For the San Benito High girls volleyball team, the future is now.
The Haybalers, who finished in a tie for second place last year in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division before advancing to the Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinals, are one of the half-dozen or so programs in the section that doesn’t so much rebuild but reload every season.
The reasons are two-fold: There’s always talent coming through the system, and the coaching has been top-notch and stable, with Dean Askanas entering his 10th year with the program.
“I think we have a very athletic team, a very young team and I see a lot of potential,” Askanas said. “You just hope it’ll turn out great because we have good athletes at every position. Now it’s just a matter of refining our skills at each position.”
The Balers are focusing on serve-receive, specifically with their outside hitters. Ideally, Askanas wants his outside hitters and libero to pass in every rotation. Teams strong in the passing department have a larger margin for error in every other facet of the game.
Simply put, a great passing team is always in a match because of its superior defensive skills and fundamentals. Championship teams, however, possess an offense to match, and the Balers plan on developing into the latter by the end of the regular season.
The Balers won’t be lacking for firepower this season, as they return sophomore outside hitter Marisa Villegas and junior Haley Leifheit, who played middle blocker last year but will be playing on the outside this season.
Villegas, Leifheit, senior libero Ally Murphy and junior opposite Lexi Chavarria are the four captains of the team, which has been buoyed by an influx of four freshmen, including libero Noel Chavarria, the younger sister of Lexi.
Another freshman, Kiley Hoskins, has earned the starting setter role in the team’s two-setter offense.
“The girls are excited running this offense,” Leifheit said. “It’s definitely a big change going to a two-setter offense because now you’re getting used to having that second opposite on the floor.”
San Benito expects to receive a huge impact from middle blocker Camille Finley, a sophomore who made tremendous progress in the offseason. The team’s second opposite, Lauren Sabbatini, has also made a nice impression.
“Laura is a terrific athlete,” Askanas said. “She’s going to be a big plus for the team.”
Villegas, who is one of the school’s best all-around athletes—she fell just short of making the CIF State Track and Field Championships in the 1,600-meter run in May—played club volleyball for the Watsonville Crush during the summer.
Known for her exceptional vertical leap, Villegas feels optimistic about this year’s group.
“I think we’ll be stronger and more successful, and we’re definitely younger,” she said. “We have more well-rounded players who can play multiple positions.”
Murphy has been a standout defensive player for the last couple of years, routinely coming up with key digs and passing well under pressure. Murphy only started playing the game in the eighth grade, and her first memory wasn’t all that pleasant.
“It was rough at first, but it made me realize I had to work hard to get to where I’m at today,” said Murphy, whose dad, Larry, is the defensive coordinator at Christopher High.
Leifheit said being one of the team’s captains carries a role of responsibility.
“You have to set a good example and always play hard,” she said. “We’ll have a little more firepower on this year’s team. Since we have a lot of young girls, the energy on the team is always up.”
No one is more excited to be back on the court than Leifheit, who missed nearly half of the 2013 season after suffering a right dislocated patella in a match against Salinas. Leifheit showed her value to the team when it knocked off section power Palo Alto in the Harbor Invitational.
“Things were very difficult last year without her,” Askanas said. “She’s healthy now and playing great, which is good news for us.”
A longtime coach at the high school and club level, Askanas knows exactly what his team needs to reach its potential.
“We’re going to keep on working on our passing, keep on hammering away,” he said.
