Getting Ready To Spike the Game Up
By Matthew Gordon Trocker
Corsair Staff Writer

• Corsair women's Volleyball prepare for a new season with the aid of new head coach Wendy Dreher and the return of key players.

For many the fall means the changing of the leaves, a new school year, the World Series, and for some, the most importantly thing is the start of the new football season.

However, for many, fall means the start of one of the most exciting and fast paced games around; women's volleyball.
This season, the Santa Monica College women's volleyball team is hoping to put volleyball back on the map according to new coach Wendy Dreher.

"The team took a dive in the last couple of years," Dreher said, but she thinks that the team has made great progress in the last two weeks.

With their hard work culminating with a 7-3 record at a practice tournament at Cuesta College, last weekend.

The Corsairs this year are a young team with only 3 out of 13 players returning. Powerful outside hitter Jennifer Lombardi and outside hitter/middle blocker Nancy Estrada played last season for SMC, while this year's strongest middle Yessina Gutierrez played for the Corsairs in 2000.

This '02 team has no shortage of outstanding players to watch out for. Setter, Chelsea Vaiz, is a club player recruited out of Westchester High School. Outside hitter and co-captain Katherine Shorey is another one to look for.

"She's a firecracker," says Dreher. The other co-captain, Josefa Laguna, plays defensive specialist and according to Dreher she is, more than anything an inspirational leader. "Her enthusiasm and great outlook are beneficial," said Dreher.

Another potential threat is outside hitter Emi Heaton from Salt Lake City. "She will be a big contributor when she develops," said Dreher.

Dreher has high hopes for this season. Last season under Coach Arunas Duba, the team went 4-8 in the Western State Conference. And if this past weekend is any indication, the Corsairs should finish strong this season.

"I was impressed with the way the team played. The team will definitely be in contention for one of the top spots in conference this season," said Dreher.

The Southern Division of the Western State Conference is full of great teams including perennial powerhouses College of the Canyons, and Bakersfield.

And what may prove to be the Corsairs largest hurdle, the villains from the valley, the ladies from LA's Pierce College.
Long Beach Community College is another tough team that SMC will face this season some of the biggest challenges for the team, however, come from within.

As a relatively new team with a new coach there is an inevitable feeling out period where both players and coach must decide which direction to steer the team.

Dreher used last weekend to mix around the lineups to see what works best and also not to let opponents see everything they got in the preseason.

Dreher is coming from experience, she played 4 years as opposite at Cal State LA, a top 10 division-2 team, and was assistant coach at College of the Canyons for 3 seasons. This will be the season for a new team and a new coach to prove themselves. If volleyball is like a bowl of punch leave it to the 2002 Corsairs to spike it.