbor in four sets.
The 6-2 middle, Lauren Bledsoe, is also a frosh.
On Tuesday (Nov. 25) against the Wolf Pack, Klineman added another 14 kills and 13 digs, playing error-free over the final two sets after West Hills opened strong and split sets with the Bay League titlists. Sydney Donahue also produced 14 kills for coach Dae Lea Aldrich.
Other scores
Redondo Union (24-14) df. No. 3 Bakersfield-Centennial (20-10),
25-16, 25-21, 25-21
No. 1 Santa Ana-Mater Dei (33-3) df. Visalia-Mount Whitney (25-7),
25-6, 25-12, 25-17
Newport Harbor (26-6) df. No. 4 Scripps Ranch (27-5), 22-25, 25-22,
25-21, 25-15
Division II Final
West Hills rally falls short, but Pack still
stands tall in CIF championship loss to Scripps Ranch
East County Sports.com
Scripps Ranch 3, West Hills 2 -
The greatest comeback in San Diego CIF volleyball history fell
one point short after top-seeded West Hills High, which trailed
2-games-to-none, rallied back to earn three match points in a
fifth-set tiebreaker, only to fall to Scripps Ranch, 20-18, in
a dramatic SDCIF Division II title contest played Saturday (Nov.
22) at Mira Mesa.
Kelly Whitehouse established a new SDCIF championship match record with 27 kills, but it was the play of Whitney Anderson which bolstered the Wolf Pack in the third game to get even. Anderson produced eight kills to ignite the transition, then Whitehouse added eight kills in the fourth set.
However, the Falcons' defense cleaned the floor all night, as every starter reached double figures in digs to finally stave off the Wolf Pack rally.
"They played phenomenal defense -- Scripps was digging balls that we've been putting down all year," said West Hills coach Don Rutledge. "I'm just glad our kids didn't roll over and play dead, showing quite a bit of character out there."
The three longest rallies of the match came over the final five points of game four, each of which the Pack took to draw the marathon affair even.
Following a Falcons serving error into the net to tie the game at 20-all, Whitehouse twice went over the block with blasts for kills to end extended rallies.
Sarah Strange followed with an ace, then after a Scripps Ranch spike failed to clear the net to setup game point, another long rally was finally terminated on a composite block between Amy Johnson and Melissa Peabody. During the play, Whitehouse's spikes were dug seven times, but the All-County candidate answered with three digs of her own.
"On long rallies like that, every time you dig a ball, it just makes you want it even more," said Whitehouse, who led the Pack with 29 digs. "So you keep going and keep playing until you win that point."
In the tiebreaker, West Hills mounted a 7-2 lead, but Scripps Ranch answered to take a 13-12 advantage before a Whitehouse kill again tie the score, then Strange back-set Peabody for a crosscourt winner to setup match point.
However, Lyndsey Parker, the leading Scripps Ranch spiker with 21 kills, fired a ball down the line to force extended play.
Finally at 18-all, the Scripps Ranch player who had lost the most in recent weeks came up with a backbreaking play. Sophomore middle-blocker Tracey Ditto, who saw her family home burned down in the recent Cedar fire, redirected an overpass for the lead, then Parker followed with her final kill to clinch the championship.
"When Tracey made that play, it was
so emotional for everyone on the team after everything she went
through when her family lost their house," said Falcons
coach Ronni Olsen. "So to see her make that play and put
something important back in her life was thrilling for all of
us."
Anderson finished with 18 kills, including a match-high five putaways in the final set for the Wolf Pack. The Falcons received 16 kills and six blocks from Dani Huffman, including three consecutive stuffs in game five to key the Scripps Ranch comeback from five points down, while Roni Greenwood added 12 kills and a pair of blocks.
The season for West Hills (29-6), however,
does not come to an end, as the Wolf Pack will still advance to
the CIF State championships, as the strong San Diego Section earned
two berths to the event. They will play on the road this Tuesday
(Nov. 25), probably playing a section champion from either the
Greater Los Angeles area or Bakersfield.
(11-22-03)
BOXSCORE FALCONS 3, WOLF PACK 2 WEST HILLS k b a d SCRIPPS RCH k b a d Strange s 1 0 2 10 Huffman mb 16 6 0 14 Anderson oh 18 0 0 22 Davidson mb 2 1 1 10 Peabody oh 4 1 2 6 Piskulick s 5 0 0 16 Johnson mb 8 3 1 11 Collins oh 2 1 2 20 Whitehouse oh 27 0 2 29 Greenwood op 12 2 2 16 Cordeiro ds 2 0 2 23 Parker oh 21 1 0 17 Fitzgerald mb 2 0 0 0 Hicok oh 0 0 0 4 Ditto mb 1 0 0 0 TOTALS 62 4 9 101 TOTALS 61 11 5 97 SCRIPPS RANCH (27-4) 27 25 18 20 20 -- 3 WEST HILLS (29-6) 25 22 25 25 18 -- 2 Assists: Strange 51, Johnson 3, Peabody 2, Piskulick 49. Hitting: West Hills 62-21 on 204 attempts (.201), Scripps Ranch 61-19 on 211 attempts (.199). Total Errors: WH 39 (8 serve, 21 hitting, 10 other), SR 30 (12 serve, 19 hitting, 9 other). (11-22-03)
Christian players celebrate a point during
their season-ending loss in the CIF playoffs Wednesday night.
(11-19-03). (photo by Nick Pellegrino/story inside)
SDCIF Championships
Semifinals
Thurs., Nov. 20
DIVISION II
No. 1 West Hills df. No. 4 Valhalla, 25-13, 25-16, 25-22
No. 2 Scripps Ranch df. No. 3 Escondido, 24-26, 25-19, 25-19,
25-20
Championships
Sat., Nov. 22
DIVISION II
At Mira Mesa: Scripps Ranch (27-4) vs. West Hills (29-5), 5:30
p.m.
Highlights
West Hills 3, Valhalla 0 - The game plan may have been sound to slow down
West Hills, but the Wolf Pack proved to again possess too many
weapons to stop.
With Kelly Whitehouse tempered due to the blocking of Valhalla's Brittany McPartland, teammate Whitney Anderson stepped in to carry the load. Anderson scored a match high 14 kills, including eight over the first two sets to mount a big lead, as the Wolf Pack (29-5) advanced to Saturday's (Nov. 22) San Diego CIF Division II championship with a straight-sets triumph over the visiting Norsemen (23-11).
It will be the first title game appearance for West Hills since 1997, which was promoted to Division I after claiming the championship that season, only returning to Division II status over the past summer.
Anderson did her damage early, at one stretch putting down four consecutive spikes to build a quick 17-6 lead in the first set. Even when the Pack didn't finish a play, their ball placement made passing difficult for Valhalla, allowing West Hills to then convert several opportunities off a free ball.
"Volleyball is volleyball," said Anderson. "You have your ups and downs, your rallies and spills, but we were able to put lots of points together and we worked hard for it."
Sarah Strange again demonstrated why she is the East County's top setter by moving the ball to all portions of the net. Every teammate who played got into a scoring column with a kill off one of her sets, while Strange kept Valhalla off balance with several tips among her five kills for the match.
"I'm an animal," exclaimed Strange, who flashed her near 40-inch leaping ability by slamming down a Norsemen overpass to highlight the Pack's game two win. "I learned everything from my dad (Valhalla coach Scott Strange) - everything just worked out for us."
Although the match was never in doubt, an exciting third set saw the Norsemen flip their middles and mount an early 10-3 lead behind five kills by Kristin Wolfe, before West Hills ran off eight straight points. However, the Norsemen, motivated by their toga-fashioned fans, ended the drought by matching the hosts point-for-point, as the teams remained tied through each series of points from 10-all to 21-all.
"I'm really satisfied to see the girls dig down and compete," said coach Strange. "West Hills still beat us, but not by as much as before."
Whitehouse still finished with 11 kills and 11 blocks, but many of her shots were off-speed or tips to the side of the block, as McPartland roofed the Division II player of the year candidate twice and forced her to change several other shots, while Jessie Balanay added three stuffs.
"Our team was ready," said Whitehouse. "We've played a lot of volleyball together, so we know how to get things done."
Wolfe paced the Grossmont South League titlists with 10 kills and 13 digs, while McPartland finished with six kills and a pair of service aces.
"We made it look like they were going to win," noted Wolfe on her team's slow start. "I'm glad we were able to play with a team in the class of West Hills and finish playing well."
Amy Johnson added four kills, two blocks
and seven digs for West Hills, while Aime Cordeiro added seven
digs and an ace on match point for the 9-time Grossmont North
League champions.
(11-20-03)
WOLF PACK 3, NORSEMEN 0
VALHALLA k b a d WEST HILLS k b a d
Wolfe 10 0 0 12 Anderson 14 0 0 7
McPartland 6 2 2 4 Whitehouse 11 9 1 11
Balanay 5 3 0 1 Johnson 4 2 0 7
Klarer 4 0 0 2 Cordeiro 1 0 1 7
Cantwell 0 0 1 3 Peabody 2 0 3 3
McNally 2 0 2 4 Strange 5 0 1 7
Schmidt 1 0 0 0 Fitzgerald 2 0 0 1
Beilharz 0 0 0 2
Burkey 1 0 0 5
TOTALS 29 5 5 33 TOTALS 39 11 6 43
VALHALLA (23-11) 13 16 22 -- 0
WEST HILLS (29-5) 25 25 25 -- 3
Assists: McNally 22, Strange 28, Johnson 2.
