It’s Rebuilding Time For New Gu Coach Windlin-Jansen’s Zags Picked Sixth In Wcc

The only Kubista who remains on the roster is Christine, listed as a Gonzaga assistant volleyball coach.

The only mention of Sean Madden is in the media guide, where his Gonzaga coaching tenure ended with a 139-162 record.

“(Without Sean), it’s a new start,” said Eva Windlin-Jansen, who begins her first year as head coach. “It’s done and over with. We don’t want to revisit it. Basically, it’s a closed era and we’re starting fresh.”

The Madden era (1987-1997) abruptly ended last October with his resignation. He made the annoucement just days after he had a physical confrontation with a player during a timeout in a road match.

Windlin-Jansen, a first-year assistant, took over as interim coach. The team went 5-3 down the stretch to finish 13-19 over-all, 4-7 for fifth in the West Coast Conference.

“The players didn’t fall apart,” said Windlin-Jansen, 32, a native of Switzerland, who played at Oregon for two years. “I think the players responded pretty well after that. At least they can look back at the season and say, ‘Hey, it wasn’t so bad after all.”’

This year, the players will be forced to respond without two of the most dominate players in Gonzaga history - Christine and Jennifer Kubista, the identical twins who accounted for 979 of the team’s 1,887 kills last season.

The Tacoma twosome was separated for the first time in their lives this summer when Christine stayed in Spokane and became an assistant at GU and Jennifer accepted a job as an assistant volleyball coach at Connecticut.

“Christie can step in and show them and she can step in and outplay them any day of the week. They respect her for that as well,” Windlin-Jansen said.

With just two key hitters and their setter back, the Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth out of eight teams for the second straight year in the West Coast Conference coaches’ poll. Portland, a team Gonzaga beat twice last year, was predicted to finish fifth.

But after a great spring season, and one that produced wins over Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Windlin-Jansen is encouraged.

Senior middle blocker Theresa Spink and junior outside hitter Diane Pascua will be expected to carry the load while junior setter Nicole Lamoure brings two years of varsity experience.

Spink was third in kills with 382 behind the Kubistas last year. Pascua was fourth with 245.

Windlin-Jansen said junior middle blocker Sharee Coad, sophomore outside hitter Casy Murdock and sophomore rightside hitter Megan Hosek will fill out the starting six. Nora Grasham, a senior middle hitter, will be first off the bench. Aimee Wilson, a sophomore outside hitter from North Central High School, has struggled a bit but has looked good from the back row.

Loyola Marymount, a team that lost to Washington State in the round of 16 at last year’s NCAA Tournament, is expected to repeat as conference champs.

“We’re going to be underestimated by a lot of people just because a lot of people are asking, ‘Who’s your leader? Who’s out there?’ There’s six of us out there,” Spink said.

“The Kubistas were such a strong force and sight out on the court. Whoever you played, their attitude was - Nos. 6 (Christine) and 12 (Jennifer), gotta stop them.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: These sidebars appeared with the story: WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL 1. Loyola Marymount (6) 61 2. San Diego (1) 53 3. Pepperdine (1) 53 4. Santa Clara 38 5. Portland 29 6. Gonzaga 26 7. San Francisco 17 8. Saint Mary’s 11 (x) First-place votes

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY Coach: Eva Windlin-Jansen (first year) Record at Gonzaga: (5-3 as interim coach) 1996 record: (13-19, 6-8 WCC fifth place) Players to watch: MB/OH Theresa Spink (6-0, Sr.); S Nicole Lamoure (6-0, Jr.); OH Diane Pascua (5-10, Jr.) Key newcomers: OH Casy Murduck (6-0, So.); OH Erinn Kelly (6-0, Fr.); MB/OH Heather Osberg (6-2, Fr.) Spikes and digs: Windlin-Jensen has devoted endless hours on improving the Bulldogs’ defensive play. GU will be tested early, playing two ranked teams the first two weeks of the season (No. 7 Washington State twice and No. 11 Notre Dame at Spikeoff Spokane). Outlook: The Bulldogs returned with a new attitude and are eager to begin the season. But look for nationally-ranked Loyola Marymount (No. 16) and San Diego to be the WCC powers. The Lions are coming off an undefeated conference season while the second-place Toreros were 11-3.

GONZAGA VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Cougar Challenge, Pullman Aug. 29 vs. Wichita State 10 a.m. vs. Texas-Arlington 2 p.m. Aug. 30 vs. Washington State 5 p.m. Sept. 2 vs. Boise State 6 p.m.

Spikeoff Spokane, Spokane Arena Sept. 5 vs. Notre Dame 8 p.m. Sept. 6 vs. Washington State 1 p.m. vs. Utah 6 p.m. Sept. 9 vs. Idaho 7:30 p.m.

Oregon Volleyball Classic, Eugene Ore. Sept. 12 vs. British Columbia 4:30 p.m. Sept. 13 vs. Idaho State 12:30 p.m. vs. Oregon 7 p.m. Sept. 16 vs. Boise State 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at Pacific 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at San Jose State 8 p.m. Sept. 23 at Montana 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at San Diego 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at San Francisco 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at Portland 7 p.m. Oct. 14 vs. Eastern Washington 7 p.m. Oct. 17 vs. Pepperdine 7 p.m. Oct. 18 vs. Loyola Marymount 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Santa Clara 7 p.m. Oct. 25 at Saint Mary’s College 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Eastern Washington 7 p.m. Oct. 31 vs. San Francisco 7 p.m. Nov. 1 vs. San Diego 7 p.m. Nov. 8 vs. Portland 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at Loyola Marymount 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Pepperdine 7 p.m. Nov. 21 vs. Saint Mary’s College 7 p.m. Nov. 22 vs. Santa Clara 7 p.m.

GONZAGA ROSTER Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Sami Schinnell DS 5-6 So. Morton, Wash. Erinn Kelly OH 6-0 Fr. Berkeley, Calif. Casy Murdock OH 6-0 So. Hazelwood, Mo. Nora Graham OH 6-2 Sr. Portland Heather Osberg M/OH 6-2 Fr. West Vancouver, B.C. Nicole Kading OH 5-10 Fr. Reno, Nev. Shelly Messinger OH/S 5-9 Sr. Okanogan, Wash. Sharee Coad M/OH 5-11 Jr. Fair Oaks, Calif. Aimee Wilson OH 5-10 So. Spokane Nicole Lamoure S 6-0 Jr. Garden Valley, Calif. Jo Dockstader M 5-11 Fr. Pasco Diane Pascua OH 5-10 Jr. Grass Valley, Calif. Theresa Spink M/OH 6-0 Sr. Bellingham Megan Hosek OH 5-11 So. Medford, Ore. Coach: Eva Windlin-Jansen Assistant coaches: Bret Taylor, Christine Kubista