Prepped for success

Some of the very best volleyball in the state of Washington is played in the gymnasiums of the Greater Spokane League.

Since 1984, when Linda Sheridan and Shadle Park won the first state championship by a Spokane school, a GSL team has won the state championship 11 times, and the league has had at least one team in the championship match 13 times, including 1995, when North Central knocked off Lewis and Clark for the title.

Mead has won three state titles in that time; Shadle Park five.

And the quality goes well beyond the top team in the state.

Last year, while Mead was earning a back-to-back title, the GSL sent three teams into the Final Four. The Panthers knocked off GSL champion University to reach the final. Gonzaga Prep, which lost its semifinal with Eisenhower, upset the Titans to earn a third-place trophy.

“I know if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t bet against the teams from the GSL,” Central Valley coach Chad Coupland said. “Year in and year out, this league has been very tough.

“We’ve taken our lumps against all those teams – the Meads and the Gonzaga Preps and the U-His. They don’t come much tougher than that.”

The 2005 season dawns with plenty of promise.

Mead and University, especially, lost standout players to graduation, but each has strong programs to produce replacements.

Meanwhile Central Valley is poised to challenge for a playoff spot after a strong summer.

“There are a lot of folks out here in the Valley who have been dedicated to helping the kids get better and better, and it’s starting to pay off,” Coupland said. “You have to be willing to take a lot of beatings (to improve at the next level), and I think we’re going to start seeing some success.”

Central Valley Bears

The Bears got off to a fast start over the summer, knocking off Shadle Park to win the Spokane Falls Community College Summer League.

“Basically all of our players are club volleyball players except for two kids,” Coupland said. “I’ve had all these kids since they were 12-and-unders. They’ve had a really good summer with their training and with playing in the summer league for the first time.

“They’re hoping to ride that for the season.”

Central Valley plays today at Freeman’s Rip-a-Shot Tournament, giving Coupland his first chance to evaluate his team’s progress.

“Originally I’d planned to have the kids play in the All-Valley Jamboree on Friday and then the Freeman Tournament on Saturday so they would get a lot of games in,” the coach said. “But the jamboree was moved back to Saturday so that University could play a game at Sandpoint Friday, so it didn’t work out.”

Aside from setter Samantha Kern, starting positions are open for competition.

“Samantha was my No. 2 setter at the beginning of the year last year, but she moved up to No. 1 when my starter went down to an injury,” Coupland said. “She’s done a great job taking over the position and has worked hard over the summer. I was very pleased with the way she’s taken on that responsibility.”

The biggest step forward for the Bears has been internal.

“The girls have had to get to the point where they believe they’re entitled to compete at this level,” Coupland said. “They have to know that they’re good enough to be on the court with anyone in this league. This isn’t a beauty contest; they’re allowed to win ugly. And it’s all about winning at this level.”

Four seniors will lead the Bears. Joining Kern in the Class of 2006 are outside hitter Salena Leavitt and middle hitters Kayla Reilly and Heather Troyer.

East Valley Knights

Coach Jim Dorr wants his players to know.

“It’s one thing to go up to hit a ball and think you can hit it in,” the longtime EV coach said. “It’s another to go up and know you’re going to hit it in.

“That’s a very big difference.”

The Knights have four players at that point: Middle hitters Rachel Bonertz and Trisha Hiebert and setter Stephanie Bellefeuille all are seniors and three-year starters for the Knights. Junior libero Pam Eatock is a two-year starter who saw some varsity action as a freshman.

It’s no coincidence that all four team leaders played club volleyball.

“Trisha, Stephanie and Pam all played for VIP, and Rachel played for the Splash,” Dorr said. The difference playing club volleyball brings is in finding that difference between thinking you can and knowing you can.

“Those four kids have all played a lot of volleyball. It’s now a matter of finding everyone to go around them.”

Senior right-side hitters McKenzie Carter and Lexi Brown and outside hitters Katie Arnold, a sophomore, and Calli McConahy, a 5-11 junior, fill out the offense.

“We only had seven or eight seniors and juniors turn out, so when you look at our program, you’ll see that we have 25 freshmen playing for us,” Dorr said. “That’s not a bad thing because they’re our next big class.”

Dorr is pleased with the way his senior class has settled into its leadership role.

“We got off to a slow start, but things are starting to come together much better,” he said. “Our seniors are starting to take a natural lead instead of a forced lead, and that’s a big step.”

University Titans

There are big shoes to fill.

Two starters from last year’s sixth-place state finisher currently are on college volleyball rosters. Mandy Daniels is vying for playing time as a true freshman at Eastern Washington while Daedre Mendenhall starts at North Idaho College.

Coach Amanda Velasquez knows it will take time for this year’s team to develop its own personality.