Hitting: Valhalla 29-11 on 92 att. (.196),
West Hills 39-7 on 83 att. (.386).
SDCIF Championships
Semifinals
Wed., Nov. 19
DIVISION IV
No. 1 Francis Parker df. No. 4 Christian, 25-11, 25-11, 27-29,
25-17
Highlights
EastCountySports.com
Francis Parker 3, Christian 1 - Suddenly, the countless reasons for playing in the tough Western League became clear.
Following a fifth-place finish in the hardest-hitting City Conference circuit, Christian High was able to display some resolve, taking a game from top-seeded Francis Parker before finally falling in Wednesday's (Nov. 19) semifinals of the CIF Division IV volleyball championship.
"It was not the way we wanted to end the year," said junior Kelsey Mitchell, whose Patriots trailed 2-0 before turning on the jets. "So I feel good on how we came back and showed that we can play, too. We showed a lot of heart."
The Lancers, loaded with a wealth of top club players, quickly demonstrated almost every aspect of their playbook in the opening moments, with almost every attack resulting in a kill.
The early sequence illustrated the depth and striking ability of Parker, coached by former U.S. Olympian (and Grossmont College coach) Eric Soto: A quick set to the middle beating the block at the point of attack, a bomb from the back row which landed on the sideline, a dump by the setter, a pair of full-swing rockets from the right side, one going line and the other crosscourt, then some basic "fours" to mount a quick 10-3 lead.
Parker only seemed to be missing an X-2 and a downball for a winner, but each of those would come later, leaving the Patriots scratching for answers. The Lancers secured an amazing .346 hitting percentage over the opening two sets.
"We have a lot of weapons, so when we pass sharply like we did tonight, anyone can finish," said Parker standout Melissa Vassiliadis, who collected a match-high 10 kills while aiding the defense with 13 digs. "We played steady and know what to do with the ball."
However, Christian stayed close in a dramatic third set, which was tied for the 13th time at 24-all entering extended play (i.e., overtime).
Sparking the effort was the defense of Mitchell, who registered eight of her match-best 20 digs in the set, while Kaila Waitley came off the bench to dig four others, including a series of bombs by Vassiliadis. In addition, Ashley Webber claimed half of her eight blocks in the set, making the adjustment to take the angle away from the Lancers.
"Kaili gave us a spark," said Christian coach Julie Crofton. "We haven't seen a team like Parker before all year. It took us a couple of games to get adjusted - I just wish it had taken us only one game."
In extended play, setter Kara McGill got the ball to Brittany Erickson to score a pair of points with kills, then Erickson blocked a ball for another point, yet Parker fought off each of the ensuing game points. However, the Lancers self-destructed with their sixth service error of the set, followed by Mitchell's winner down the middle to closeout a 29-27 triumph.
The outcome was the longest game of the season in any CIF postseason division this season under the new point-per-play scoring system.
Parker, the top seed, also received nine
kills from Whitney Goodall, Ashley Francis added eight and Alexis
Crusey had seven. The Lancers will meet No. 2-seed La Jolla Country
Day in Saturday's (Nov. 22) championship at 1:30 p.m. All five
CIF division finals will be contested at Mira Mesa High.
(11-19-03)
SDCIF Championships
Quarterfinals
Tue., Nov. 18
Division II
No. 1 West Hills df. Ramona, 3-0
No. 4 Valhalla df. Point Loma, 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 14-25, 15-10
Division II, 5:30 p.m.
Highlights
EastCountySports.com
Valhalla 3, Point Loma 2 - Letting on water and in the process of sinking quickly, Valhalla High saw visiting Point Loma score 9 of the final 11 points in game four, carrying all the momentum into a fifth-set tiebreaker in Tuesday's (Nov. 18) SDCIF Division II volleyball quarterfinals.
However, Jessie Balanay righted the listing ship with a series of big plays. The secondary middle-blocker who normally starts in the back row, Balanay opened the tiebreaker in the front row and quickly stuffed two balls and drilled down an overpass for a kill for three quick points, allowing the Norsemen to avoid the upset and race to a match-clinching 15-10 triumph.
Valhalla advances to Thursday's (Nov. 20) semifinals at West Hills against the top-seeded Wolf Pack, who raced to a straight sets triumph over Ramona.
Balanay's series of three consecutive plays for points help built a 5-1 lead, but Point Loma spiker Allison James answered with three kills, part of her match-high total of 17, to again tie the game at 6-all.
However, Balanay's scoring was enough to force Pointers blockers from cheating to the outside, allowing Norsemen gunners Brittany McPartland and Kristin Wolfe enough room to slam a series of shots to the floor. Setter Jamie McNally then went back to Balanay on a quick set to beat Point Loma at the net, giving Valhalla a 12-6 lead to all but seal the final set.
"The whole team knew we had to do something," said Balanay. "We needed some intensity to win - we needed to show some desire."
Instead, Point Loma brought its vocal crowd to its feet with a series of explosive shots, as James struck a series of spikes to all corners of the court for kills, while teammate Whitney Jorgensen added nine kills and six aces, including a pair of service winners during a 7-0 run to close out the fourth set.
Julie Chalker added seven kills and seven digs for Point Loma, but the Eastern League representatives failed on an astounding 19 serves, including a ball which sailed long on match point.
Wolfe registered nine kills, 12 digs and a half-dozen aces for the Norsemen, while McPartland recorded a team-best 13 kills and three blocks.
"We just needed to relax and play with what we already knew we had - confidence, skill and defense," noted McPartland. "Especially when we're on the spot."
Point Loma had a full dozen errors, including six netted serves, to give away the first set, but stormed back after cutting their error total in half in game two.
Wolfe then scored four aces, including three straight during one term of service, to key Valhalla's victory in game three for a 2-1 advantage. However, inspired play by Point Loma quickly put the Norsemen into position to give away the match.
"We got down on ourselves and it cost us our confidence," added Wolfe. "Hopefully, we can play a full match against West Hills."
West Hills 3, Ramona 0 - A seemingly disinterested Wolf Pack played ragged over spurts, yet still was able to quickly vanquish the overmatched Bulldogs.
"We just won 3-0," said setter Sarah Strange. "Then coach told us to get ready for Thursday."
"We didn't know who we were going to play, but I knew Point Loma would give Valhalla a good game - and they did."
West Hills defeated Valhalla in straight
sets during the first week of Grossmont Conference play in the
teams' lone meeting nearly two months ago.
(11-18-03)
CIF Championships
Quarterfinals
Mon., Nov. 17
DIVISION III
No.1 USDHS df. Santana, 25-6, 25-7, 25-18
DIVISION IV
No.4 Christian df. Imperial, 25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 25-16
Highlights
EastCountySports.com
Christian 3, Imperial 1 - It was much like Elvis leaving the building - but when Christian High spiker Kelsey Mitchell returned, the outside hitter sparked the Patriots to an 11-4 run the third set, Monday (Nov. 17), lifting the hosts to a CIF Division IV quarterfinal-round victory over Imperial.
Mitchell overcame a series of hitting errors to play near flawless volleyball over the final 1 1/2 games, when she added 11 of her match-high 19 digs to frustrate the Tigers and allow the Patriots to gain a berth into Wednesday's (11-19-03) semifinals.
"When I came back into the building, I found out what I was doing wrong," said Mitchell, who overpowered the smaller Tigers at the net, but couldn't find the floor to allow the visitors to split the first two sets. "When I realized I wasn't snapping (her wrist) and dropping my elbow, then it all began to work for me."
With her spiking approach back in order, Mitchell drilled down five consecutive balls, as the Patriots easily closed out the final two sets. The victory gives Christian a Final Four meeting at top-ranked Francis Parker. The winner advances to Saturday's (11-22-03) championship contest 1:30 p.m. at Mira Mesa.
Imperial stayed close with standout back row defense, including an array of digs by Melanie Medina, who scooped up 17 shots. However, the taller Patriots got hands on balls which Imperial least expected, including a series of downballs which went for stuffs.
"They were really scrappy, which surprised me," said Kelsey Knudsen, who shared match honors with six blocks. "But we pulled together and got it done. Now we need to do the same against Parker."
After pushing Division III powerhouse La Jolla to five games in a tough Western League match last week, Patriots coach Julie Crofton believes her troops will avoid distractions and be ready for the Lancers.
"I hope we can play a level even higher than this," noted Crofton. "Our defense brought us back tonight, and we'll need that pace for Parker. But I'm confident we can get there."
Brittany Erickson paced the Patriots with 13 kills, Knudsen added nine, while Katie Lasswell had seven. Poor passing early on made life difficult for setter Kara McGill, but as Christian's passing settled, strong McGill playmaking saw the Pats commit a mere three hitting errors in the final set.
"Our passing was particularly good and we can't do that against a good team," noted McGill. "But if we come out strong with our passing, we'll come out strong against Parker."
For the match, Christian posted a .125 hitting percentage, but once Mitchell made her adjustments, the entire offense was sparked, spiking at a solid .357 clip. Meanwhile, the Tigers finished at just .061 even though never suffering minus-hitting in any single set.
