Two Anzar players also make All-League team
Dean Askanas lived in San Jose, but he opted to make the trek to
Hollister everyday during the volleyball season in order to coach
the San Benito High girls’ varsity team. His reasons for coming to
Hollister were simple.
Two Anzar players also make All-League team
Dean Askanas lived in San Jose, but he opted to make the trek to Hollister everyday during the volleyball season in order to coach the San Benito High girls’ varsity team. His reasons for coming to Hollister were simple.
“San Benito High is the only school in town. There are more than 2,000 kids there,” he said. “I thought we could win CCS (Central Coast Section) titles over and over down there and build a dynasty as CCS champions.”
This year, Askanas got his wish as the Baler girls posted a record of 33-8 and won the section title for the first time in the school’s history. Although he’s happy with seeing his team win CCS, Askanas wants to go even further next season. He’s expecting to do so courtesy of the solid group of players that will return to the starting lineup next year.
“The goal next year is to win the Northern California state championship,” he said. “I think we’ll be good enough to do that.”
Recently several of his players from the 2006 squad were named to the Tri County Athletic League’s prestigious All-League list. Baler senior Chelsea Fowles, the team’s dominant setter, and junior right side hitter Emily Kortsen, shared the most prestigious award of MVP this year.
This season Fowles racked up a mind-blowing 998 assists to lead the league, was first on the team in both aces and service points, second in both digs and blocks and third on the team in kills.
Next year, Fowles will play Division I volleyball at Utah State where she received a scholarship.
“She is a really dynamic leader with a lot of experience. She led through example,” Askanas said. “She always played as hard as she could play. She was super valuable to this team. It’s going to be a big blow to the team next year to lose her, but we also have a lot of good kids coming up.”
Next season sophomore middle blocker Justine Hunter is expected to fill Fowles position in the lineup.
Fortunately for Askanas he won’t have to worry about replacing Kortsen for another year. This year the 6-foot-1 junior was the biggest offensive threat in the region, driving home 528 kill shots. She was also second on the team in assists, aces and service points. During the season Kortsen also showed her defensive prowess on the floor, racking up 275 digs.
“In my estimation, she was the best right side hitter in Northern California,” Askanas said. “She is a terrific player. In the last two matches she had more than 30 kills in each match. She always comes up big for us.”
Rounding out the “big three” for the Balers this year was junior Bri Romero, who was named to the league’s elite First Team squad. Although she played outside hitter and could put the ball away for big points at the most opportune times, Romero, a junior, was best known for her stellar defensive play on the court.
She led the team in digs with 333, was second in kills with 273 and third in assists, aces and service points. All season long Romero jump-started the Baler defense and was instrumental in the team’s success. In fact, had it not been for an untimely injury to her knee in the fourth game of the semifinals of the Northern California State Volleyball Tournament, many local pundits believe the Balers would have gone on to win the game and competed for the state championship.
“Bri is just a great athlete,” Askanas said. “I think she can play at the Division I level as a defensive specialist (Libero). Her leadership, desire and athleticism are off the charts.”
Another player whose play was off the charts at times this year for the Balers was junior middle blocker Ali Sharp. At 5-foot-11, Sharp’s main job was to shut down or block the opposing team’s top hitters.
“She has great instinct and timing,” Askanas said. “She has really become a good player.”
During the season Sharp led the Balers in blocked shots with 71 and was one of the top players on the team in most every other statistical category.
Senior outside hitter Morgan O’Laughlin made the league’s Second Team list. A team captain and leader, O’Laughlin is credited by her coach with playing some of the best volleyball of the year down the home stretch of the season – when it counted most.
“She meant a whole lot to this team this year,” Askanas said. “She kept getting steadier as the season went on. The last two games of the year she played her best.”
The last player on the Baler team to be recognized for her outstanding play in the TCAL this year was freshman Samantha Klauer, who was named to the Second Team squad for her solid play at the strategic libero position.
“She is really an excellent defensive player,” Askanas said. “She really picked up the whole team defensively with her play.”
With all of his top players except Fowles and O’Laughlin coming back and a strong group of JV payers coming up, the bar has been raised at San Benito High.
“I could make a bold statement and say that we’ll win state. The goal next year will be to win CCS and Nor Cals. I think we can do it,” Askanas said.
Anzar High School
Although Anzar High has some 1,700 fewer students for assembling a team than San Benito High, the Hawks volleyball team also had a strong season, finishing second in the Mission Trail Athletic League behind King City. This year the Hawks finished with a record of 18-7 and made it to the CCS playoffs for the sixth year in a row before losing to Palo Alto’s Castilleja School in the opening round of Division V play.
Although the Hawks made an early exit in the playoffs, they wouldn’t have gone even that far had it not been for the solid play of a number of players on the team.
One of those players was senior outside hitter Emily Deleissegues, who led the Hawks in kills (278), digs (548), aces (86) and service points with 255. During the season Deleissegues was one of the most dominant players in the MTAL, which is why she made the First Team list.
“She was huge for us,” Anzar coach Mike Dorney said. “She was a player and acted as a coach, too, on the court – a real team leader. She was a dominant hitter, our best passer and one of our best servers.”
The other Anzar player to make First Team honors was middle blocker Christina Flores. During the season Flores racked up 61 blocked shots to lead her team in the category. She was instrumental in stopping or shutting down the opposition’s top hitters.
“She was really good at the quick-set-and-spike play, too,” Dorney said. “She was a very good defender. We didn’t play her in the back row much, but she could serve well, too.”
Anzar senior Jessica Staley was named to the league’s honorable mention list.
John Bagley can be reached at [email protected].
