Baler volleyball team eyes state title
Most teams start the season with the goal of winning a league
title and making the Central Coast Section playoffs. The San Benito
High girls’ volleyball team has set the bar higher.
”
I’d be incredibly disappointed if we don’t win CCS and possibly
the state title this year,
”
Baler second-year coach Dean Askanas said.
Baler volleyball team eyes state title
Most teams start the season with the goal of winning a league title and making the Central Coast Section playoffs. The San Benito High girls’ volleyball team has set the bar higher.
“I’d be incredibly disappointed if we don’t win CCS and possibly the state title this year,” Baler second-year coach Dean Askanas said.
And Askanas knows team potential when he sees it.
Since he has been at the helm of the program, the Balers have yet to lose a game in the league. Last year, his team went 36-6 en route to a league title, posting a perfect 12-0 mark in the Tri County Athletic League.
This year the expectations at Baler camp are soaring even higher for a number of reasons. For starters, San Benito High is picking up right where it left off a season ago. Currently, the Balers are 5-0 in league and 19-4 overall.
On Tuesday night in Salinas the Balers proved that they are head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the league after dismantling the second-place Salinas Cowboys in three straight games. And with the big wins come an ever-growing confidence that they can play with and beat any team in the section.
The core reason behind the team’s overall success this season has been the stellar play of three veteran athletes that handle the duties at the most critical positions – setter, outside hitter and right side hitter.
Their names are Chelsea Fowles, Bri Romero and Emily Kortsen.
“Chelsea and Emily are at another level,” Askanas said. “Bri is an excellent player, too, and plays good defense as well.”
Last year the Balers “big three” helped lead their team to the CCS finals for the second year in a row as well as the Nor Cal state championship.
And this year the Baler triumvirate seem to be playing even better – with a chemistry on the floor that is unmatched by most teams in the section.
Leading the way this year is Kortsen. The league’s MVP of a year ago, thanks to her 6-foot-1 inch frame and powerful right arm strength, Kortsen leads both the league and the entire tri-county area in kill totals this season with 278.
When asked about the reasons behind her surge to the top of the league she doesn’t hesitate to point out that her teammates are a major part of it.
“My height helps me a lot, but being on a strong team and being around good players is what helped me get the MVP,” Kortsen said.
And the worst thing for opposing coaches is having the knowledge that both Kortsen and Romero, the team’s dominate outside hitter, will both be back next season another go-around.
Romero is second on the team in kills with 149 and first in digs with 179, which puts her defensive prowess into perspective as well.
At the center of it all is Fowles, the team’s senior leader, who has the job of setting up the powerful hitters with the perfect pass that will lead to the timely kill shots. This season she has 517 assists, which is higher than anyone in the tri-county section.
“She tells us where it’s (the ball) coming and somehow she knows right where we are and where to put the ball,” Kortsen said.
“She tells us where to go and it’s (the ball) right there, it’s always right there,” Romero said.
Their chemistry also goes beyond the court.
“We see each other on and off campus and we are friendly,” Romero said. “That’s the thing. This year there is no drama on the team at all. We had a lot in past years but this year we all get along well.”
All three players know that this is also the last year they will be competing together on the court. Next year, Fowles will attend Utah State University on a volleyball scholarship. She and her teammates would like to see the team’s senior leader go out in style.
“This would be the year, our best chance to win it all (CCS),” Romero said.
“We’re all hoping that the third time is a charm,” Fowles said. “We’ve been second now at CCS for two years in a row.”
As good as all three are at what they do best, none of them is one-dimensional. In addition to delivering devastating kill shots, Kortsen is second on the team in assists and has a strong service game too. Fowles is second on the team in digs and also has more than 100 kills this year, playing a position that doesn’t call for many kill shots. She also leads the team in aces and service points.
Romero has gotten a number of aces courtesy of her strong service game.
“They are three exceptional athletes,” Askanas said. “They work well together on the floor, and they have good chemistry off the floor. They are no doubt a huge part of this team’s success.”
The Balers’ next game is Thursday, Oct. 12 when they will travel to Gilroy High to face the fourth-place Mustangs. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