Ashley Webber led the Patriots with four
aces while adding five blocks. Imperial was paced by Jennie Bowlan's
seven kills.
(11-17-03)
Fri., Nov. 14
CIF Playoffs, First Round
Division III
No. 8 Santana df. Madison, 25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19
Division I
No. 5 Carlsbad df. Granite Hills, 25-15, 25-17, 25-14
No. 6 Rancho Buena Vista df. Helix, 25-9, 25-11, 22-25, 25-16
Division IV: Horizon Christian df. Mountain Empire, 25-16,
25-21, 25-20
Franey's triple-double lifts
Sultans into quarterfinals
Santana 3, Madison 1 -- Sophomore
spiker Jordan Franey registered a rare triple-double Friday (Nov.
14), collecting 27 kills, 14 digs and 10 aces to power the Sultans
past visiting Madison in the opening round of the CIF Division
III
Volleyball Championship.
The eighth-seeded Sultans next tangle with top-seeded USDHS in Monday's quarterfinals, starting at 7 p.m.
Franey was unstoppable on both offense and defense in helping Santana race to an early 2-0 lead. She pounded down five kills in the first set, then raised her game in set two by adding seven more kills and five aces -- including three straight at one point -- to dominate the Warhawks.
"Making the CIF playoffs was important to us, and then winning in the playoffs was important to us, too," noted Franey, who added five consecutive kills in Game Four to mount a 12-2 lead and end Madison's hopes for a comeback. "We had an awesome time playing today."
While senior Joy Tili kept Madison, the Harbor League runner-ups, close with eight kills and 18 digs, including 10 digs in the third game, the Hawks didn't possess the height to block effectively. Thus, the entire rotation was able to score for Santana, including five kills from Maria DeBarrows.
"Madison was scrappy and came back," added Franey, who also recorded a hat trick en route to four consecutive service aces in game two. "But this wasn't a match we were going to throw away."
Alyssa Ramirez recorded 13 digs to key a solid Sultans defensive effort, while DeBarrows and Heather Thomas added 12 digs each, limiting Madison to a mere .070 hitting percentage.
Rancho Buena Vista 3, Helix 1 -- Playing their best volleyball of the season, the Highlanders took a game from the sixth-seeded Longhorns to get back into the match, but 13 kills by RBV's Andrea Csaszi was too much to overcome. The 'Horns also received eight kills and four aces from Tania D'Agostini, while Angela Pinamonti set for 42 assists.
Carlsbad 3, Granite Hills 0 -- Kristin Hasselberg registered nine kills, nine digs and seven aces for the fifth-seeded Lancers (19-9) in the sweep. Also contributing in the victory were Katie Lalicata with six kills and three assists and Courtney Tanner with four kills and five aces to eliminate the Alpine-laced Eagles.
WED., NOV. 12
Grossmont North League
Santana df. Grossmont, 25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 19-25, 15-11
West Hills df. El Capitan, walkover
El Cajon Valley -- bye
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Granite Hills, 25-21, 25-13, 25-23
Helix df. Monte Vista, 25-19, 25-15, 25-19
Mount Miguel df. Monte Vista, 3-1
End regular season
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Granite Hills 0 -- Following Monday's (Nov. 10) wake-up call when
Valhalla was blown out by Helix, the Norsemen were back to business
in
Wednesday's (Nov. 12) regular season, clinching the Grossmont
South League
title outright by putting the hurt to visiting Granite Hills,
3-0, on Seniors Night
Santana 3, Grossmont 2 -- Jordan Franey placed the finishing touches on an all-league performance by posting 22 kills, as the Sultans survived a late Foothillers rally to clinch second place outright in the Grossmont North League. A member of the Grossmont coaching staff received a red card for stepping onto the court.
WED., NOV. 12
Grossmont North League
Santana df. Grossmont, 25-23, 25-20, 24-26, 19-25, 15-11
West Hills df. El Capitan, walkover
El Cajon Valley -- bye
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Granite Hills, 25-21, 25-13, 25-23
Helix df. Monte Vista, 25-19, 25-15, 25-19
Mount Miguel df. Monte Vista, 3-1
End regular season
FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Grossmont North League -- West Hills 8-0 (27-5 overall), Santana
6-2 (10-11),
Grossmont 4-4 (unknown), El Cajon Valley 2-6 (2-11), El Capitan
0-8 (1-12).
Grossmont South League -- Valhalla 9-1 (22-10), Helix 8-2
(18-7), Granite
Hills 7-3 (16-9), Steele Canyon 4-6 (unknown), Monte Vista 1-9
(2-12), Mount
Miguel 1-9 (1-14).
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Granite Hills 0 -- Following Monday's (Nov. 10) wake-up call when
Valhalla was blown out by Helix, the Norsemen were back to business
in
Wednesday's (Nov. 12) regular season, clinching the Grossmont
South League
title outright by putting the hurt to visiting Granite Hills,
3-0, on Seniors Night
Kristin Wolfe established the tone early
in the first set, propelling the
hosts with six kills and a half-dozen digs in the first set, then
Emily "E-
Clare" Klarer helped take control of the net in game two
with a pair of stuff blocks
to ignite a 9-1 scoring run.
"We played with heart after that disappointing
loss to Helix," explained
Klarer, who finished with 10 kills, three blocks and 12 digs to
stabilize the
back half of the Valhalla rotation. "We ran our offense and
had all three hitters
always available."
The triumph prevented the schools, plus
Helix, from finishing in a three-way
title for the league crown.
The opening set saw seven lead changes before
Norsemen setter Jamie McNally
helped adjust her team's hitting angles to avoid Eagles blockers
Brittney
Williams and Natalie Davis, who combined for six blocks on the
night.
"Variation was the key for our offense,"
noted Wolfe, who finished with a
match-high 15 kills while adding a pair of service aces. "Then
we got our
adrenaline pumping and took it from there."
Granite Hills stayed close with consistent
digging and passing, including six
first-set digs by backcourt stalwart Jessica Talman. But when
the Norsemen
starting extending the court with their attacks, the Norsemen
raced to an easy
win in game two before clearing the bench to close out the match.
Valhalla will advance to the CIF Playoffs
seeding meeting Thursday night,
hoping to get placed in a solid position to gain rematches with
both San
Pasqual and Grossmont North League titlist West Hills.
"We would like to see (defending CIF
champion) San Pasqual again, since they
beat us in the semifinals last year," said Klarer.
Added Wolfe, "And I don't think we've
ever beat West Hills in my four years
here, so it would nice to get a shot at playing them again, too."
The seniors honored prior to the contest
included: Granite Hills' Davis,
Williams, Talman, Jennifer Whitmoyer, Mallory McClain, Megan Suggs
and Kristina
Clarno, and Valhalla's McNally, Klarer, Kylie Beilharz, Angela
Chunn, Jessie
Balanay and Lisa Woodend.
Santana 3, Grossmont 2 -- Jordan Franey placed the finishing touches on an
all-league performance by posting 22 kills, as the Sultans survived
a late Foothillers rally to clinch second place outright in the
Grossmont North League. A member of the Grossmont coaching staff
received a red card for stepping onto the court.
Helix 3, Monte Vista -- The Highlanders raced to an easy
victory, hoping they could collect a share of the Grossmont South
League title. However, the Norsemen also won in three straight
games, leaving Helix in second place. Adriana DeJong powered the
Scotties with 11 kills.
West Hills 3, El Capitan 0 -- The Wolf Pack finished undefeated
in league play for the fifth consecutive season as the Vaqueros
elected not to play the re-scheduled match which was originally
postponed due to wildfires.
(11-12-03)
Monday, NOV. 10
Grossmont South League
Helix df. Valhalla, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22
Monte Vista df. Mount Miguel, 25-15, 25-21, 25-21
Granite Hills df. Steele Canyon, 25-20, 25-12, 25-20
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. Grossmont, 3-0
No other scores reported.
Highlights
HELIX 3, VALHALLA 0 --
Playing near-perfect position volleyball, the
Highlanders turned the tables on the league-leading Norsemen with
a shocking
sweep Monday (Nov. 10), setting the possibility for a tri-championship
in the
Grossmont South League.
Adriana DeJong excelled throughout the Helix
rotation, collecting 11 kills,
12 digs and four aces, while defensive specialists Sipau Lee-Noa
and Alyssa
Mendes repeatedly cleaned the floor with successful digs, both
reaching double
figures to further frustrate Valhalla. The victory avenged a three-game
setback
suffered at home last month.
"We simply got everything up and kept
playing hard," said Mendes, who
recorded a match-high 19 digs while adding seven kills. "And
when we got
everything up, it let us set our middles."
The Highlanders' transition game gave setter
Jennifer Kandt a variety of
options, including a series of kills on the quick set to middle-blocker
Chastity Toilolo, who continued to beat the Norsemen at the net,
then finding holes
around the floor players.
"We played cleaner volleyball and made
plays," noted DeJong, as Helix
committed just four faults in the final set. "It had to be
our best match we've
ever played in my four years here at Helix."
Meanwhile, the Norsemen committed an uncharacteristic
31 errors over the
three sets, giving Helix opportunities to rally from a 13-5 deficit
in game
two, then score four of the final five points in the match-clinching
set that was
once tied at 21-all.
