ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 13, 1997 TAG: 9702130016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS LANG STAFF WRITER
The ball didn't always bounce the right way for the Christiansburg High volleyball team this season, but the Blue Demons survived and are ready and excited for Blue Ridge District tournament play.
The Demons suffered injuries to two key players, outside hitter Rachel Stepp and middle hitter Lisa Heaster, but still managed to come away from their first BRD season with a 7-7 mark, led by the consistent rotation of middle hitter Lisa Dalton, and outside hitters Sara Pace and Amber Reed.
Heaster injured her rotator cuff last season and has yet to return to top form. She has been limited and coach Lisa Holland has had to be careful not to overextend her.
"We've been playing touch and go with Lisa all season," Holland said. "She's an excellent server, but she's more important to us on the front row than anywhere."
Stepp injured a vertebrae in last Thursday's Demon home loss to Salem and has suffered from headaches ever since. But the injury didn't stop Stepp from playing in Monday night's loss at Lord Botetourt, which is right where Christiansburg will be tonight for a BRD quarterfinal against the Cavaliers.
The Demons are led by the senior Dalton, who leads the team in kills and is second in hitting percentage. She has a lot of upper body strength, Holland says, and she has the ability to knock the leather off the volleyball. This would could be cause for intimidation on the part of the opponent, but Dalton won't admit to it. Her teammates will.
"She intimidates us in practice," Pace and Reed said in unison.
Dalton is the player Holland looks to go to in the crunch, the player to come up with the big serve or get a critical point or side out.
"She's still the one in practice that will serve 15 times in a row," Holland said. "In the crunch, she'd be the one I want out there."
Dalton, along with Reed, is a three-season athlete. In the fall, Dalton is the center of the Demons basketball team, and in the spring, she participates in track.
Pace, a junior, leads the Demons in service aces and serving percentage. Though not a three-sport athlete, Pace is a three-season athlete. She participates in club volleyball when not playing for the Blue Demons, and her experience shows.
"Sara focuses only on volleyball," Holland said. "When you play club volleyball, it's like playing two or three seasons."
Along with the three regulars in the rotation, there is a talented cast that rotates in and out of the lineup. Stepp, Heaster, Christina Raymond, Pepper Raines and senior Michelle Goncz are all critical team components. Goncz is described by Holland as the team's spark plug.
Holland plays more of a role of a coach instead of an administrator. Before matches, she is out on the floor, hitting with the team and practicing with them, not just barking instructions at them.
"When they can joke with you and trust you out there, they're going to learn better," Holland said.
The team is closely knit, with most of the players being friends off the court as well as being teammates on it. Before home matches, the group meets for a team meal at Holland's house or elsewhere, Holland said.
"They are a wonderful group of young ladies," Holland said. "There is no resentment when one goes in for the other. They are very good friends. Maybe one of their problems is they don't have enough aggression on the floor. That would make them more successful."
The first matter of business for the Demons tonight is the BRD quarterfinal at Lord Botetourt, a match they must win to keep their regional hopes alive. The consensus is that better passing will make the Demons a better team.
"We have the skills to be a good passing team," Reed said. "We just don't do it very well sometimes."
Good passing starts with good communication, which may have been lacking in their last loss to Lord Botetourt.
"Their passing skills have improved since the beginning of the season," Holland said. "They were very, very weak. But they're learning to be court smart. They're really starting to analyze the other teams and starting to react to it."
That may be the difference between a win tonight and a long bus ride back to Christiansburg.
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. Lisa Dalton goes up to return the ball.by CNBcolor.