“My coaches and I were talking the other night and that’s what they were saying,” Velasquez said. “They kept saying ‘These are good kids, but they’re different.’”

Four-year starter Kara Crisp has stepped up to take a leadership role – a strong point for a setter with three years of experience in the GSL.

“Kara was always a younger player before,” Velasquez said. “It’s a little bit different for her being a senior. It’s a new role.”

Senior transfer Ashlee Lupfer, a two-year starter at Central Valley, gives the Titans an experienced outside hitter, with sophomores Kasey Jurich and Eileen Chatfield both stepping up to challenge for a starting role.

“Ashlee has stepped right in and fit into the program,” Velasquez said. “It’s always good to add someone with a lot of experience, especially someone with club volleyball experience.”

Velasquez is confident senior Jillian Wilson, a three-year letter winner at middle hitter, will be a major contributor.

“Right now she’s injured,” the coach said. “She has a strained quadriceps muscle. Once she gets healthy, she’s going to play a big role.”

Seniors Olivia Sanchez, a defensive specialist, and Kortney Martin, an outside hitter, and 6-foot sophomore middle hitter Laura Leach also figure prominently in the Titans game plan for the season.

West Valley Eagles

“We have youth and exuberance,” coach Drew Wendle said. “What we don’t have is a whole lot of experience.

“We had a small senior class last year. This year we still don’t have a ton of players from our upper classes. We’re going to be young again this year.”

Three seniors lead the Eagles: defensive specialist Ashton Hall, outside hitter Shannon Carey and 6-foot-1 middle Mel Dossey. Rhea Woolley, a 6-0 junior, combines with Dossey to give the team height in the middle.

The offense will be in the hands of freshman setter Alyssa Wold.

“We have a good, talented freshman class,” Wendle said. “We need to bring them along.”

Wendle said he’s looking forward to his team’s entry next year in the Great Northern League.

“I started out in that league – at Pullman,” Wendle said. “We’ve had good success in the GSL, but that success hasn’t always translated into victories. I think our kids are ready to start seeing their hard work pay off in wins.

“It’s good to be able to compete against the other teams in the GSL – it’s one of the best Class 4A leagues in the state. But the numbers are against us. Just the law of averages means we’re playing against bigger, stronger players.”

Freeman Scotties

When you’ve brought home trophies from the past five state volleyball tournaments, your program has to be doing something good.

The Freeman Scotties posted a 12-17 record last year – a rare season with a sub-.500 record for coach Kenny Davis.

“One of the things we’re always saying is that it’s not where you start that counts, it’s where you finish,” the 21-year Freeman coach said. “The girls really believe that. They believed they could be good and they caught fire at the end of the season.

“We have good talent. These kids know they could be good. They just have to stay focused, stay positive and play the season.”

In other words, the Scotties just have to keep doing what’s been working at Freeman for more than two decades: an offense that emphasizes quickness, speed and timing.

“The interesting thing about our program is that we’ve knocked off the No. 1 team in the state each of the past three seasons,” Davis said. “Last year it was Coupeville that was ranked No. 1 in the state and we beat them in five games at state to move into the trophy round.”

Senior setter Jesica Jackson has plenty of weapons in outside hitters Claire Moberg and Jessie DePell, both seniors, and junior Jennessa Miller. Senior libero Crystal Heigh is adept at digging balls to feed Jackson.

“To give you an idea of the kind of kids we have this year, I ran a drill the other night with my two setters and every one else rotating in,” Davis said. “They had to hit the ball in, or run lines.

“When I looked over, not only were the kids who missed running lines, but so were the players who hit in. They figured if their teammates had to run, they weren’t going to run alone. They’re all in this together. And I wasn’t going to say a thing about it.”

Valley Christian Panthers

While there were questions over the summer about where classes would be held (at the old University High School), Carmen DeVries was certain about where her Panthers would practice and play volleyball. And she was delighted.

“We signed a contract to use Sports USA for our practices and our home games,” DeVries said. “And I couldn’t be happier. It’s a great facility and they’ve done everything possible to make us comfortable there.”

On the court, Valley Christian has a core group of five upperclassmen with a talented group of freshmen underneath.

“It’s a very good freshman class,” DeVries said. “I expect to see more of them on varsity before the end of the season.”

Seniors Ashley Miles (middle hitter), Jenafer Jackson (outside hitter) and Bethany Hooper (utility) and junior outside hitters Jenny Seeman and Whitney Wolf, both returning starters, give the Panthers experience heading into a tough Bi-County League season.

Freshmen Brittany Croft (middle hitter), Kelly Schlect (outside hitter/setter) and Helary Bowen (setter) will fill key roles.

“It’s always challenging to have a freshman setter,” DeVries said. “We have some good hitters and we have to get to the ball to them to be able to take advantage of them. These freshmen have the talent we need; it’s just going to take some experience for them to be consistent.”