"I'm proud of the way I played; proud
of the way we all played," added
Lee-Noa, who gave a solid fist-pump over her head to punctuate
her excitement.
"This was big!"
The victory gave Helix (17-7, 7-2) a season
split with both Valhalla (21-10,
8-1) and Granite Hills (7-2), teams which meet in Wednesday's
makeup match at
Valhalla to conclude the regular season. The Norsemen will capture
the league
title outright with a victory, otherwise, all three teams will
share the
championship, making a potential mess for playoff seed determinations.
Kristin Wolfe paced the Norsemen with 12
kills and 15 digs, while Brittany
McPartland added 11 kills and a solo block. Both sides collected
39 kills, but
Valhalla posted twice as many spiking errors.
(11-10-03)
Tue., Nov. 4
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. Santana, 25-4, 25-4, 25-16
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Monte Vista, 25-13, 25-16, 25-19
Granite Hills df. Mount Miguel, 25-16, 25-17, 25-8
Highlights
Granite Hills 3, Mount Miguel 0 -- Brittney Williams posted eight kills and Natalie
Davis added seven to lead the Eagles. Jennifer Whitmoyer added
eight service aces.
West Hills 3, Santana 0 It what could become known as the quickest Senior Night on record, the Wolf Pack needed just 46 minutes to polish off the visiting Sultans to all by clinch a record ninth consecutive Grossmont North League crown.
"This group of girls have done an incredible job," said veteran Wolf Pack coach Don Rutledge, who has guided this current crop of seniors to a composite record so far of 106-29, including 49 of 50 Grossmont Conference encounters.
West Hills raced to leads of 15-0 and 14-1 over the first two sets Tuesday (Nov. 4), demonstrating that this team is primed for the playoffs.
"It went pretty much like any other night, except we got flowers and some other stuff," said outside hitter Kelly Whitehouse, who is expected to receive her second consecutive league Player of the Year award later this month. "Now the hope is to see Scripps Ranch in the CIF Final. We saw them in several tournaments, but never got a chance to play against them."
The CIF Division II pool of contenders lists other obstacles for the Wolf Pack, too.
"There's Scripps Ranch and Escondido two teams we didn't get to play this year," added four-year starting setter Sarah Strange. "And Valhalla will be tough, too, now that they have Brittney (McPartland) back."
Meanwhile, a second West Hills player will be receiving a scholarship to play collegiate volleyball. In addition, to Whitehouse's announcement to play at Portland, defensive specialist Aime Cordeiro stated she will play for Iona.
"It's just a matter of how much money they will give me I should know by the end of the month," said Cordeiro, who has a three-quarters offer on the table but it hopeful to land a full-ride scholarship. "When I visited there, I just fell in love with the school and New York City."
Whitehouse paced the Wolf Pack with 11 kills, eight digs and a pair of aces, while Cordeiro paced the defense with nine digs.
Strange posted 20 assists over the first two sets, then moved to outside hitter for parts of the third set, demonstrating her versatility by collecting both right-side and on-side kills.
Whitney Anderson and Amy Boutelle added five kills each, while Cordeiro and Vanessa Fitzgerald had four each in the balanced attack.
Santana, which rests in second place in the league, received three kills each from Jordan Franey and Maria DeBarrows, while Franey and Heather Thomas recorded seven digs each.
Valhalla 3, Monte Vista 0 Kristin Wolfe registered 11 kills and Dana Burkey added six, leading to the Norsemen sweep of the Monarchs.
(11-05-03)
Prep Volleyball
Mon., Nov. 3
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. El Cajon Valley, 25-6, 25-11, 25-10.
Highlights
West Hills 3, El Cajon Valley 0 -- Whitney Anderson registered 13 kills and four
aces Monday (Nov. 3) to lead the re-start to the volleyball season
in West Hills' three-set sweep of the visiting Braves.
The season was delayed for more than a week due to massive wildfires
in the county, including a tip of the Cedar Fire, which reached
directly across the street from the West Hills campus.
Kelly Whitehouse added eight kills and five aces for the Wolf
Pack, while Amy Johnson posted nine kills on just 13 spiking
attempts for a scorching .692 hitting clip.
In addition, Sarah Strange collected four service aces.
The continuation of the listed schedule resumes tonight (Tue.,
Nov. 4), when the Pack hosts Santana. The rescheduled dates for
postponed matches will be announced as soon as gymnasium and refereee
availability becomes clear.
(11-04-03)
Sat., Oct. 25
Mira Mesa Tournament
Championship -- Vista df. Valhalla, 25-12, 25-13.
Semifinals -- Valhalla df. Mount Carmel, 27-25, 25-23; Vista
df. Scripps Ranch, 25-17, 25-16.
Quarterfinals -- Valhalla df. Anchorage-Service, 25-17, 25-21;
Vista df. San Dieguito Academy, 25-21, 25-18; Scripps Ranch df.
Mira Mesa, 25-20, 25-16; Mount Carmel df. Our Lady of Peace, 25-15,
25-19.
Round One -- Valhalla df. Chula Vista; Scripps Ranch df. Patrick
Henry; Mira Mesa df. Granite Hills; San Dieguito Academy df. Helix;
Vista df. Calvin Christian; Mount Carmel df. Anchorage-Diamond;
Anchorage-Service df. Rancho Bernardo; OLP df. Madison.
Thurs., Oct. 22
Grossmont South League
Helix df. Granite Hills, 25-16, 25-27, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12
Steele Canyon df. Monte Vista, 25-22, 25-19, 25-23
Valhalla df. Mount Miguel, 25-12, 25-8, 25-21
Helix setter is No. 15 Jennifer Kandt,
while ready to hit middle is No. 8 Chasity Toilolo, although the
ball actually went to No. 9 Adriana DeJong (she's just off Toilolo's
left shoulder). Ready to block is GH-19 Kristina Clarno. (photo
by Nick Pellegrino)
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Mount Miguel 0 -- Kristin Wolfe powered 15 kills and freshman setter
Dana Burkey posted 26 assists, keeping the Norsemen undefeated
in league play.
Helix 3, Granite Hills 2 - Andrea Ness and Adriana DeJong
each registered 13
kills, while Katie Harris served eight aces, helping the Highlanders
overcome
a 2-1 deficit to down the visiting Eagles Thursday (Oct. 23),
giving the teams
a split of the season series.
Granite Hills, which defeated Helix in four
games earlier in league play,
grabbed the early lead behind middle-blocker Brittney Williams,
who collected
six of her eight blocks in the third set. The Eagles then scored
six consecutive
points early in the fourth set before the Highlanders called a
timeout to make
adjustments.
"We figured out how to hit around their
block, then capitalized on their
mistakes," noted DeJong, a senior outside hitter. "It
was now-or-never for us,
and our defense had to make the plays."
Alyssa Mendes came off the bench to key
a Scotties rally in the game four.
Tied at 15-all, Mendes registered a crosscourt winner for a kill,
then a
service ace for a 19-16 lead. Jessica Milligan (8 kills) and DeJong
also added kills
down the stretch to force the tiebreaker.
In the fifth, Helix mounted a 9-2 lead behind
a pair of DeJong kills and an
ace by Harris. The Eagles moved to within 11-10 on a pair of tips
for kills be
setter Mallory McClain and a pair of solid digs of Natalie Davis
to keep a
pair of rallies alive, one of which finished by a Whitmoyer spike
that landed
in the corner.
However, Helix middle Leah Trask recorded
her only kill of the match by
"six-packing" an Eagles defender in the face with a
high spike over the block,
then a Ness kill and a Harris ace completed the rally for Helix.
"We felt we were close in game five,"
noted Ness, a senior opposite. "And
after the last time when we lost to them in four, we fought hard
to come back."
Whitmoyer paced the Eagles with 13 kills
and nine digs, Davis had seven kills
and a pair of blocks, while Kristine Clarno had a part in seven
composite
blocks.
With the loss, Valhalla moves to within
one match of clinching the Grossmont
South League title. Granite Hills and Helix rest in a virtual
tie for second
place.
(10-23-03)
Tue., Oct. 20
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Steele Canyon, 25-8, 25-9, 25-13
Granite Hills df. Monte Vista, 25-17, 25-14, 25-7
Helix df. Mount Miguel, 25-12, 25-9, 25-18
Grossmont North League
Santana df. El Capitan, 25-23, 25-4, 25-20
Only results reported
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Steele Canyon 0 -- Kristin Wolfe registered match-highs of 15 kills
and eight aces, including seven service winners in the opening
set, propelling the Norsemen past the host Cougars.
Tied at 6-6 in Game One, Wolfe registered four straight aces for a 10-6 lead, then kept right on serving until Valhalla collected 16 consecutive points, one short of the East County record established by West Hills last week. During the streak, the junior outside hitter also added a pair of kills from the back row.
Jessie Balanay, Kylie Beilarz and Brittany McPartland added four kills each for the Norsemen. The match marked the return of McPartland to action after an injury, as she added five aces, including four in the second set. However, she simply filled a new hole on the roster after senior Lisa Woodend was lost for the season after fracturing her wrist in a club soccer match over the weekend.
Emily Klarer keyed the Norsemen defense with six digs and a pair of blocks, while setters Jamie McNally (25 assists) and freshman Dana Burkey (10 assists) shared duties.
