By Vincent Liu

There is another sports comeback in progress, but this one has no fanfare and doesn’t involve Michael Jordan.

The Foothill College women’s volleyball team, which went from glory to obscurity in just two years, is attempting to re-establish itself after having to abandon the program last year.

The Owls became a powerhouse in 1998 when they fashioned a 19-1 record and a third-place finish in the state tournament under the guidance of coach Arno Dominguez, who retired afterward.

The team struggled under a new coach and finished near the bottom of its division in 1999. It hit rock bottom last year when the inability to field a team forced the school to cancel the program.

This year the rebirth began. A young coach, Dave Garbo, was hired to resurrect the program and Dominguez came out of retirement to become his assistant. They were fortunate to find a core of dedicated players who stuck around campus in the hopes that the program would be reactivated.

Starting with five players, the roster quickly expanded. With better recruiting, an ingredient missing two years ago, and the reputation of past success, the roster grew to 12. The final cast has turned out to be an ensemble of international flavors, with representation from Samoa, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Peru, Korea and the Philippines.

Offensively, the Owls are led by powerful Sulu Reupenny. The Samoan native, who also plays basketball at Foothill, brings toughness, great leaping ability and a spike that rivals the force of a sledgehammer.

Reupenny consistently thrills the home crowd with a steady stream of bazooka-like shots against a wall of opposing blockers whose attempts to stop her are often in vain.

The defense is keyed by Minyoung Kim, Jessie Hopkins, Stephanie Hutchinson and Sal Chhen who is the team’s most consistent digger.

At 6-foot-3, Shannon Ward is an intimidating figure at the net who adds punch on offense.

So far, the team has been surprisingly competitive.

The Owls entered this week with an 8-7 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the North Division of the Golden Gate Conference. With four games to go, the Owls have already exceeded Garbo’s expectations, though the players feel they have hardly scratched the surface of their potential.

A former outside hitter on Foothill’s men’s team in 1991-92, Garbo stresses defense. His task to field a competitive squad next year will be challenging, as nine of his 12 players will be eligible to transfer to four-year schools.

But in a casual poll of the current squad, several sophomores indicated interest in staying next year. Kim, a bubbly team leader, even went as far as vowing to return and help Foothill build a championship team.

Regardless, Garbo believes the key to fielding a successful team next year is through recruiting. He and Dominguez will be pounding the pavement at the local high schools to spread the word.

“I’m more than a volleyball coach; I’m a teacher first,” said Garbo, who is also an English teacher at Aragon High.

No one knows how far Jordan’s comeback will go, but the one at Foothill appears to be heading for a happy ending.