Central Coast Section title has eluded Baler volleyball squad,
but will this be the year?
Last year, they won league, finished second in the Central Coast
Section playoffs and made it all that way to the semifinals in the
Northern California state tournament
– all feats that won’t be easy to repeat.
But this year, San Benito High girls volleyball coach Dean
Askanas (pronounced as-k
ón-as) has even higher expectations and he wouldn’t be surprised
to see his squad win the one title that has eluded the Hollister
school from day one – a CCS championship.
Central Coast Section title has eluded Baler volleyball squad, but will this be the year?
Last year, they won league, finished second in the Central Coast Section playoffs and made it all that way to the semifinals in the Northern California state tournament – all feats that won’t be easy to repeat.
But this year, San Benito High girls volleyball coach Dean Askanas (pronounced as-kón-as) has even higher expectations and he wouldn’t be surprised to see his squad win the one title that has eluded the Hollister school from day one – a CCS championship.
“I think that we are going to be real solid this year,” Askanas said. “We have a lot of good players.”
This season the Balers are off to a 5-2 start. San Benito High’s only losses came against Archbishop Mitty and Presentation High Schools, two of the top teams in the CCS.
Despite those setbacks, the Balers took fourth this past weekend at the Milpitas Spikefest tournament where they knocked off powerhouse schools Westmont, Sacred Heart-Cathedral Prep and Menlo School.
Heading into the season, the sophomore coach had some concerns about his team after losing outside hitter J.T. Temperino and defensive specialist Ari Romero to graduation.
Askanas was able to fill those major voids without missing a beat – thanks to the solid play of freshman Samantha Klauer, who was placed into the lineup at the libero (defensive) position.
“She has a lot of athleticism and is doing real well,” Askanas said.
Senior Morgan O’Laughlin has stepped in and taken over Temperino’s old spot on the floor. An all-league second team player a year ago as the team’s middle hitter, O’Laughlin is now wreaking havoc on the outside.
“She’s just a terrific athlete. She’s experienced and played club volleyball for years. She’s a good server and has a good arm swing that can produce the kills,” Askanas said.
While Klauer is new to the team and O’Laughlin has shifted her positioning on the floor, the two constants in the Baler lineup that have been instrumental to the team’s successes in recent years are Chelsea Fowles and Emily Kortsen.
As MVP of the league last year, Kortsen was also one of the top 75 underclassmen players on a varsity squad in the nation. The 6-foot-1 right-side hitter dominated play all season long with her aptitude for drilling home kill shots at the optimum time.
In addition to her ability to put the ball away, Kortsen has showed prowess defensively as well through her blocked shots and ability to dig.
Already this season the junior standout leads the team in kills with 69.
“She’s definitely the best player in the league,” Askanas said. “And is probably in the top six in the section. She has an incredible arm swing and can kill the ball from the back or the front row. She has great passing and defense too, just a difficult player to stop.”
Setting her up for those kills is Fowles, a senior all-league setter, who currently leads the Balers with 130 assists. To put that into proper context, consider that Kortsen is second on the team this year with 18.
Fowles also has a strong service game and is effective at killing and blocking shots as well.
“She is by far the most experienced player in the entire league,” Askanas said. “She’s played years of club ball on high-profile teams. She has a competitive fire and an excellent knowledge of the court.”
The Balers have another all-league returnee in Bri Romero. In just seven games this season Romero has 47 kills, which trails only Kortsen’s total, and leads the team in digs, aces and service points.
“She has one of the best combinations of defense and offense that I’ve seen,” Askanas said. “She’s a clutch hitter too. When we need a kill, she’ll get it.”
In addition to the obvious talent throughout the lineup, Askanas is also pleased with the way his team bonds both on and off the court.
“In my sense of things, I think the chemistry is better this year than last year,” he said.
This year, Askanas has the same goals as always for his teams: win league, win CCS, win NorCals and go to state.
“I think about the only thing we need to improve on right now is the middle hitting needs to be more productive, and the serve receive game has to be cleaner,” he said. “A lot of our passes turn into broken plays. I’d call them technical errors.”
The Balers next game is on Tuesday, Sept. 12 when they play host to San Jose’s Valley Christian High School at 6:30 p.m.
The Balers Tri County Athletic League opener takes place a week later when they play host to the Mustangs of Gilroy High at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 19.
