It may be a new season for the San Benito Lady ‘Balers, but just
because the calendar reads 2007 doesn’t mean the expectations are
any different.
Hollister – It may be a new season for the San Benito Lady ‘Balers, but just because the calendar reads 2007 doesn’t mean the expectations are any different.
Last year, the squad tied for first place (11-1) in the Tri-County Athletic League with Salinas, took the Central Coast Section Division I Championship, and finished runner-up in the CIF Northern California playoffs to Foothill.
Despite losing seniors Chelsea Fowles and Morgan O’Laughlin to Utah State and Bentley College, respectively, the team will be anchored by senior opposite and two-time TCAL MVP Emily Kortsen. With that, Coach Dean Askanas believes his team is on track to surpass last season’s success.
“I think we look really good. I think we can be better than last year, both offensively and defensively,” he said. “But I have concerns. I think we’re still unrefined and we have a lot of refining to do in a lot of aspects of the game. But I think at this point right now we’re OK as long as we keep improving and hitting on those spots.”
In practices this week, the Lady ‘Balers have been trying to mimic powerhouse opposition with inner-squad scrimmages, a problem that is easier said than done, but a problem that every team deals with before the first game of the season.
“You have to see the whistle blow against someone else who’s really tough and can really hit,” Askanas said. “You’ve got to be thinking of what another solid starting team is going to do.”
The Lady ‘Balers will see their fair share of solid starting teams in the preseason. Today, the defending league champs will host Harbor (7-1) at 6:30pm, a team that finished runner-up to Menlo in the CCS Division IV Championships last year. And while it’ll be San Benito’s first game, Harbor just took first at the Santa Cruz Invitational last weekend, and lost to Notre Dame on Tuesday.
“They dominated it,” said senior outside hitter Bri Romero of Harbor’s success in Santa Cruz, “and they have a strong right side. Their defense has always been pretty strong.
“It’ll be a good match. We’re not looking past them at all. Our first game, hoping to come out strong, and have it both physically and mentally.”
If the Lady ‘Balers did look past Harbor, though, they’d see preseason matches against Homestead, Presentation and Carlmont, three teams that qualified for the CCS playoffs at one division or another last season. In fact, San Benito’s match against Homestead will be a repeat of last year’s CCS Division I Championship.
“Before league starts, we have a tough preseason,” Romero said last week. “We didn’t sign up to play any easy teams.”
Ali Sharp, a senior middle blocker, said the tough preseason schedule will only make the tranistion to league more seamless, and will only set the team up for the CCS and Nor Cal playoffs.
“If we don’t beat them, we get really close. It builds up our talent,” Sharp said. “You always want to play teams that are better than you. It’s not about our record.”
Added Romero, “Whether we win or lose, we come out with a positive energy. We play a lot of good teams, and we know it prepares us for league, and there are a coupe of tournaments later on that prepare us for CCS.”
As far as league goes, Salinas, who tied the Lady ‘Balers last year, will now have the playoffs on their sights after the CCS ban was lifted in March. And with one game after another against top-shelf opponents, Askanas knows his team will take some “lumps” along the way.
“We definitely have come in with a set goal of repeating as CCS champions and winning the Nor Cal, but we know that every step of the way is going to be very difficult,” Askanas said. “I’ve scheduled a very hard preseason … our league season is very hard and Salinas is very strong.”
While other teams may have a schedule filled with weak opponents, Askanas is hoping San Benito’s schedule will play to their favor. Said the coach, “We’re going to be battle tested. We’re going after everyone. The hardest teams we can find, we’re going to play, and we still have a lot of work to do.”
San Benito went 33-8 overall last year, have been TCAL champs two years in a row, and will most likely have a target on their back throughout the year. Tonight against Harbor, a team they split two matches with last year, it’ll be a clean slate.
“We come in playing Harbor like there’s a target on Harbor’s back because they beat us last time,” Askanas said. “We come in playing Salinas like there’s a target on Salinas’ back because they beat us last time.
“They can put targets on our back all they want, but we’re putting targets on their backs, too. We want to win.”
