With Salinas and Notre Dame bringing back plenty from last
season’s strong teams, the Lady Balers will look to counter with a
more balanced squad
No one has specifically tied the San Benito girls volleyball
team to underdog status this year. Of course, not garnering the
dark-horse role may be slightly difficult when the Lady Balers
boast a 101-48 overall record over the last four seasons, and even
advanced all the way to the Division I semifinals last year before
falling to league rival Salinas in four games.
With Salinas and Notre Dame bringing back plenty from last season’s strong teams, the Lady Balers will look to counter with a more balanced squad
No one has specifically tied the San Benito girls volleyball team to underdog status this year. Of course, not garnering the dark-horse role may be slightly difficult when the Lady Balers boast a 101-48 overall record over the last four seasons, and even advanced all the way to the Division I semifinals last year before falling to league rival Salinas in four games.
Playing the role of longshot may be hard to come by within the Central Coast Section, especially with those numbers.
But in the Tri-County Athletic League, where Notre Dame and Salinas return plenty from a pair of teams that posted matching 11-1 records last season en route to a split league championship, the Lady Balers will quietly accept their underdog role.
“We’re planning a sneak attack,” said senior middle blocker Emily Tonascia.
“We might be the underdog this year,” added senior libero Sam Klauer, “but that hasn’t dropped our expectations as far as goals.”
With a more balanced rotation than last year’s team, which finished in third place in the TCAL with a 7-5 record, San Benito has more options at each position this season. Perhaps even more important, those options may just convert into a better offense.
“Last year, it was a game of attrition,” San Benito head coach Dean Askanas said. “This year, I think we can put the ball away.”
The Lady Balers boasted one of the league’s best defenses last year, but struggled to rack up high kill totals from match to match, one year after graduating Emily Kortsen, Bri Romero and Ali Sharp, who combined for more than 1,000 kills in 2007.
Askanas said what the team has gained in offense this year was lost on the defensive side, however, yet the team is further along in its attack to provide a more balanced approach going into this weekend.
San Benito begins its 2009 campaign at Spikefest I, which will be held at both Independence and Milpitas high schools on Saturday.
“Our team is looking really good,” said junior defensive specialist Sara Yamasaki, who led the team last year with 493 digs, edging out departed senior Shayna Nakata’s 489 digs. “We’re strong, we’re working together and we’re meshing really well.”
Added Klauer, a four-year starter who compiled 437 digs last season, “I think this year we’ve really bonded. We’re more of a family.”
Whether or not a tight-knit approach converts to more wins – San Benito went 14-22 overall last season – the Lady Balers will have some time to iron out any kinks during a tough preseason slate, which includes matches against Harbor and defending Division I champion Homestead.
To further stress San Benito’s balanced approach, though, the team will use a two-setter rotation this season with Yamasaki and senior Alisha Cornick. But while most two-setter formations place both setters on the back row, Askanas will try to utilize his setters strengths by keeping only Yamasaki, a defensive specialist, reserved to the back, and having Cornick, a strong blocker, up front at the net.
“I do have big shoes to fill,” said Cornick, who replaces Justine Hunter at the setter position. Hunter compiled 605 assists, 99 kills, 323 digs, 67 blocks and 36 aces last season, and is currently competing for Pepperdine University.
“Probably just do my best and work hard at it,” Cornick added. “We have a long way to go, but I think we’re all up to the challenge.”
With the team’s strength said to be centered around middle blockers Emily Tonascia and Jessica Steigelman, a duo that combined for 77 blocks last season, the Lady Balers will seek the continued development of its outside hitters. Askanas said he has three players at the pins, including Kelsey Asp, Denisia Dikes and Jessica Meade, who performed “quite well” during last year’s playoff stretch.
“We have more players to choose from and they’re pretty evenly matched, fighting for positions,” Klauer said.
With San Benito’s first test this weekend at Spikefest I, the Lady Balers will open the TCAL on Sept. 22 at home to Alisal.
On Oct. 1, the Salinas Cowboys, considered the team to beat in the TCAL, will host “underdog” San Benito.
“They’re strong. They’re talented. They’ll be a handful,” said Askanas, who feels the Cowboys have potential weaknesses.
“We have set the bar high for this season because I truly believe we can win it all. I believe we have enough strength at all the hitting positions to do that. We’re miles away from that right now, but if we keep improving, I think we can do that.”
If so, it may just be a sneak attack.
