THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604270127
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 29 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAN COOLEY, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
WITH THE SUMMER Olympics fast approaching, 10 local volleyball players from Suffolk and Chesapeake are getting a taste of what it's like to get there.
The girls, who play for an 18-under all-star team, are working to qualify for the Junior Olympic Nationals to be held in June in San Jose, Calif. But along the way, they're finding there's a lot of competition around - even locally.
``If there's this much competition around here, imagine what else is out there,'' Nansemond River senior Liz Pearson said. ``It's kind of humbling, but it makes you play better.''
Playing at this level was even harder to comprehend for Nansemond-Suffolk senior Allison Williams, whose Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools may not play at the same level as the Group AAA public school teams.
``The other high school teams are a lot stronger,'' Williams said. ``But this is 10 times the level of high school volleyball.''
The local all-star team, known as the Coastal Virginia Shark Attack, has two chances to qualify for the national competition. The first route is the more difficult: They must finish in the top two in the prestigious Lone Star Classic at the University of Texas this weekend. Or there's always the easy way out: They'll have to win the Virginia State tournament - The Old Dominion Regionals - in Richmond on May 18.
While the Shark Attack's main goal is qualifying for the nationals, they have other reasons for competing.
``We are trying to draw national attention to ourselves and this area because the East does not have a strong background in volleyball,'' head coach Beth Lett said. ``We have a very competitive schedule because the players tend to work harder and play better when they are playing with and against better people.''
The season began simply enough, with an invitational in Virginia Beach. Then it was on to other competitions in Newark, Del.; Philadelphia; Texas; Orlando; and State College, Pa. Add that to five in-state meets, including the Shamrock Festival at Virginia Tech, and the Shark Attack has a road schedule that could rival some professional teams.
Five players return from last year's team that won the Silver Division at the Shamrock Festival and advanced to the final eight of the Old Dominion Region. Senior hitters Pearson, Williams, Katie MacPhail and Cathy Arnette of Western Branch and Great Bridge's Jill Ferguson all return. Also on the squad are Indian River junior hitter Jennifer Burns, sophomore hitters Melissa Morgan of Great Bridge and Deep Creek's Heather Neidermier and Western Branch freshman defensive specialist Andrea Bunch.
On paper, the Shark Attack has a plethora of impressive credentials. Eight of the 10 players were first team all-district or conference picks. Four of those - MacPhail, Arnette, Pearson and Burns - were named to the first team all-region team. In addition, MacPhail was a first team all-state selection, while Arnette and Pearson made the second team and Burns earned honorable mention.
MacPhail also was named the Portsmouth Sports Club's fall athlete of the year and the Norfolk Sports Club Women's Metro Player of the Year. The honors awarded partial scholarships to MacPhail, who will play at North Carolina-Greensboro next year.
Along with their outstanding athletic achievement, nine of the 10 players boast grade point averages above 3.0. Five are higher than 3.8.
And while they're finishing in the top of their classes, the Shark Attack also has been putting on a good show on the volleyball court. The team has finished in the top half of the tournaments. The Shark Attack finished second in the 10-team Quarterpath Tournament in Williamsburg. They scored a big win in Delaware but fell short of automatically qualifying for the nationals in San Jose with a fifth-place finish in the Nike Northeast Tournament at Penn State.
``It was a good competition,'' Arnette said. ``We never quite got it together.''
But sooner or later, Arnette is sure her team will. They know it's a long way to San Jose. ILLUSTRATION: File photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Allison Williams says that playing on an all-star volleyball team
``is 10 times the level of high school volleyball.''
``If there's this much competition around here, imagine what else is
out there,'' Nansemond River senior Liz Pearson said.
by CNB