Westlake girls shoot for Marmonte League title in volleyball

ADAM DAVIS/The Acorn BALL CONTROL--Rachel Smith of Westlake tips the ball over Kristin Tomlinson of Moorpark during last week's match at Westlake. The Warriors have a lot of varsity experience this season.

So far, so good—the Westlake girls’ volleyball team continued unbeaten this fall as last week ended and it looked ahead to the rest of the season hoping to keep the streak going.

The Warriors were to host the Newbury Park Panthers tonight at 6 p.m. after having played the Simi Valley Pioneers on Tuesday.

On Saturday, Westlake will be at the Royal Volleyball Classic in Simi Valley all day beginning at 8 a.m. Next Tuesday, the Warriors will host a 6 p.m. game against the Calabasas Coyotes.

"This reminds me a lot of last year’s team because 90 percent is last year’s team," said Westlake head coach Doug Magorien. "We are only down one player, Jessica Harper (’03 graduate) who was a huge player for us. You don’t replace a 6-foot-3 middle blocker with experience that easily."

Last year’s Warriors were undefeated in the Marmonte League and finished as the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section (CIF-SS) Division II-AA runners-up at 22-5.

The Warriors improved their season streak to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the league last Thursday by winning three games over visiting Moorpark, 25-23, 30-28, and 25-13.

In the games, senior middle blocker Rachel Smith had 14 kills and five blocks, freshman outside hitter Alex Johnson contributed 10 kills, three aces and five blocks and senior setter Courtney Wade was credited with 33 assists. Smith and Wade were All CIF-SS players last season.

With Harper gone, Magorien said that Johnson has given a lift to the team.

"She’s not a middle blocker, but she came in and we were able to move some people around," the coach said. "I would compare her greatly—this year’s team to last year’s team—because we have a lot of (those) people.

The team expects much from Johnson, Magorien said, and she’s been delivering.

Sophomore outside hitter Jillian Lane is coming back from two stress fractures in her back, All-League senior outside hitter Brittany Prater is playing despite an earlier knee injury, but opposite Danielle Weiss is out with a broken right wrist.

The team is fighting injuries, Magorien said. "We’re trying to get healthy at the right time. That’s the big thing, be healthy at the right time."

Again reviewing the matches against Moorpark last week, the coach said, "It could have gone either way, I told the girls when we were down with one time out.

"I said, ‘This is exactly what we want for CIF. This is what prepares you. These kinds of games prepare you for what you’ll face in CIF.’

"Moorpark is a very good team. I think at the end they got a little frustrated because we wouldn’t go away. In the third game, I know they can play a lot better than that. So we’re going to expect a real big match when we go back and play them at their place."

Magorien said that Smith "was such a solid player throughout the whole match. She got the side out when we needed to get the side out. It was awesome. Without a doubt, it was a team win. We needed everybody.

"Our center (senior setter Courtney Wade) did a great job spreading the offense out. She set the right person at the right time."

In addition to Smith, Johnson and Wade, Magorien cited the play of junior middle blocker Blair Barton, sophomore outside hitter/ defensive specialist Jordan Lane and senior defensive specialist Shannon Lee.

Regarding Barton, Magorien said, "She’s a most improved player. She started off the match tentative and then at the end of the match there, she had four or five kills, so she did a great job."

Lane, one of the smallest people on the front row, "was one of the players of the (Moorpark) match, too," the coach said. "She put a lot of balls way. She’s this tiny little ‘D.S.’ Everybody calls her a defensive specialist, but I know better. She can be a little more than just that."

Magorien said that Lee was a "little vacuum cleaner. Nothing hit the floor. Even balls that were hit on the opposite side of the court, sets that were set for the middle that missed the middle, she was there to bring it over. When we were on life support, she did a lot to keep us alive."

The coach likes what he sees.

"I think the league is going to be, as far as my years here, is going to be one of the best it’s been since I’ve been here," said Magorien.

"I think there’s going to be a lot of teams contending this year. I know T.O. can be a good team, although they lost to Newbury. Newbury looks like a very good team. You never know what’s going on with Royal. They usually come on strong at the end of the year."