All State Series Gives Gsl Display For Volleyball Talent

The Greater Spokane League and volleyball have been a good fit for each other for more than a decade now.

GSL schools have won AAA state titles in four of the last five years. Before that, Shadle Park won the crown four times from 1985 to 1990.

So it’s no surprise that in tonight’s Dairy Farmers East/West AA/AAA All State Volleyball Series at North Central, seven of the 11 players on the East AA/AAA team are from the GSL.

The AA/AAA game is scheduled for 7 p.m. It will follow the 5 p.m. game between the East and West A/B squads. Tickets are $3 for adults, $2 for students. Children 6 and younger get in free.

GSL members of the East AA/ AAA squad include K.C. Richards and Molly Jones of Ferris, Tamara VanEngelen and Aimee Wilson from 1995 AAA state champion North Central, Sarah Hiss and Ingrid Lindeblad from runner-up Lewis and Clark and Brandy Barratt from 1995 regular-season champ Gonzaga Prep.

In the last three years of this game, formerly sponsored by Mizuno, half of the 36 players named to the East AA/AAA teams have been from the GSL.

The league really stepped into its own in the ‘80s when Linda Sheridan and her Shadle Park Highlanders began collecting state championships like they were jewelry.

Then in the ‘90s, Lewis and Clark coach Buzzy Welch led the Tigers to two state titles (‘92 and ‘94), the Highlanders got one (‘93), and last year, North Central, which finished fourth in the league, pulled it all together to win state.

Mike Welch, Buzzy’s son, believes Sheridan helped set the tone for the high level of play in the GSL.

“That’s who everybody had to chase at the time,” said Welch, who was an assistant to Sheridan last year. “That was the team to shoot for. And everybody else in the league picked it up to try to keep up with them.”

Welch will draw from Buzzy’s and Sheridan’s tutelage when he takes over as University’s head volleyball coach in the fall.

Some of the current members of the East All-Stars point to Spokane’s club programs as being influential to player development.

“Clubs and camps are really big here,” NC’s VanEngelen said. “The girls stay really active during the summer. But I really think that the big sport for girls here is volleyball.”

VanEngelen, a 5-foot-10 middle-blocker, will attend the University of Washington this fall to play volleyball for the Huskies.

LC’s Lindeblad also gave club play credit, however, she thinks that the GSL coaches are collectively superior to those of others around the state.

“Playing for Buzzy was a lot of fun, but I learned a lot playing for him,” Lindeblad said. “I like his philosophy.”

Though Lindeblad is a 5-10 setter, she learned to play every position on the floor.

“Everybody did. We had to learn to play all the positions. It gives you a better feel and understanding of the game. It also makes you appreciate how hard it is to play other positions.”

Lindeblad began playing in the fourth grade and has played with or against most GSL players.

“It seems like we’ve competed against each other forever,” she said. “We’re all constantly pushing each other and trying to get an edge. I think that has helped the league get strong too.”

Lindeblad will attend St. Olaf college in Northfield, Minn., to play volleyball.

Barratt, a 6-2 middle-blocker representing G-Prep, will attend Long Beach State University to play volleyball as well.

As for G-Prep last year, she thought the Bullpups were strong because most of that team had played together for many years.

“With the exception of two players on the team, we all played with each other at Cataldo (Catholic School) starting at about the fifth grade,” Barratt said. “The other two were playing over at All Saints.”

Together or apart though, the GSL clearly has a collective edge against the rest of the state.

, DataTimes