THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 27, 1996 TAG: 9609250188
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 52 lines
Six-foot-3. Six-eight. Six-three. 6-0.
Greenbrier Christian Academy is benefiting from what coach Gabriel Vogel deems the triple threat - three players over 6-3 playing on the boys volleyball team. The three seniors, two of which had never played before this season, have sparked the Gators to the top of the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools.
Entering Tuesday night, the Gators were undefeated, sporting the best record among the TCIS teams.
The main factor in the quick start has been the triple threat of Scott Sherwood (6-3), Anthony Gammage (6-3) and Troy Dail (6-8).
``We start them every game,'' Vogel said. ``They're fantastic blockers and spikers.''
Sherwood and Gammage are making their debuts this season while Dail played last year. Despite his extra year of experience, Dail is still sometimes baffled by the art of spiking the ball.
``It seems like it's pretty hard to get spikes down,'' he said. ``Lots of times they have a tendency to go out of bounds.''
The intimidating nature of the three Gators' height is offset by the genial demeanor each displays. Sherwood laughs when he looks back at his initial start, but the basketball player has found more than just the conditioning he was seeking in volleyball.
``The first week of practice, I didn't have any timing at all,'' Sherwood said. ``After you do it for a while, you pick it up.''
Despite the height advantage, the three had trouble picking up specific skills. Once they got started though, each was hooked.
``The intensity and competition, it's really great,'' Dail said. ``I got a lot of laughs from the football team. But once I get in there, I stay focused and aware.''
Gammage logged time with the football team last season before transitioning to volleyball this year. After injuries led to sideline time in football, he opted for the physical training of the indoor sport.
Now, he wishes he'd played for years.
``I regret not playing last year,'' Gammage said. ``I wish I had played. In football, I was down, I was hurt. This group, we just joke around a lot.''
Laughter and fun highlight the Greenbrier practices. The laid-back nature lulled the players into learning skills without realizing how good they were getting. Once the season opened, Gammage was surprised by the Gators' instant success. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Troy Dail
Anthony Gammage
Scott Sherwood by CNB