Steele Canyon collected just six kills in
the match, including a pair each from Victoria Mazon and Jacque
Afoa. Mazon also added five digs and an ace for the Cougars.
Santana 3, El Capitan 0 -- Jordan Franey blasted 17 kills,
as Santana equaled the single-game East County record for largest
margin of victory during the second set in whipping the Vaqueros.
Sat., Oct. 18
Wolf Pack makes presence felt at Torrey Pines California Challenge
SAN DIEGO -- West Hills High demonstrated it will be the team to beat in the CIF Division II volleyball championships this season following an excellent showing at the Torrey Pines California Challenege on Saturday (Oct. 18).
The Wolf Pack (23-5) pushed eventual tournament champion L.A. Marymount - the top-rated school in the Southern Section and in the state - to four games after splitting sets in a pair of nail-biters.
Marymount took the first set in extended play, 26-24, before West Hills went the distance before pulling out a 25-23 decision. Marymount went on to take the next two games, 25-17, 25-11, despite 17 kills by senior outside hitter Kelly Whitehouse.
Later in the event, Marymount also went four games in defeating Poway before downing TEAM in the finale to solidify then ranking of fourth in the nation by at least one rating service. The team also captured the Mitty and Durango tournaments.
Meanwhile, West Hills went to a tie-breaker to down Temecula-Chaparral, then fell to state powers RSM-Santa Margarita and Bakersfield-Liberty, each in straight sets.
For the
event, Whitehouse finished with 60 kills, including a high of
18 against Chaparral. Whitney Anderson (left) recorded
42 kills for the weekend, including 15 against Marymount and 11
versus Chaparral.
Among local teams, Poway (19-5) finished in a tie for fifth with La Costa Canyon (19-3), while the host Falcons (12-5) placed in a tie for seventh. All are Division I teams in the San Diego Section.
Scores -- West Hills: df. Temecula-Chaparral, 11-25, 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 15-11; lost to L.A. Marymount, 26-24, 23-25, 25-17, 25-11; lost to RSM-Santa Margarita, 25-12, 25-13, 25-21; lost to Bakersfield-Liberty, 26-24, 25-17, 25-20.
West Hills' Amie Cordero (second from right)
starts a play Tuesday night (10-13-03) with teammates close by.
(photo by Nick Pellegrino)
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. Santana, 25-16, 25-12, 25-4
Highlights
West Hills 3, Santana 0 -
In a showdown of the league's two top hitters and
both remaining undefeated Grossmont North League teams, Kelly
Whitehouse
registered match-highs of 16 kills and nine digs, pacing the Wolf
Pack past the
host Sultans in just 51 minutes on Thursday (Oct. 16).
Whitehouse collected 13 of her kills over
the first two sets, then added a
long run of serving points which included three aces in the third
game, as West
Hills scored the biggest single-game victory in the East County
since the
adoption of the new scoring method. The victory gives West Hills
(22-2 overall)
a 3-0 record in league play, while Santana, which edged Grossmont
in five games
after leading 2-0 on Tuesday, dropped its first league match in
three starts.
Whitney Anderson added seven kills and a
pair of blocks for the Pack, while
teammate Amy Johnson posted six kills and four aces in the triumph.
Setter
Sarah Strange collected 26 assists, while Amy Boutelle served
four aces,
including three in-a-row during the second set.
Jordan Franey, Santana's top offensive threat,
was limited to five kills, as
tough serving or early termination of rallies by West Hills kept
the Sultans
offense off-balance. Franey also led her side's defense with five
digs.
(10-16-03)
Christian appears to record a winner against
Scripps Ranch Wednesday night at Ryan Athletic Center. (photo
by Nick Pellegrino)
EastCountySports.com
Wed., Oct. 15
Western League
Scripps Ranch df. Christian, 25-16, 25-18, 25-12
Highlights
Scripps Ranch 3, Christian 0 -- Junior outside hitter Lyndsey Parker recorded
14 kills and Dani Huffman added seven kills and six aces Wednesday
(Oct. 15),
leading the visiting Falcons to the rout of Christian at Ryan
Center.
The Patriots were even early in the first
set at 7-all, but a series of
unforced errors doomed the hosts, despite seven kills and six
blocks by Kelsey
Mitchell.
"Our girls are learning to play smart
and are very united," noted veteran
Falcons coach Ronni Olsen. "Although we'd like to think we
can be competitive
enough to win league this year -- and we can -- with so many juniors
on this
team, next year should really be a good year."
Meanwhile, Christian's nucleus of strong
players are trying to carry their
teammates along.
"Sure we have some holes and we're
working on them, but all of our girls have
really improved and we had a much better showing against Scripps
Ranch than
when we played them the first time," said Pats coach Julie
Crofton.
"Defensively we played well, but we don't have experienced
setting."
Team defense at the net accounted for 10
total blocks, while Katie Lasswell
and Kelsey Kundson added five kills for Christian (7-13 overall,
1-6 in
league). The Falcons (15-2, 7-1) remain a half-game behind front-running
USDHS.
NOTES -- Monte Vista High doubled its win
total without playing a match, when
El Centro Southwest announced it utilized an ineligible player
in two of its
victories, including a decision to the Monarchs (now 2-9 overall)
earlier this
season.
(10-15-03)
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. El Capitan, 25-10, 25-10, 25-8
Highlights
West Hills 3, El Capitan 0 - The Wolf Pack scored the first seven points of
the match en route to a 43-minute sweep of the visiting Vaqueros.
Portland-bound
outside hitter Kelly Whitehouse (left) led West Hills (21-2)
with 11
kills, while Amy Johnson added seven kills. The tough-serving
Pack also
received eight aces from Sarah Strange, while Vanessa Fitzgerald
added three
aces in her debut as a varsity server.
Meanwhile, Whitney Anderson announced that
she has placed Georgetown and
Denver among her short list of finalists to accept a volleyball
scholarship.
(10-14-03)
Grossmont North League
Santana df. Grossmont, 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 15-6
Jordan Franey registered a season-high 24 kills the best mark in East County this season lifting the Sultans into second place past the Foothillers.
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Granite Hills 25-20, 25-23, 25-19
Thurs., Oct. 9
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Helix, 25-13, 25-23, 25-18
Granite Hills df. Steele Canyon, 25-19, 25-12, 20-25, 25-18
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Helix 0 -- Kristin Wolfe slammed 18 kills and Emily Delarer
added
eight kills, including four on just five spikes in the third set,
lifting the
Norsemen past the host Highlanders.
Valhalla received tough serving to open
an early first-set lead, including
four of five aces by Wolfe, sending numerous balls deep to the
service line.
Helix then never adjusted and passed several balls which seemingly
were long,
giving the Norsemen several easy points.
Kylie Beilharz added five kills for Valhalla,
while setter Jamie McNally
collected 34 assists. Helix was paced by outside hitter Adriana
DeJong, who
posted seven kills.
Granite Hills at Steele Canyon
Monte Vista at Mount Miguel
Grossmont North League
Grossmont at West Hills
Santana at El Cajon
Wed., Oct. 8
Western League
Christian df. Mira Mesa, 19-25, 25-13, 25-15, 25-17
Highlights
Christian 3, Mira Mesa 1 -- Junior outside hitter Kelsey Mitchell slammed a
career-high 13 kills, while Ashley Webber added nine blocks, helping
the Patriots overcome a first-set setback and sweep the final
three games from the visiting Marauders.
Tue., Oct. 7
Grossmont North League
West Hills df. El Cajon Valley, 25-6, 25-9, 25-5
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills df. Helix, 26-24, 27-25, 17-25, 25-21
Steele Canyon df. Monte Vista, 25-7, 25-23, 25-15
Valhalla df. Mt. Miguel, 25-20, 25-10, 25-14
Highlights
West Hills 3, El Cajon Valley 0 -
Following a berth in the championship match
at the Scripps Ranch Tournament, the Wolf Pack continued its strong
play by
sweeping the Braves. It was the biggest margin of victory in East
County since
the start of rally scoring rules.
Kelly Whitehouse, following a 42-kill performance
in tournament play last
Saturday, paced West Hills (19-2, 1-0) with 12 kills, while Amy
Johnson, Amy
Boutelle and Vanessa Fitzgerald had six kills each. In addition,
Whitney
Anderson
(42 kills at Scripps) added five kills, while Sarah Strange and
Aime Cordeiro
had two aces each.
(10-08-03)
Granite Hills 3, Helix 1 - For the second season running, the Eagles
surprised the visiting Highlanders to move into position to have
a run at the
Grossmont South title.
Natalie Davis paced Granite Hills with 13
kills, mostly on assists from
setter Mallory McClain. Adriana DeJong recorded 10 kills for the
Highlanders.
(10-08-03)
Helix setter Jennifer Kandt gets in position
to quick-set teammate Leah Trask (No. 2) during Monday's three-game
sweep of host Eastlake Monday night.
Time is now for Highlanders to continue
cohesive play
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA - The CIF playoffs may be a
month away, but the biggest week of
the season is now for the Helix Highlanders. The busy schedule
of five matches
over six days began Saturday (Oct. 4) with more cohesive play
at the Scripps
Ranch Tournament, then continued Monday (Oct. 6) by sweeping host
Eastlake,
25-18, 25-17, 25-18, in a non-league match.
