Pearland: Volleyball Preview

Story by Jason Roberts

Back to back volleyball playoff disappointments have not sullied Pearland’s desire to continue pushing forward to go beyond the first round.

The Lady Oilers’ past two postseason appearances have ended quickly but Pearland keeps on producing good volleyball players. This year is no exception as they are looking for some redemption.

“The kids are thinking about making up some T-shirts that say something like, ‘Definite second round team’ or something silly like that,” Pearland volleyball coach John Turner said.

Clements has been the beneficiary of both first round wins against the Lady Oilers in back to back playoff seasons.

Pearland lost four seniors from last year with three of them continuing on to the next level, Holly Moreno (St. Mary’s University), Erin Leo (Texas State), Amanda Aguilara (UT Arlington) and Emily McLaughlin.

But as much as they lost the Lady Oilers welcome back the 35th ranked freshman in the country, Mallori Pardo.

“As a freshman she was making silly mistakes here and there, but we are not seeing that this year,” Turner said. “I expect her to have a high hitting percentage and a high setting percentage.”

Primarily used as an outside hitter Pardo will continue in that role but add setting duties as well. Pardo along with Marissa Collins will set up a dynamic duo for Pearland.

“I probably have the best setters that I’ve ever had since I’ve been coaching here and probably in high school period,” Turner added. “Mallori and Marissa are very experienced, they are top setters on the clubs that they are at, and those are top teams in the clubs as well.”

Collins, just a junior already has about four or five colleges looking at her. Another player that might make a difference is senior Jasmine Terry, who is 6-foot-1 and verbally committed to University of Houston. 

Terry will man the middle position.

Senior Heather Loverton will be another senior outside hitter while Amanda Dean and Paige Cisneros will rotate at the libero.

“Heather was second in kills for us last year and both Amanda and Paige are tremendous defensive players,” Turner said. “Our passing and defense will be good opposed to other seasons and that will help us a lot.”

Rebecca Felix and incoming freshman Taylor Hackamack will also boost the front line for the Lady Oilers. Hackamack is 6-foot-1 1/2.

“Taylor trained at the Colorado Springs facility with the girls select U.S.A. team this past summer,” Turner said. “But we only get her for one year because her father got a promotion buth they have to move to Florida.”

Turner is entering his 15th season as the head coach and 23rd overall at Pearland. He’s posted a phenomenal 475-208 record so far.

Pearland has also moved districts from last season and will now compete in District 22-5A with the likes of Deer Park, La Porte and all the Pasadena schools.

The Lady Oilers also host one if not the top volleyball tournament’s in the country.

“Prepvolleyball.com has ranked us the No. 1 volleyball tournament in the country,” Turner said. “We are 76 strong teams now and all the top teams from around the state will be here. It is like a preview before the state tournament that is the type of teams that we have.”

Austin Westlake has won eight of the 10 titles as Pearland’s highest finish was a sixth place.

“These guys got so much experience from play last year, and they’ve improved tremendously in offseason and club ball,” Turner said. “I am looking forward to seeing a much quicker tempo offense this year.”

