CHS girls’ volleyball squad comes up short against T.O.

While the Thousand Oaks High girls’ volleyball team marches toward the Marmonte League championship, its opponent Tuesday—the Calabasas Coyotes—aren’t looking at a title, but have shown improvement as they’ve muddle though their ’05 schedule.

Thousand Oaks took advantage of the visiting Coyotes throughout the match, winning 3-0 on games of 25-4, 25-13 and 25-20.

Calabasas head coach Marla O’Hara said this year’s Coyotes team is young, after six from the starting line graduated last June.

“The kids who came onto this varsity team are very young and very inexperienced,” she said.

The exception to this is senior setter Alexa Sherman, who has accepted a full scholarship to the University of Alaska.

“She’s an amazing athlete,” O’Hara said.

O’ Hara said that her expectation was for Calabasas just try to have a solid defense, but the offense has played well as of late.

“I think we picked up some offense. Although we’re not the strongest, we keep the ball in a lot. These kids–they don’t give up. It doesn’t matter.”

Thousand Oaks is, O’Hara said, “the strongest team in the league. They are like a well oiled machine.”

O’Hara said Coyote senior middle blocker Hilary Sibilia is also playing well right now.

“She plays all the way around, middle in the front and defense in the back,” O’Hara said. “She’s the backbone of the team because she’s playing so consistent.”

The Calabasas lower-division teams have impressed O’Hara, too.

“The freshman and the sophomores are doing more than I could possibly expect from them,” the coach said. “I think that’s just going to make them much more confident for next year when they have a year of experience behind them.”

Sophomore defensive specialists Stefanie Rocker and Brock Stephens have been strengths of the Coyotes this season, O’Hara said.

“They’ll get under anybody’s hits. (They) are both tiny little passers, and they are fearless,” O’Hara said.

CHS plays again at home tonight against Newbury Park. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.