THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605010113
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAN COOLEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
With the Summer Olympics fast approaching, 10 area volleyball players 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,'' said Liz Pearson, a senior at Nansemond River. ``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, is hoping to qualify by winning the Virginia State tournament - The Old Dominion Regionals - in Richmond 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.
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: Photos
Cathy Arnette
Katie MacPhail
by CNB