Friendswood: Volleyball Preview

Story by Jason Roberts Photos by Tedd Anastas

Making an eighth trip to the state volleyball tournament in San Marcos will be an uphill battle for the Friendswood Lady Mustangs this season—but one that head coach Jerry Linch thinks they are up for the challenge.
Friendswood lost 11 seniors from last season’s Class 4A state finalist that lost to Waco Midway in the championship game.
"It is going to be much of a rebuilding year, but I don’t think our seniors are thinking of it as a rebuilding year," Linch said. "Mainly because they want their chance to do well this year."
Entering his fifth season this is the first time Linch has lost so many seniors but understands that it comes with the territory.
"It doesn’t happen that often, but that is the nature of the beast," Linch said. "Our JV was very successful last year. We got a lot of kids stepping up filling new spots and I am excited. I think we will have another good run."
One returning player is middle blocker Charlotte Mata.
"She has been playing on varsity for three years, so I expect big things from Charlotte," Linch said. "She will be one of my leaders."
Helping out Mata in the middle will be junior Sarah Wooley, who played sparingly last season. Linch will also expect leadership roles from Megan Carpenter, Chelsea Powada, Sally Williams and Michelle Motsch.
Motsch will team up with sophomore Siobhan O’Neill at the setter positions for the Lady Mustangs.
"One of biggest players to step in this year is Jasmine Casey—sophomore whom I pulled up for playoffs last year," Linch said. "She plays all the way around and is one of my best defensive players and one of my best passers. She is a great leader for just being a sophomore; a very
excited individual and I expect good things from Jasmine."
Natalie Meengs will fill in the libero position defensively with freshmen Kaelan O’Neill as a defensive specialist and Shawna Spozio as an outside attacker.
Friendswood will carry 14 varsity players along with Aimme Peck, Taylor Dixon, Kaelan O’Neill and Courtney Kelledy.
"Probably some of the more important things for this team to learn is to be able to play together," Linch said. "We got a lot of work on training the individual skills and ball control; there is certainly a lot of work to do in that respect. But having to learn to win together and to lose together, those are the important things right now in preseason. We want to build up and peak at the right time, which would be in postseason."
A couple of preseason tournaments, the Katy ISD Tournament and the Pearland Tournament will certainly test the team’s mettle.
"It is definitely going to help us as a team to grow," Linch said. "And yes it is a very tough preseason, but that is when you want to make yourself better as a team. We have to try to get ready for district and hopefully achieve playoffs."
District 24-4A play opens Sept. 12 as Friendswood takes on Brazosport.
"Their first goal is to win another district championship and make a good run in the playoffs," Linch said.

Clear Brook: Reloading with high hopes

Story by John Bechtle

A standout player both in high school at Clear Creek and then in college, Clear Brook High School volleyball coach Meredith Thompson isn’t interested in rebuilding anything. She simply isn’t a mechanic.

Yet as the 2008 varsity season progresses, Thompson may find herself frequently fixing the Lady Wolverines’ player rotation. 

Blessed with plenty of club volleyball talent and a handful of legitimate Division I collegiate level players during her first three seasons on the job, Thompson guided Clear Brook to the playoffs each season. To accomplish that same feat in 2008 will require some work.

Neither Thompson nor her players will concede anything, but the program is undergoing change. Just three players are back from the 2007 season. Seniors April Grabowski and Keely Sikes got their share of playing time, and junior Samantha Bentley also played quite a bit.

A fourth player, sophomore Alicia Dittrich, was moved to the varsity team for the final week of the district regular season and playoffs. She should be able to help out quite a bit up front.

That’s as far as it goes as Thompson hunts for varsity experience while preparing to enter a strong District 24-5A alignment. Even though volleyball power Pearland has been excluded from the ranks thanks to the latest University Interscholastic League realignment, the road to the playoffs is bumpy.

The league will include Region III power Clear Creek, an always-tough Clear Lake team and Dickinson, which made a name for itself in the Class 4A ranks before ascending to 5A this school year.

Those three teams have been successful at making the playoffs on a regular basis in the 2000s. If the same scenario plays out in 2008, that would leave just one remaining playoff berth.

Last season Clear Brook struggled down the stretch yet managed to get the fourth and final spot. This time around, the Lady Wolverines will have to fend off newcomer Clear Springs, Alvin, Brazoswood and Galveston Ball in the hunt. Of those four, Clear Springs is the unknown, having joined both the Class 5A and varsity levels for the first time this season.

“I still have high hopes for this program, and making the playoffs at the varsity level is something we certainly expect to do each season.”

Yet as the preseason portion of the schedule plays out, Thompson may find herself in the midst of several tough decisions. Should she reward several seniors who have poured their hearts and souls into the program over the previous three seasons and have thus earned a varsity shot at last?

Or does Thompson elevate younger players who perhaps more time, as as well as potential, on their side? Time will tell. 

When workouts began Aug. 4, she welcomed nine seniors. Six of those players were on the junior varsity team last season. 

A seventh, setter Alex Cassel, played at Clear Brook as a sophomore before transferring to Bay Area Christian School for 2007. Cassel’s return could help the team both at setter and hitter.

