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 California
Community Colleges
Commission on Athletics
Women's Volleyball Championships
Irvine
Valley College
December 6 - 7, 2003
Golden
West Aims for Unprecedented 11th Consecutive State Title
By
Eric Montgomery
Conventional wisdom says
that streaks are made to be broken. Is this the year that Golden West has its
streak of 10-straight state championships ended?
The task will not be easy
for the three other teams joining the Rustlers at the California Community Colleges
Commission on Athletics Women's Volleyball Championship in Hart Gymnasium at
Irvine Valley College.
Two-time all-state selection
and two-time defending Orange Empire Conference Most Valuable Player Ashley
Jensen leads the charge for head coach Albert Gasparian and the Orange Empire
Conference champion Rustlers. Jensen, who had 18 kills and four blocks in the
title-clinching win over San Joaquin Delta last season, is hitting at a .435
clip and averaging 3.5 kills and 1.2 blocks per game. All-region performer Taylor
Love leads the team and is 8th in the state with 1.54 blocks per game. Nicole
Ryan completes the three-headed offensive monster with team-highs of 214 kills
and 3.8 kills per game.
Joining Golden West out
of the south region is tournament host Irvine Valley, who upset #2-ranked Orange
Coast in a five-game thriller to reach the state tournament for the first time
since 1999. All-state setter Katie King directs the Lasers attack, averaging
12.1 assists per game to rank her third among the state leaders. Her biggest
weapon is Audrey Sipkovich, 9th in the state at 4.1 kills per game while hitting
at a .306 clip. Katie Martinez patrols the middle and averages 3.1 kills per
game while hitting .372 on the season.
The top seed out of the
north and last season's runner-up is San Joaquin Delta, champions of the Bay
Valley Conference Gold Division. All-state honoree Cassie Sharp, a member of
the all-tournament team last season, ranks fifth in the state with 4.3 kills
per game and totaled 365 for the season. Setters Jennifer Emerson and Katie
Hoag split time directing the offense behind Sharp and all-region selection
Sarah Buhr.
Rounding out the field of
four is Coast South Division champion West Valley. The Vikings are led offensively
by Erin Murphy, who hits at a .412 mark and has 245 kills on the season for
a per game average of 3.2. The defense is guided by Michelle O'Riley, averaging
just over four digs per game while setter Malia Peneyra dishes out just under
nine assists per game.
With a newly-approved single-elimination
format in place for this year's championships, no team can afford any slip up.
This could provide the chance for a team from the north to capture the championship
for the first time ever. Perhaps Irvine Valley will use its home court advantage
behind a pro-Lasers crowd to win its first championship.
All three teams will have
to end one of the most impressive streaks ever compiled in the state regardless
of sport. Gasparian and his squad would like nothing more than to make 11-straight
and title number 15 overall for him in 21 seasons.
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