After graduating a handful of seniors, the Lady ‘Balers will
play a more defensive-minded game this season
HOLLISTER
Although the San Benito girls volleyball team will battle Harbor High Tuesday night, the kickoff to the 2008 campaign, the Lady ‘Balers first real test may come from within.
As with any prep team, the gameplan changes depending upon the makeup of the unit, and the Lady ‘Balers will be without standout spikers Emily Kortsen, Bri Romero and Ali Sharp this season, who combined for a total of 1,011 kills last year alone.
The million-dollar question now is how do you replace them, can you replace them?
“No, you can’t replace them. They were three, big, natural athletes,” head coach Dean Askanas said. “And we are not trying to play the same game as we played the last three years.”
Askanas described the last three years, where the Lady ‘Balers compiled a combined 87-26 record, as an offensive-minded one. The attack revolved around the front line, most notably the three-time league MVP Kortsen, who will play Division I volleyball at Utah State this year.
This season, though, Askanas is looking for consistency in defense, in hitting and in serving.
“We have a much more defensive approach this year,” Askanas said. “We have the personnel to play this defensive-minded game, and that’s how the practices have been focused.
“We’re looking at consistency in hitting and just crazy digging.”
Askanas is relaying an analogy to his players, likening the team-building process to growing a tree. Noting that it takes components from each and every player to build and protect the team up, all it takes is one player to knock it down.
Team captains Justine Hunter, Shayna Nakata and Sam Klauer realize that, moreso than in other years, this season will take a true team effort.
“Everybody needs to step up. Everyone is an integral part of the team,” Hunter said. “The competition (among players) will make people work harder where everyone is pushing and everyone is stepping up.”
San Benito, with 12 players on its current roster, could go 10-deep and maybe even 12-deep, Askanas said, while the team returns eight players, two of whom – Hunter and Klauer – were starters last season. Displaying a much different look to opposing teams than in years past, Askanas feels he’ll be able to alternate at each position, where every offensive player will be paired with a defensive specialist.
“I’m gonna have to be on my toes and substitute more actively at every position,” Askanas said. “Everyone will be held much more accountable for their performance.”
Hunter, a fourth-year varsity player who will be at setter, brings back a league-leading 1,112 assists. Said Askanas, “She’s seen everything before. She’s a veteran out there.”
Klauer, who was the starting libero last season, returns 349 digs, which were second on the team. With the change to a defensive mindset, though, Askanas said as many as three players could be playing libero this season, including Klauer, Nakata and Sara Yamasaki, while the coach has seen Courtney Scarlett and Warda Alam, who played supporting roles last season, stepping into starting positions.
One of Askanas’ concerns is the difficult preseason, which includes matches against powerhouse programs like Harbor, Woodside and Homestead. But then again, even after noting the tough schedule, Askanas wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Even though I wouldn’t do it any easier, it’s still a hard preseason,” the coach said. “We took our lumps in preseason (last year) and we ended up winning the TCAL.
“Our weaknesses will be exposed and we’re gonna take our lumps, but we’re gonna have to learn from them and build from them.”
Step one in the building process will come Tuesday night in Santa Cruz against Karissa Cook and Harbor High. San Benito will be off to the Notre Dame-Salinas volleyball tournament the following Saturday.
“It will show us where we are at and what we need to work on,” Klauer said. “We’re hoping that we go out and play our best, give them competition and don’t throw away the game. We have to go in confident.”
Said Nakata, “We can’t let them get us down.”
