By Scott Campbell
 joe hu/town crier Spartan Summer Reeves spikes the ball against Gunn High School Nov. 4. |
With the Central Coast Section Volleyball Championships already underway, the following is a preview of four local teams that qualified for the field. School enrollment is the sole determining factor in which division a school is placed.
St. Francis
Long the gold standard in girls volleyball, St. Francis found itself in an unusual position in 2004. After winning an incredible 10-straight CCS championships from 1994-2003, a run that included six state titles, the Lancers found themselves on the outside looking in when the sectional brackets were announced last fall.
St. Francis coach Kim Oden, not taking anything for granted despite the Lancers’ fine 22-7 record, could breathe easier after her squad was awarded the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the Division III playoffs.
“After last year, I was hopeful that we could get in,” Oden said. “We can’t complain at all.”
The Lancers begin play in the quarterfinals against the No. 6 Santa Cruz-No. 11 Willow Glen winner. The match is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Leland High School.
Asked to name a few keys to her team’s success in the tournament, Oden said, “Passing, being competitive, following our scouting reports and minimizing errors.”
And after a year on the sidelines, Oden expects her girls to be ready.
“We’re very excited,” Oden said. “We’re going to go at it.”
Mountain View
After its 3rd-place finish in SCVAL’s De Anza Division, Mountain View earned an automatic bid and received the No. 5 seed in the Division II playoffs.
Although pleased with her team’s seed, Spartans coach Gerrie Phillips spoke of her team’s disappointment in failing to meet its preseason goal of finishing at least second in league. Nevertheless, Mountain View (25-9) was thrilled to score a three-game victory over nemesis Los Altos and then take a game from De Anza champion and No. 2 Los Gatos near the end of its league season.
As the Town Crier went to press, the Spartans were set to face No. 12 Sequoia today in a rematch of the opening round in 2004. Mountain View won last year’s contest in three games before losing a close, four-game match to Leigh in the quarterfinals.
With eight seniors on board, Phillips believes her players will benefit from last year’s seasoning.
“They have the confidence to know they can get past the first round,” Phillips said. “They’re not going to get jitters.”
A victory over Sequoia would vault the Spartans to a quarterfinal showdown on Saturday with the No. 4 Aptos-No. 13 Live Oak winner.
Los Altos
After a rough start to its season, Los Altos recovered to preserve its streak of CCS appearances. The Eagles, perennial contenders for SCVAL’s De Anza Division title, found themselves in uncharted territory with a 4th-place league finish, but used a strong second half to finish at 23-16 overall.
Los Altos earned an at-large bid as the No. 7 seed in the Division II playoffs and was set to face No. 10 Woodside today.
With De Anza rival Los Gatos awaiting the winner of the Eagles’ first-round match, Los Altos coach Dave Winn knew he needed to keep his team focused.
“We’re only focused on beating Woodside right now,” commented Winn, whose team already recorded a four-game victory over its opponent early this season. “We know that Los Gatos will be looming in the quarterfinals, but we’ve got to take care of some business first.”
After consecutive quarterfinal losses in 2003 and 2004 ruined a string of five straight championship-game appearances that included the 1999 CCS title, the Eagles have a new perspective entering the postseason.
“We are an experienced playoff team,” Winn said, “and we know that each match is precious.After all, you lose and you’re done.”
With a victory over Woodside, Los Altos would play No. 2 Los Gatos 3 p.m. Saturday at Leland High School.
Homestead
Despite an undefeated run through SCVAL’s El Camino Division, Homestead knows it will face an entirely different caliber of opponent in the Division I playoffs.
The No. 4 Mustangs (24-12 overall) have played tough competition in a tournament in Reno and two Milpitas Spikefests, but they know they have to hit the ground running in CCS.
“The hard part is to get them up to speed this week,” said Homestead coach John Milkovich. “The talent’s there. It’s time to ramp it up.”
Four Los Altos residents play an integral part in Homestead’s deep rotation. Senior Maddy Baldwin and freshman Katherine Fischer start at outside hitter, while senior Erica Harris serves as a defensive specialist and has what Milkovich calls a “wicked little service.” Junior Lauren Gniadek serves as the primary backup to Baldwin and Fischer.
Entering his team’s first-round match against No. 5 Independence 11 a.m. Saturday at Santa Clara High School, Milkovich is glad the Mustangs play in Division I, far away from D-II powerhouses Mitty and Los Gatos.
“There are some nice teams [in D-I], but there’s nobody overpowering,” said Milkovich. “(No. 1) San Benito is very good, but they’re not those teams.”
