With Passion For The Sport, Preston Takes Over Eagle Volleyball

Carol (Zimmer) Preston, an assistant coach in three West Valley High School sports, has been named to head the Eagle volleyball program.

She replaces Peggy Wells who resigned after three years to devote more time to her family. She will remain a teacher at WV.

“There were times when I’d have to leave practice and get my children from day care when they ran a 102-degree temperature and have them lie around in the gym,” Wells said.

Her husband is an assistant coach of volleyball at Central Valley High School and the conflict, she added, became too great.

Preston is a 1987 graduate of West Valley, where she played three sports. She also played a year of volleyball at Walla Walla Community College and attended the University of Washington, where she ran the intramural volleyball program.

She graduated from Eastern Washington University with a degree in English and just completed a one-year soft contract at Centennial Middle School.

“I’ve been coaching enough things long enough I guess they decided it was time,” she said of her appointment.

Preston has assisted six years in basketball, although she’ll take a maternity leave this winter. She was an assistant for four years in volleyball and next spring will be her third in softball.

“Volleyball is really the one sport I have a passion for,” she said. “I have been involved everywhere I go and feel I want to share it with others. Actually, Peggy and I were talking and I’ve been an assistant so long I know more girls than she does.”

Preston’s husband, John, who is employed by Spokane County, helps with cross country and track. They are expecting their second child in December.

“The girls are used to it,” Preston said. “Peggy had both her pregnancies during the season and I was pregnant two seasons ago.”

She said her young team will focus on defense and be as scrappy as it can be.

“I’m so excited I can’t wait,” she said. “I’m going to jump into the fire, cross my fingers that I get the girls to play how I’d like to see them, and go from there.”

First-year team in tournament

A first-year 16-Under fastpitch softball team, the Sliders, will be part of this weekend’s Fourth of July Shootout at Franklin Park.

Currently the team, which is playing in tournaments only, has compiled a 16-5 record in four events.

Included was a third-place finish in the Western Invitational Tournament in Missoula, Mont. during which the team went 5-2.

It defeated a favored Montana team 4-3 and the Valley Villains 5-2 among its victories.

Valley team members include pitchers Angie Decker and Megan Owen, catcher Dawn Stangland, first base Kami Fox, second base Vanessa Shelton, shortstop Malea Schumacher, outfielders Allison Gardner, Angie Burtzoff, Christy Mertens and Sarah Decker.

Softball’s second round begins

Following a week of makeup games, top teams from Spokane Valley Girls Softball combined to form a division for the second-half of age group competition.

At the turn, Evergreen Physical Therapy in the 14-Under league was unbeaten. Four other teams, New Image Video, Kwik Kopy, United Paints and Dakotah had one loss.

New Image Video was upset by Burger King when Shelby Hughes raised her season batting average to .800 with a 4-for-6 outing.

In the 12-Under league, Eagle Mountain, BMC Building Supplies, Power Bar, Adept Escrow and New Image Video were all unbeaten. Three other teams had a single loss.

And in 10-Under League, Olympic Sports, Budget Car Rental and E.S.S. all had 5-0 marks in their respective divisions. Three other teams were a game behind.

One of those, Sunset Decks, edged Pioneer Title by one run and Leo’s Photography by two. The games featured doubles by Sara Kizer, Erica Eischen and Tiffany Adamson.

Giants to determine rankings

The final week of Spokane Valley Baseball will determine seedings into the league’s tournaments which begin July 12 with the first round of Giant League games.

Four teams in the American Division are in the midst of a series of games that will determine their final positions. Olympic Sports faces two challenges to a National Division title. The season’s final game next weekend will be the decider.

It’s closest challenger, Les Schwab Tire, got 4-for-4 batting from winning pitcher Brandon Strobel, three hits each by Jason Paul and Matt Damskov and has outscored its opponents 107-24 in seven games.

In the Midgets, Michael Koentopp and Brett Neste combined on a 2-hit, 14-strikeout 4-1 decision over Medicine Shoppe.

In the Pee Wees, Joe Cox struck out nine batters in three innings of shutout ball and scored twice in Opportunity’s 7-0 win over Progress.

During two Neurosurgery Assoc. wins, Matt Johnston and Jeremy Kline combined for 20 strikouts. Johnston had five runs batted in during one game and Kline drove in six with two home runs in the other.

AAU nationals workers needed

There is a desperate need for scorekeepers and clock operators at this weekend’s National AAU 18-Under and 16-Under basketball tournament.

Workers are being sought for tournament games all day Saturday and Sunday at Mountain View Junior High.

Pay is $6 per game. Contact Dave Edwards at the AAU office, 928-8512 to volunteer.

, DataTimes