Behind two seniors, the 2011 Anzar Hawks volleyball team had its best season since its 2002 Central Coast Section Division V championship, going 20-10 and earning a berth in the CCS quarterfinals.
With the losses of Alex Flores, who graduated and recieved a full scholarship to University of Santa Barbara, and Sydnee Mausen, Anzar will have a different look this year. Leading the team, which returns 11 players and five seniors, is new head coach Chloe Goldman.
The 24-year-old graduate of Salinas High brings with her a long and successful collegiate career. Goldman graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2009 as the Southeastern Conference’s Libero of the Year and an all-American. For the past two years, she served as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss, while earning her masters in parks and recreation management.
She became interested in the Anzar job once the school started searching for a new coach in August after long-time coach Chris Wardlaw decided to step down.
“She officially joined just two days before practice started,” co-athletic director Mike McKinney said. “We started looking for coaches and we weren’t getting any responses. We contacted some local club coaches and they recommended Chloe. She has been great.”
For Goldman, it was the perfect opportunity after moving back home to Salinas from the south over the summer.
“Anzar has always been good,” she said. “I thought it would be a good opportunity.”
So far, it’s been good for the school and Goldman, as the Hawks open the new season Friday against Pajaro Valley at 6:30 p.m. in San Juan Bautista.
With so much collegiate experience, Goldman has been a more detail-focused coach with the team, McKinney said.
“She has been very good,” McKinney said. “She has been really attentive to details. That’s something that is always missing at the high school level. Chloe is about detail and hard work.”
In less than a month of practice, Goldman has preached teamwork and a college work ethic to the Hawks.
“I just always have been taught to work really hard and to hustle a lot,” she said. “I want to instill that into their brains. It’s more of how a college team is run. That’s how I run practices. If they want to be better, that’s how practices should be run. It’s a lot more of a college experience for the girls.”
Practices are more concise and direct, she said. The team focusses on the small details to improve.
“It’s just the little things,” she said. “It comes down to simply placing the free ball in a certain spot. I know they are capable of doing it.”
With so many returnees, Goldman had a strong base, and didn’t need to work on team chemistry or basic fundamentals.
“There is 11 returners and when you have that many returners it’s easy to just start playing right away, because you don’t need to form a chemistry because it’s always there,” she said. “With that alone, we will have a successful season. I’m kind of excited.”
The team won’t return the same star power it did a year ago, with its kill and assist leader gone, but the team will rely on a hefty amount of experience, led by junior libero Mali Gonazales.
“Mali, our libero, is the rock of our team,” Goldman said. “I count on her a lot.”
Raleigh and Delaney McKinney, who will play on the outside, will also play key roles for the Hawks in 2012. Both are returning players from a year ago, who are expected to carry the offense and team leadership, Goldman said. And without Flores or Masuen, other players will have a chance to step out into the spotlight.
“I think that in a way, it’s good when someone big like that (Flores) graduates because it allows someone else on the team to step up,” Goldman said. “It’s interesting to see who will step up when someone like that leaves. It puts different responsibilities on different people’s shoulders and it’s interesting to watch.”
With that past success, Goldman, this year, wants to continue Anzar’s strong volleyball tradition built by Wardlaw.
“Volleyball is one of their better sports,” Goldman said. “It shows what the previous coach, Chris is built here. I’m glad to be a part of that.”
She continued: “I think we will be really successful this year. My goal is to win the league. You always want to do better than the previous season and have a winning record. I think we are capable of that from what I see in the gym. I think we can win league.”