However, the stakes jump with Tuesday's
(Oct. 7) Grossmont South League
opener at Granite Hills, then Thursday's (Oct. 9) showdown with
preseason
favorite
Valhalla at Helix' Caledonia Gymnasium. Both matches start at
6 p.m.
"It's the most important week of the
season for us," said coach Tom Hunter.
"And beating a Division I team in Eastlake will help us."
Right-side hitter Andrea Ness established
a career-high with nine kills, and
setter Jennifer Kandt registered 43 assists in just three sets
to subdue the
Titans to continue a stretch of improved play.
"Andrea just hammered the ball all
night," added Hunter. "And we're getting
good balance from everyone on the court."
The non-league victory may be advantageous
for playoff seeding purposes, but
a league title will aid the Scotties even further.
"First, we have to get past Granite
Hills," noted Helix standout Adriana
DeJong of the Eagles, a team that split two matches with the Highlanders
last
season as the sides finished in a tie for second place behind
the Norsemen. "We
don't underestimate anyone and try to prepare and be ready for
everyone."
DeJong added six kills to down the Titans,
including a pair after Helix
trailed 6-1 in the second set, spurring an 11-2 Highlanders run
to grab control
of the match. She sees the team's play rising following Monday's
victory and the
team's performance in tournament play over the weekend.
"The tournament helps us stay focused
for really important matches," she
added. "We only lost to University City, which is a pretty
good team. We only
lost by two and three points, so we're confident we can build
from it."
In the tournament, West Hills advanced through
four rounds before finally
falling to Rancho Buena Vista, 29-27, 25-15, in the championship
match. Kelly
Whitehouse and Whitney Anderson of the Wolf Pack were named to
the all-
tournament team.
DeJong also was named to the consolation
bracket's all-tournament squad.
(10-06-03)
A
Valhalla player attempts a dig Thursday night against Steele Canyon
(photo by Nick Pellegrino)
Norsemen sweep, but underestimate tough Cougars
EastCountySports.com
Valhalla 3, Steele Canyon 0 -
The Norsemen trailed in every set,
yet came up with the points at the end of each game to complete
a sweep of the visiting Cougars on the opening night of league
play. But the performance was far from perfect for a team tabbed
to be a contender for the title.
"We underestimated Steele Canyon, that's for sure," said Valhalla middle-blocker Emily Klarer, who powered the late rallies with 10 kills and three blocks. "We pumped it up when we needed to, but we need to take it up and take advantage playing teams like this."
Instead, the Norsemen trailed by at least four points in each set before the offense was finally able to complete plays. Meanwhile, the Cougars (0-1, 2-3 overall), which stunned Grossmont last week, continued to play well defensively to put the scare into another opponent.
"They're scrappy and dug balls, but we ran our plays, although it can be ugly at times," added Klarer.
Assisting the Norsemen offense was late substitute Angela Chunn, who collected two kills and three blocks late in the third game. The second game was rescued partially by Kylie Beilharz, who registered seven consecutive service points.
Lisa Woodend completed the match's longest serve streak at 8-point to help Valhalla out of a 6-1 hole in the second game. For the match, junior outside hitter Kristin Wolfe again paced the Norsemen with 16 kills and three aces, with setter Jamie McNally gaining the assist on most of the plays.
Steele Canyon hung close behind the net
play of Victoria Mazon, who recorded nine kills and six blocks,
including consecutive stuffs in the third game to
push the game even at 17-all after trailing 8-3 following Beilharz'
tough serving.
The Cougars also gave up the lead in the
first set, but rallied from 23-19 down to tie it with four consecutive
points. However, Valhalla closed the set
out behind a Klarer kill off an overpass, slamming the free ball
into the center of the court, then a kill by McNally placed the
Norsemen back on track.
(10-03-03)
Grossmont North League
Highlights
Santana 3, El Capitan 0 --
Jordan Franey added 16 more kills to her East County leading total,
but the overall play of the Sultans has made the team perhaps
the most improved in the Grossmont Conference.
"Because we do a lot of conditioning and everything else
as a team, we do a lot of team bonding," noted senior setter
Heather Thomas, who runs the Sultans expanding offense. "Even
though there's a lot of new players on this team, when we do drills,
we can't do them half-heartedly."
The catalyst remains Franey, the youngest sibling of an athletic
family, who has taken over many matches from her spot as an outside
hitter.
""We work harder because we have a strong desire to
win," said Franey. "My main sport may be basketball,
but I want to improve myself in volleyball, too."
Such court leadership makes teaching the game easier for head
coach Kelly Thaler.
"They communicate real well and they love to try new things,"
said Thaler, who only fields a handful of club players on her
roster. "We try using different options with our new offense
and it seems to be working."
No one is claiming a chance at overthrowing county-ranked West
Hills for the Grossmont North League title, but Santana might
be able to make some noice in the opening rounds of the playoffs.
"We're ahead of where we were at this point last season,"
added the coach. "They're passing well, are scappy and don't
give up easily -- they push through it."
Thurs., Oct. 2
Grossmont North League
Santana df. El Capitan, 25-11, 25-13, 25-21
El Cajon Valley at Grossmont
Bye -- West Hills
Grossmont South League
Valhalla df. Steele Canyon, 25-23, 25-20, 25-22
Other scores not reported
Helix vs. Monte Vista
Granite Hills vs. Mount Miguel
Saturday, Oct. 4
Scripps Ranch Tournament
Championship Bracket
WEST HILLS -- df. Fallbrook, 25-19, 25-19 (first round); df.
Eastlake, 25-12, 25-17 (second round); df. Bonita Vista. 25-13,
25-10 (quarterfinals); df. Santa Fe Christian, 25-19, 25-13 (semifinals);
lost to Rancho Buena Vista, 27-29, 15-15 (championship).
VALHALLA -- lost to Escondido, 20-25, 13-25 (first round);
lost to Sante Fe Christian, 15-25, 19-25 (second round).
All-Tournament Team
Andrea Csaszi, RBV (MVP); Jennie Leftwich, RBV; Kelly Whitehouse,
WH; Whitney Anderson, WH; Lyndsey Parker. Scripps Ranch; Emily
Robinson, SFC; Lauren Kellerman, Escondido.
Consolation Bracket
HELIX -- df. Castle Park, 25-11, 25-22 (quarterfinals); lost
to University City, 23-25, 22-25 (semifinals).
Consolation All-Tournament Team
Allie Appel, UC; Stefanie Bryon, Brawley; Kelly Buckingham, P.Henry;
Adrianna DeJong, Helix; Kara Hartz, UC; Jamie Wood, Brawley.
Fri., Oct. 3
Western League
Christian at La Jolla, no result reported
Wed., Oct. 1
Western League
Point Loma df. Christian, 25-17, 25-12, 16-25, 25-17
Patriots leaders - Blocks: B. Erickson (9). Kills: A. Webber
(6). Assists: K. McGill (14).
Tue., Sept. 30
Grossmont sets a play during Valhalla's four-game
victory over the Foothillers Tuesday night. (photo by Nick
Pellegrino)
Grossmont Conference
West Hills df. Granite Hills, 25-7, 25-18, 25-9.
Kelly Whitehouse registered a match-high 14 kills, while Amy Johnson
added 11 kills, helping the Wolf Pack improve their overall record
to 14-1.
Valhalla df. Grossmont, 25-19, 25-27, 25-19, 25-10.
Santana df. Mt Miguel, 25-10, 25-20, 25-18.
Steele Canyon df. El Cajon Valley, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19.
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Grossmont 1
-- After splitting sets, the sluggish Norsemen received a spark
from freshman Dana Burkey, who entered as the setter to assist
in closing out the third set, then moved to outside hitter in
the fourth to generate some offensive punch and settle the team
with her consistent passing.
Burkey also served four aces in the final game, while Emily Klarer was solid at middle blocker while serving six of her seven aces down the stretch. The coaching staff also noted the "stepped up" play of sophomore Kelle Cantwell, while Kristin Wolfe was the Valhalla spiking leader with 11 kills.
Santana 3, Mount Miguel 1 -- Sophomore Jordan Franey recorded 22 kills -- the
highest total in East County this season -- in just three sets
to power the Sultans.
Thursday, Sept. 25
West Hills df. Valhalla, 25-14, 25-16, 25-13
Santana df. Monte Vista, 25-18, 25-9, 25-19
Granite Hills df. El Cajon Valley, 25-17, 25-12, 25-20
Steele Canyon df. Grossmont, 25-20, 25-16, 25-19
Helix df. El Capitan, 25-8, 25-21, 25-21
Bye -- Mount Miguel
Highlights
West Hills 3, Valhalla 0 -- Kelly
Whitehouse pounded 15 balls for kills for the Wolf Pack in the
battle of preseason league favorites in the Grossmont Conference.
In addition, Norsemen coach Scott Strange lost to his daughter's
team for the fourth consecutive season, including the previous
three when he coached at Helix after first moving from El Cajon
Valley.
Santana 3, Monte VIsta 0 -- Jordan Franey registered 19 kills -- one shy of her season high -- leading the Sultans to a sweep.
Granite Hills 3, El Cajon Valley 0 -- Eagles setter Mallory McClain recorded a season-high 32 assists in the annual Battle of Madison Avenue, while Britney Williams added seven putaways. Other leader: Kills: Brazell (10).