As for the other six seniors, there is certainly a chance that one or more of those players won’t make the cut.

“We do have nine seniors trying out, but as a coach you also have to focus on the growth of some of the younger players when you have a season where rebuilding might be in order,” Thompson said. “I don’t like to think of this as a rebuilding year. No matter which six players we put on the court to start a match, I’m always going to expect us to be successful. We will never go into a season without the thought of making the playoffs.”

“Right now, I’m just trying to find the right combinations,” Thompson said. “We also have to find out just where each individual player fits best. April Grabowski has experience at blocker but can also hit. Samantha Bentley can hit and play at blocker some, too. Alex is a setter, but she can hit, too.”

The Lady Wolverines may not possess a glittering predistrict record when the 24-5A race arrives. That’s OK, as long as the team is in the hunt when the playoffs come calling.

Clear Creek: Volleyball Preview

Story by Billy Loveless

Coach: Scott Simonds (Fifth year)

2006 record: 27-13 (9-3); Lost to Cy-Fair 

in region final.

Graduated: 4

Returning lettermen: 11

Returning starters: 5; Haley Jacobs -

(libero, sr.), Becky Bekelja (setter, sr.), Megan Pendergast (OH, sr.), Madeline Gaffney (MB, jr.), Taylor Smith (MB, sr.).

Strengths: Because of an inexperienced team, last season was expected by many to be a rebuilding year for Clear Creek’s girls. Even with that going against them, the Ladycats were still one of the final eight teams in the state, not being eliminated until the region finals. But that kind of play is expected year-in and year-out at Clear Creek. The Ladycats have won district titles in six of the last eight seasons. They had won three 24-5A championships in a row before Clear Lake broke the streak last season. The Ladycats got some revenge, though, beating the Lady Falcons in a region quarterfinal match.

Creek coach Scott Simonds has even higher expectations this year. With a total of 11 letterwinners, including five starters, coming back, the Ladycats are hoping to become the first Creek team to reach the state tournament since 1995.

A bulk of the attention will be on Jacobs, Bekelja and Pendergast, who all earned first-team all-district honors last year. Jacobs and Pendergast were first-team All-greater Houston, as well. The three girls also have an abundance of postseason experience. 

“Those three have played in nine postseason matches in the last two years,” Simonds said. “There aren’t that many programs in the state that has that kind of experience.”

A slew of returning letterwinners, including Cherish Krohn (OH, jun.), Alexa Reed (OH, sr.), Amanda Watson (MB, jun.) and Rachel Hobaugh (OH, def.), are also expected to play a big role on this year’s squad.

Areas of improvement: The Ladycats lost some quality seniors – Shannon Coursen, Natalie Kraus, Stephanie Lefevers and Kara Morse - which will need to be replaced. 

The Ladycats also don’t have a bulk of height on this season’s squad, but Simonds is hoping to make up for it with good defense, strong passing and a solid serving game. Creek also has to bring its ‘A’ game every match. Their talent and experience is well known throughout the district, and opponents will be fired up to face off against the Ladycats. 

“Last year we were the underdogs because of our inexperience,” Simonds said. “This year, because of our experience, teams will be gunning for us.”

Season outlook: District 24-5A is always tough, and usually at least a few teams advance far into the playoffs. Last year was no exception as Creek went to the region finals and Clear Lake advanced to the region quarterfinals.

Simonds expects 24-5A to be a big challenge again this season. Clear Lake and Clear Brook, last year’s postseason squads, are always tough matches. Although realignment moved playoff team Pearland out of the district, Dickinson, a Class 4A postseason squad, has joined 24-5A. While it missed the playoffs last season, Alvin is always in the mix, while Brazoswood, Galveston Ball and new CCISD school, Clear Springs, can’t be counted out.

Quotable: “This is the most experienced team I’ve ever had,” Simonds said. “We have a lot of talent and our expectations are very high. We’re hoping to get to San Marcos (the state tournament).”

Dawson: Volleyball Preview

In their first year of varsity play, there will be a lot of new things for the Dawson. 

