Three local freshmen spikers will be competing in the Junior
Olympics in Houston from June 22-26.
Three local freshmen spikers will be competing in the Junior Olympics in Houston from June 22-26.
Chelsea Fowles and Morgan O’Laughlin from San Benito High and Emily Deleissegues from Anzar High are part of the Main Beach Volleyball Club 15U Gold based out of Santa Cruz that will be competing with the 100 elite teams in the nation.
“All three girls have been extremely pivotal in our season,” said coach Eric Nelson. “They have helped to round out team and push us to the Junior Olympics.”
All three local players are scholar athletes for their schools.
Fowles and O’Laughlin were the only two freshmen to play on the San Benito JV volleyball team last year. Both players were chosen as the Match MVPs in the Independence High School tournament.
O’Laughlin, a middle blocker, was named as the most improved Haybaler volleyball team last year. While Fowles, a setter, received the award for most consistent serving.
During Deleissegues’ first year of playing high school volleyball, she received Honorable Mention in the All-Mission Trail Athletic League. She helped lead her team to a Central Coast Section playoff berth.
Deleissegues plays as the libero, a new position just introduced into high school volleyball this year. Players can substitute in and out in the back row at any time without having to check in like normal. It allows a defensive specialist to be in the game all but two plays – one to sub out and one to sub in.
As a result, Deleissegues plays 99 percent of the time on the court.
“She is definitely needed and is a huge attribute to our success,” Nelson said. “I have had a lot of teams come up to me afterwards and ask if we could switch players. She has excellent ball control, a good attitude and is a hard worker.”
Fowles played with the City Beach Club the last couple years and joined Main Beach this year.
“The team she was on last year we beat several times this year, so it was a good switch for her,” Nelson said.
O’Laughlin was coming off an injury midway through the season. Even though she is one of the youngest girls on the team, she is still a key part, Nelson said.
“She’s played up there with the older girls and has done a good job,” Nelson said.
Main Beach was founded last year and has enjoyed a good deal of success. The team practices three times a week for two hours at Cabrillo College in Aptos.
“It will be a great experience for our club,” Nelson said. “It is not something that every girl gets to do. There are a lot of tournaments that you can enter, but this one the only way to get in is to win. I hope it will be a good eye-opening experience for them.”
Main Beach finished in the top three in the region to qualify to advance. The club finished in eighth place at the regionals in Sacramento, but the top five teams had already qualified by winning previous ltournaments.
“We want to make it as affordable of a trip as possible because club volleyball can be expensive,” Nelson said. “But in my opinion it is worth every penny. It is a great for them to be out on their own and representing their community.”
The team will be holding a fund-raiser car wash on Saturday, June 5 from 8 a.m. to noon in the Sunnyslope Medical parking lot.