Steele Canyon 3, Grossmont 0 -- A balanced attack saw the Cougars not only secure a shocking victory, in came in the form of a sweep of the Foothillers. Middle blcokers Sarah Diem amd Jacque Afoa collected six kills each.
Helix 3, El Capitan 0 -- A pair of juniors -- ChasityToilolo with eight kills and Hayley Gorham with seven -- paced the Scotties sweep of the Vaqueros, as all five of the day's matches never reached a fourth set.
Scripps Ranch Tournament
First Round
At Scripps Ranch: Pool Two5, Monte Vista (0-4).
At Escondido: Pool Three4, Santana (0-3).
At Mar Vista: Pool Seven1, West Hills (4-0);
3, Helix (2-2); Pool Eight2, Valhalla (3-1).
Centurions
avoid Patriots' blockers to take win at RAC
EastCountySports.com
UNIVERSITY CITY 3, CHRISTIAN 1 -- Kara Hart collected nine of her match-high 20
kills in the final set, allowing visiting University City to pull
away and defeat Christian 19-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-21 in Wednesday's
(Sept. 24) Western
League match at Ryan Athletic Center.
Hart, a junior outside hitter, helped the Centurions rally from a first-set setback, sweeping the final three games in a match-up among team predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in the league.
"It's just like my club team," noted Hart, who ended the match with three consecutive put-aways, including a pair of spikes from the back row that found the floor. "My Sun West 16s team was seeded 21st for the Davis Tournament over the summer, and we finished exactly 21st."
University City stayed away from the Patriots touted blockers to find holes in the defense.
Meanwhile, the Patriots offense suffered
in transition, unable to get the ball to their big guns. While
the blocking was superior by their middles, including 10 stuffs
by Brittany Erickson and another seven rejections from
Ashley Webber, no spiker reached 10 kills. Kelsey Kundsen, a junior
opposite, paced the offense with seven kills while adding five
blocks.
"I'm still proud about the way we played - we know we can hang with teams like this," said Christian coach Julie Crafton. "That's why I had us move up (from the Eastern League last year) to get us experience for CIF (playoffs)."
Kelsey Mitchell added four aces for the
Pats, while setter Kara McGill collected 31 assists.
(09-24-03)
Elsewhere
Tuesday night at Monte Vista, West Hills handed the Monarchs
a 3-
0 defeat by the scores of 25-10, 25-10, 25-16.
Kelly Whitehouse served a Wolf Pack-record 17 consecutive points
in game 2,
including 8 of her 10 aces for the evening.
Amy Johnson led West Hills with 9 kills, while Whitehouse chipped
in 4 to bring her kill
total for the season to 85.
West Hills improved its record to 8-0.
Grossmont
middle-blocker Allison DeDonato (No. 1) stops a Granite Hills
attempt Tuesday night (9-23-03).
PREP VOLLEYBALL
Tue., Sept. 23
Grossmont Conference
Granite Hills df. Grossmont, 25-16, 24-26, 25-17, 15-25, 15-6
Valhalla df. El Cajon Valley, 25-10, 25-10, 25-19
West Hills df. Monte Vista, 25-10, 25-10, 25-16
Helix df. Santana, 20-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-19
El Capitan df. Mt. Miguel, 12-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-19
No other scores reported
Highlights
Granite Hills 3, Grossmont 2 -- Brittney Williams collected three of her six
stuff blocks in the tie-breaking fifth set, as the host Eagles
scored eight quick points on serve to build a 10-1 lead, going
on to subdue Grossmont.
Granite Hills led throughout the match, but kept allowing the Foothillers openings to creep back in the sloppy contest.
"But in the fifth game, we were ready to play -- we wanted this game," said Eagles setter Mallory McClain. "We just need better passing to be more consistent -- I was running all over the place, but we overcame that."
The balanced attack saw Melinda Brazell score a match-high eight kills, while Jennifer Whitmoyer added four service aces, including an ace followed by a service winner to mount a 9-point lead in the final set.
"We kept fighting and came through in the end," noted Natalie Davis, one of eight seniors on the Eagles roster. "If we keep improving with good practices, things will work out well."
Allison DeDonato paced Grossmont with seven blocks, but an inconsistent attack found none of the Hillers spiking for more than five kills.
Valhalla 3, El Cajon Valley 0 -- Sophomore opposite Brittany Cahoon and junior outside hitter Kristin Wolfe each registered seven kills, pacing the Norsemen over the Braves. Defensive specialist Kelle Cantwell also added a season-high eight aces for the winners.
Helix 3, Santana 1 -- After dropping the first set, the slow-starting Highlanders came off the deck to take three straight sets to down the Sultans, despite a match-best eight kills by East County spiking leader Jordan Franey of Santana. She also registered six services aces.
West Hills 3, Monte VIsta 0 -- Kellie Whitehouse became the first East County player to record 10 aces since the revamp of the serving rules (allowing let serves), powering the Wolf Pack past the Monarchs. Amy Johnson paced the West Hills attack with nine kills.
El Capitan 3, Mount Miguel 1 -- After getting whipped in the first set, the Vaqueros turned the momentum with a narrow win in game two before racing to the victory.
Wed., Sept. 24
Western League
University City at Christian, 3 p.m.
Overall Records (Based on reports by schools, through Sept.
18)
Grossmont North League -- West Hills 6-1, Santana 1-1,
Grossmont 0-0, El Cajon Valley 0-1, El Capitan 0-4.
Grossmont South League -- Valhalla 1-0, Monte Vista 1-0,
Granite Hills 1-0, Helix 1-0, Mount Miguel 0-1, Steele Canyon
0-1.
Western League -- Christian 0-1
Fri., Sept. 19
Western League
Scripps Ranch df. Christian (0-1 in league), 25-18, 25-8, 25-18.
Valhalla
No. 7 Angela Chunn and No. 9 Jamie McNally block an attack by
Santana's No.7 Danielle Cooper in the Norsemen sweep of the Sultans.
THURS., SEPT. 18 RESULTS
West Hills 3, Steele Canyon 0 - In the first ever varsity
meeting between the two schools in volleyball, the Wolf Pack took
a 25-10, 25-8, 25-7 victory. Leaders for West Hills were Kelly
Whitehouse and Amy Johnson with 14 and 7 kills, respectively.
Sarah Strange added 7 aces as West Hills improved its record to
7-1. The Wolf Pack faces Monte Vista in Spring Valley next.
Valhalla df. Santana, 25-23, 25-12, 25-14
Monte Vista df. El Capitan, 25-14, 25-11, 15-25, 25-18
Only scores reported
Highlights
Valhalla 3, Santana 0 -- Outside hitter Kristine Wolfe paced
visiting Valhalla with 10 kills, as the Norsemen fought off a
sluggish start in their season opener to sweep Santana (1-1).
Jessie Balanay added seven kills while Kelle Cantwell served six
aces for the winners.
The Sultans stayed even with Valhalla over the course of the first
game, as sophomore outside hitter Jordan Franey collected eight
of her 14 kills in the opening set. Franey now leads all East
County spikers with 33 kills following the first week of Grossmont
Conference action.
However, Norsemen setter Jaime McNally passed for three consecutive
kills to end the first game, helping Valhalla overcome a 23-22
deficit. For the contest, the senior recorded 30 assists.
Monte Vista 3, El Capitan 1 -- Senior Sammy Bushue and
Whitney Baker powered the Monarchs to an early lead to capture
the team's delayed season opener. Tuesday's scheduled opener was
postponed because of a school assembly, then the match couldn't
be moved to Grossmont due to a similar "Welcome to School"
event.
WED., SEPT. 17 RESULTS
Patrick Henry df. Christian, 25-17, 25-18, 18-25, 26-28, 15-12
kills: Erickson (C) 15.
Castle Park df. El Capitan, 25-17, 25-14, 25-13.
TUE., SEPT. 16 RESULTS
Granite Hills df. El Capitan, 25-10, 25-12, 25-15.
Helix df. El Cajon Valley, 25-15, 25-13, 25-15
West Hills df. Mount Miguel, 25-5, 25-10, 25-8
Santana df. Steele Canyon, 3-1
Grossmont at Monte Vista, ppd.
Valhalla -- Bye
Highlights
Granite Hills 3, El Capitan 0 -- Senior OH Jennifer Whitmeyer
paced the Eagles with seven kills and seven service aces, while
middle blocker Britney Williams registered five stuffs in the
sweep.
Santana 3, Steele Canyon 1 -- Sophomore outside hitter
Jordan Franey became the early-season East County kill leader
after pounding down 19 putaways, powering the Sultans past the
Cougars.
Helix 3, El Cajon Valley 0 -- Adriana DeJong, a senior
outside hitter, paced the Highlanders with a match-high nine kills
in the sweep.
West Hills 3, Mount Miguel 0 -- Kelly Whitehouse recorded
12 kills to lead the Wolf Pack in a sweep which took less than
an hour to complete.
Tuesday.
Saturday, Sept. 13
San Diego def. Mt. Miguel 27-25, 23-25, 20-25, 25-14, 15-7
Vaqueros drop home opener to Calexico
LAKESIDE - The Calexico High girls volleyball team defeated El Capitan, 3-1, here Wednesday (Sept. 10), 25-10, 20-25, 25-18, 25-16.