The second year school already has a new coach as Lori McLaughlin took over for Megan LaBernz in the summer. McLaughlin, who spent six years at Mayde Creek High School in Katy, has high expectations for the Eagles.

“All across the board, we are expecting a lot out of our kids,” McLaughlin said. “That is the only way to compete and be successful is to have high expectations. I’m not afraid of challenges, so I expect to get the girls going and get the program started the right way.”

The first year of varsity play will be a challenge for the Eagles. The team will play a challenging scheduling, including the Pearland ISD Tournament, and District 24-4A will be anything but a cakewalk with 4A state runner-up Friendswood, Angleton, Brazosport, La Marque, fellow newcomer Manvel, Santa Fe and Texas City providing stiff competition.

While a lot of first year varsity squads might want to take things slow, McLaughlin likes the competition and wants her girls to jump right into the action.

“We have to start from the beginning, and it doesn’t matter who we are playing,” she said. “We have some great competition, and I’m very excited about it. This will give us a chance to face great competition and get some good exposure for this year and for later years, so we know what to expect.”

But, McLaughlin has to get to know her team first. She admitted that the first time she was able to see the team play was during open gym at Dawson at the end of July. McLaughlin said she got to meet her team at that point, and she was eager to get things started.

Dawson had their first practice on Aug. 4 and had their first varsity game on Aug. 12. The team, which will be comprised of juniors, sophomores and freshmen, has already had one year together as a junior varsity squad last year. McLaughlin thinks that experience together will pay off this year.

“We already have good cohesiveness, and they have been able to work together for one year already,” she said. “We still have a lot of building to do, but they have the framework there. I want to start us off with a bang.”

McLaughlin will have to get used to 4A play this year after coming over from Mayde Creek as the girls get used to varsity competition. She said she is use to 5A competition, so the move to 4A means she has to learn some ins and outs and has a little work to do.

Dawson might be underestimated this year by their competition as some teams might consider the Eagles an easy win. That is fine by McLaughlin, who said she wants to see her team compete for a playoff spot this year.

“I don’t want us to be an easy match for anyone,” McLaughlin said. “We have to develop and be competitive. We want to have the most successful season we can have. Our goal is the playoffs. We are going to get our feet wet with our pre-district schedule and get some exposure, and I think we can surprise some teams and compete for the playoffs.

Alvin: Volleyball Preview

Story by Billy Loveless

Coach: Alison Kley (First year)

2006 record: 14-15; Fifth in District 24-5A

Graduated: 5

Returning lettermen: 8

Returning starters: 4; Amanda Underwood (OH, Sr.), Whitlie Bellmyer (OH/MB, Sr.), Kailey Killingsworth (setter, Jr.), Hannon Kelson (setter, soph.).

Strengths: A new era is dawning for Alvin’s volleyball with Karen Blanchette leaving after four years of coaching the Lady Jackets. Taking over for Blanchette will be Alison Kley, who was Blanchette’s assistant coach up until last year when she took over head coaching duties at the new Spring ISD school, Dekaney High School. 

Once the opportunity to return to Alvin came about, Kley jumped at the opportunity. And she’s optimistic on what Alvin’s volleyball program will put on the floor in 2008. With four quality returning letterwinners, which include three-year letterwinners Underwood and Bellmyer, Kley believes chemistry will be one of the squad’s strengths. With Underwood and Bellmyer playing at the net, Alvin is also expected to have a strong hitting presents at the net.

Since she was away from the Lady Jackets’ program for only a season, Kley also has the advantage of knowing the atheletes on her squad, which should reduce the all-important “getting-to-know-you” time most new coaches have to go through.

Possibly one of the biggest advantages for this year’s team, however, is the Lady Jackets’ softball squad winning a state title last spring. Oftentimes huge success can translate from sport to sport, partly because some players participate in both sports, but also because it can be viewed first hand exactly what it takes to get to that level.

Areas of improvement: Even though Kley knows most of the talent on her squad, she is still a new coach. And with every new coach comes a learning curve between the players and coach. The youngsters have to learn the new coach’s system and the coach has to figure out what combination of individual talents will form the best team.

“The girls are adjusting to a new coaching situation and they’re also seeing me in a different role,” Kley said. “We will have to bond together quickly.”

