Volleyball has high hopes for '99
Campus Times
September 17, 1999
The women's volleyball team at the University of La Verne enjoyed a
degree of success last season, finishing 14-12 overall, and 9-3 in conference.
It placed second to Cal Lutheran in the Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
But do not expect a complacent squad happy with last year's success.
As far as the team is concerned, there is still room for improvement.
"The team has really upped the training level," said assistant
coach Randi Winn after a practice. "Everyone has a strong work ethic
this year, and it shows."
Coming off a strong 1998-99 campaign, head coach Don Flora is looking
to build on last year's success and compete for the SCIAC title.
"Last year, our competitive spirit wasn't as sharp as it needed
to be," said Flora. "This year, everyone's on the same page. The
players are so fired up about training, that it's even exciting the coaches."
The Leopards opened their season in Wisconsin, falling to a strong University
of Wisconsin at Whitewater team in three games. UW Whitewater is currently
ranked fourth in the midwest region.
The Leopards then went on to participate in the Pointer Invitational,
hosted by UW Stevens Point. La Verne had an opportunity to claim the tournament
championship outright, but lost its final match in four games to a previously
winless Benedictine University, from Lisle, Ill.
That loss gave the Leopards a 3-1 record, tying them with Marian College
and UW Stevens Point for first place. Marian College won the tiebreaker,
and La Verne placed third.
Junior outside hitter Amy Brummel finished the tournament with a total
of 74 kills, and earned All-Tournament honors.
This season's team features a balanced attack on the court. Returning
players Brummel and sophomore Pamela Hunnicutt bring experience to the outside
hitter position, while lone senior Allison Moore and freshman Stacey Lupu
anchor the middle blocking position, backed-up by sophomore Adriana Contreras.
Inger Johnson, a junior transfer from Pasadena City College, currently
holds the starting right side job, opposite freshman setter Meridith Zembal.
Junior setter Rose Roberts, transferred from Chaffey College to join the
Leopards. Also joining the squad are freshmen Sue Witcher, A.J. Tsapanos,
Kelsey Kennedy and Stephanie Malesala.
Sophomore Diane Williams is redshirting due to an injury and Andrea
Van Willigan is not competing this season due to family matters, and although
two of last season's key players, seniors Sarah Henry and Michelle Louie,
chose not to play this season, Flora is confident that he has plenty of
depth on the bench.
"Everyone is seeing the court, and everyone is delivering,"
he said.
"There is no single team leader," Winn said. "Everyone
is leading with their playing. We're real deep. We have freshmen playing
like juniors, and upperclassmen leading by example."
"The middles are getting up, and we're connecting well," said
Zembal.
"We need to square away our passing, make better decisions, and
continue to condition, but we're only two weeks into the season and things
are looking good," said Flora.
With this team's energy and talent, hopes are high. "We want to
win the SCIAC," said Tsapanos.
The main conference competition will be from Cal Lutheran and Claremont
Mudd-Scripps, while regional competition is highlighted by UC San Diego
and Cal State Hayward, ranked second and eighth in the nation, respectively.
Even facing this stiff challenge, the team remains confident in its
abilities. Flora said, "We're going to do what we need to do to succeed."