EastCountySports.com
GROSSMONT SOUTH LEAGUE
In professional sports, the move could be labeled as a trade,
albeit, of an
unusual variety.
However, that is the position which top-flight
volleyball programs in
Valhalla and Helix high schools are in after "trading"
head coaches during the
off-season.
Moving to La Mesa will be Tom Hunter, while
heading to Rancho San Diego will
be Scott Strange, who will be making a sort of homecoming with
the Norsemen.
"No one was pushing someone else out
the door or anything," said Hunter. "It
was a matter of convenience and both of the schools and both of
us agreed to
it."
Traditionally, schools with coaches who
are also on-campus instructors (or
other positions) have more success. It also cuts down on travel
time and other
expenses for coaches who roam from campus to campus. And with
Hunter gaining a
full-time spot at Helix, the idea popped-up to make the switch.
"I didn't have a problem with that
and it actually brings me full-circle,"
noted Strange, the one-time boys volleyball coach for the Norsemen.
"And I
started my (East Valley Volleyball) club right here in this gym
about 10 years ago,
too."
And since most of the players have seen
action under both coaches - either in
club or interscholastic action - South League matches should be
more than
interesting when the teams collide in two meetings this season.
VALHALLA
With a host of returning club players, the Norsemen might rate
a slight
favorite over Helix to garner the league title.
Senior setter Jamie McNally leads the nucleus,
with a pair of middle-blockers
to set to in seniors Jessie Balanay and Emily Delarer. And with
a pair of
top-flight middles, opponents will find it difficult to bottom-load
their
rotations to compete with Valhalla.
Top players - Kristin Wolfe (Jr., OH), Jaime
McNally (Sr., Set), Jessie
Balanay (Sr., MB), Emily Delarer (Sr., MB). Rest of the roster
- Angela Chunn, Lisa
Woodend, Ashley Webster, Brittany McPartland (sister of former
East County
player of the year Aspen McPartland, a San Diego State standout
out of Grossmont
High), Mina Schmidt, Kelle Cantwell, Brittany Cahoon, Dana Burkey,
Kylie Byh.
HELIX
"I know Valhalla well, and Scott knows us well," noted
Hunter. "So I have to
come up with strategy they haven't seen before."
Hunter may inspire the troops to pull it
off, including standout outside
hitters Adriana DeJong and Alyssa Mendes, both seniors. Meanwhile,
setter Jennifer
Kandt, who saw action as a freshman, is ready for her junior season
after
injuries slowed her down last year.
Roster -- Teather Nichols (Sr., DS/OH),
Hayley Gorham (Jr., OH), Sipau
Lee-Noa (Jr., DS), Katie Harris (Sr., DS), Debbie Schweer (So.,
Set), Leah Trask
(Jr., MB), Andrea Ness (Sr., RS), Christy Toilolo (Jr., MB), Jennifer
Kandt (Jr.,
Set), Alyssa Mendes (Sr., OH), Adriana DeJong (Sr., OH).
GRANITE HILLS
The Eagles have annually been labeled as "upset-minded,"
yet with four
returning starters and eight seniors on their roster, this may
be the program's best
opportunity to move up in several seasons.
"Our team defense is better, which
is different than in the past," said coach
Mike Manthei, whose team took the huge step last season by splitting
with
Helix to gain a share of second place. "And we have lots
of experience and team
leadership."
Seniors Britney Williams and Natalie Davis
are both two-time, all-league
performers, while middle-blocker Megan Suggs, also a senior, may
finally be injury
free and can contribute fully.
Top players -- Britney Williams (Sr., MB),
Natalie Davis (Sr., Oppo), Mallory
McClain (Sr., Set), Jennifer Whitmeyer (Sr., OH), Megan Suggs
(Sr., OH).
MONTE VISTA
The last time the Monarchs won league crowns came in 1994 and
1995, with
All-East County performer Laurel Holscomb leading team to the
first of the titles.
Now, Holscomb returns to rebuild a once proud program.
STEELE CANYON
Winless in 10 league matches last season, the Cougars now expect
to make a
dent in the standings.
"We're still a young team, but we're
more aware of what we're doing on the
court," said second-year coach Danielle Agliam. "Defense
has always been our
strong point, where we're very scrappy."
Improved playmaking decisions from a pair
of setters will help Steele Canyon
remain competitive. As the hitting improves, so will the team's
overall
success.
Top players -- Victoria Mazon (Sr., OH),
Sarah Diem (Sr., MB), Jacque Afoa
(Jr., MB), Cassie Hagey (Sr., Set), Vanessa Robbins (So., Set).
MOUNT MIGUEL
With many of its top athletes participating in successful softball
or
basketball programs, volleyball always seems to be placed on the
back burner at Mount
Miguel, so little is expected from this season's edition of the
Matadors.
"We don't have any club players, but
we do have some good athletes," said
coach Davis Lewis, who also serves as an on-campus counselor.
"But the team has
progressed and actually did well in last week's three-team scrimmage
at Mar
Vista,"
One of the leading players is junior Megan
Mitchell, who will move to setter
due to her experience in the sport.
Other top players -- Kristina Marks (Jr., OH), Jessica Van Pelt (Jr., MB).
GROSSMONT NORTH LEAGUE
WEST HILLS
Powered by senior Kelly Whitehouse, the favorite for East County
player of
the year honors, the Wolf Pack is not only the class of the league,
but a
potential CIF finalist with the school's return to Division II
status.
Whitehouse, a 6-foot-1 senior middle, already
signed scholarship papers with
the University of Portland, while outside hitter Whitney Anderson
was a
second-team, all-CIF performer.
Other top players for veteran coach Don
Rutledge include all-league standouts
Aime Cordeiro (DS/OH) and setter Sarah Strange.
Roster -- Kelly Whitehouse, Sarah Strange,
Vanessa Fitzgerald, Melissa
Peabody, Whitney Anderson, Amy Johnson, Aime Cordeiro, Amy Boutelle,
Elizabeth
Vaughan.
GROSSMONT
It's the usual scenario in the North: Do the Foothillers have
enough guns to
compete with West Hills?
Grossmont, which annually finishes second
to the Wolf Pack, may have the
playmakers to help coach Ryan Goforth's squad get over the top.
The Hillers return
a pair of strong setters in Katie Jacobus and Erin McPherson,
both juniors.
However, the club may need to wait one additional
year, as only three seniors
dot the roster, with the remaining nine all juniors -- look out
in 2004!
Roster -- Hayley Long (Sr., OH), Nicole
Wright (Sr., OH), Taryin Casillas
(Sr., MB), Jennifer Comfort (Jr., OH), Marissa Funk (Jr., OH),
Kate Crafts (Jr.,
MB), Torie Wohlwend (Jr., MB), Allison DeDonato (Jr., MB), Jessica
Vidal (Jr.,
OH), Veronica Barrera (Jr., OH), Erin McPherson (Jr., Set), Katie
Jacobus
(Jr., Set).
SANTANA
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of successful, older siblings,
sophomore
Jordan Franey will begin a push for the Sultans to move up in
the standings.
The talented, multi-sport athlete from Club
Pacific may learn from the
experience of sister Janet, a former All-East County and all-state
performer who
later played college basketball for Cal, and brother John played
baseball for
Harvard. Also, great uncle Chet Clemens played baseball for the
Boston Braves
from 1939-41.
"It will be a huge undertaking for
us to win league with so many good teams
to play against," noted fourth-year coach Kelly Thaler. "But
I feel positive
about this team with six seniors on it."
Top Players -- Jordan Franey (So., OH),
Heather Thomas (DS/Set), Alyssa
Ramirez (Set), Maria DeMarrows (OH). Rest of the roster -- Amie
Leach (MB), Ashlee
Boyce (OH), Holly Coleman (MB), Nicole Elwood (Set), Danielle
Cooper
(DS/Oppo), Dominique De Luca (OH).
EL CAJON VALLEY
Rebuilding will be the theme for the Braves.
"We're a young team that will need
to play a lot of defense," said veteran
coach Randy Adams. "But they have already improved a lot."
Top players -- Erica Camacho (Jr., OH),
Nicole Pope (Sr., DS/OH), Caitlin
Jasperson (Sr., DS).
WESTERN LEAGUE
CHRISTIAN
The Patriots are back in the Western League following consecutive
co-championships in the Eastern League.
"Winning league titles are great, and
we're not immune to winning," said head
coach Julie Crofton, whose Patriots return to meet traditional
powers USDHS,
La Jolla, University City and others in the loaded West. "The
girls got used
to doing a lot of winning, but there wasn't a ton of competition."
"Now we have to be ready every match,
which will make us ready for CIF and,
hopefully, playing Francis Parker in the final."
The Patriots have depth at all positions
except the critical setter position,
"where we have to develop to change the dynamics of the team,"
noted Crofton,
whose team, otherwise, hosts a ton of returnees and will probably
finish
somewhere in the middle of the Western League pack.
Top players -- Whitney Rambeau (Sr., DS),
Kelsey Mitchell (Jr., OH), Brittany
Erickson (Jr., MB), Ashley Webber (Jr., MB), Kelsey Knudson (Jr.,
Oppo),
Kaila Waitley ) Jr., DS), Katie Lasswell (So., OH).
EL CAPITAN - No
information available at press time.
(09-10-03)