The Lady Jackets also have a few holes to fill from last season’s talented squad. Alvin graduated five seniors, including University of Texas-San Antonio-bound Amber Brooks, as well as Melissa Fortier, Sarah Mayfield, Michelle Hoover and Adriana Soliz. 

Brooks was a four-year starter at setter and earned a spot on the all-district team all four seasons. Fortier will play this year at Quincy University in Illinois, while Hoover will be at San Jacinto Junior College.

Season outlook: While Kley realizes her team will have to quickly adapt to her coaching style, she believes her squad has the talent to make some noise in the stacked District 24-5A. But putting up a winning record in 24-5A will be anything but easy. Powerhouse Clear Creek is expected to be as strong as ever, while Clear Lake and Clear Brook are both returning after strong playoff seasons. Dickinson – a Class 4A region quarterfinalist – has also been moved up to 5A and into this district. Rounding out 24-5A are Brazoswood, Galveston Ball, and Clear Springs.

Quotable: “This is a very tough district,” Kley said. “Anyone can win on any given day. I feel we have the potential and talent on this team. It’s just a matter of us getting over the hump of the coaching change, as well as getting back into the swing of things.”

Clear Lake: Volleyball Preview

Story by Billy Loveless 

Coach: Chanda Eager (Sixth year)

2007 record: 28-10 (11-1 in district; Lost to Clear Creek in Region quarterfinals)

Graduated: 11

Returning lettermen: 4

Returning starters: 2; Breanah Burque (MB, Sr.), Rachel David (libero, Sr.).

Strengths: The Lady Falcons turned in a memorable 2006 season, winning the district championship. With the title, Lake ended Clear Creek’s bid to win its fourth straight 24-5A championship. Creek did get a bit of a payback, however, as the Ladycats ended the Lady Falcons’ season in the region-quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Clear Lake has high hopes again this season, but the Lady Falcons will have to do it without a bulk of last year’s team, as 11 seniors graduated. Five of those – Brittany Crislip, Anna Schepcoss, Natasha Law, Ellen Fandry and Candace Richardson – are now playing in the collegiate ranks. Crislip was District 24-5A’s player of the year. 

Coach Eager, who was last season’s 24-5A coach of the year, has plenty of optimism for this year thanks to four quality returning letterwinners, as well as having athletes from last season’s district champion junior varsity squad moving up to the varsity level. Among the experienced athletes returning this year are seniors and two-year letterwinners Breanah Burque, Rachel David and Mary Burger. Burger, an outside hitter, was sidelined last season with a shoulder injury. Also returning is senior defender Kasey Mills, who is a one-year letterwinner.

The Lady Falcons are also an enthusiastic and determined team, Eager said. The girls learned last year that they could play with the district’s top teams and Eager is expecting the confidence earned from that experience will spill over to this season.

Areas of improvement: An obvious area of opportunity is the experience factor, which will come with time. With only four returning letterwinners it would appear to some this could be a rebuilding year, but this isn’t necessarily the case. While Eager admits her girls will be looking to bond together as a single unit, she feels her Lady Falcons have a lot of talent and leadership skills, as well as some experience. One example is Lake’s JV team, which won the district title last season. Many of those girls will bring the experience of playing on a winning squad to the varsity level.

Clear Lake’s girls won’t be as tall as last year’s team, but Eager is hoping the girls’ overall athletic abilities will help make up for it.

Season Outlook: As always, District 24-5A will be a fierce race. Realignment has moved Pearland out of the district, but it added 4A playoff team Dickinson into the mix. Being the defending district champion, The Lady Falcons also realize that opponents will be bringing their best efforts when they take the floor with them.

At the same time, Eager doesn’t want her team to focus on other teams. Rather, she wants her squad to concentrate on playing at top form during every match.

“I think the biggest thing is for us to focus on what we have to do,” Eager said. “You can’t take anybody lightly in this district.”

Quotable: “We’re excited for the year to start,” Eager said. “This is a very dedicated group and they learned from last year’s team that to get what you want you have to put in the work. We’re expecting a great season.”