Westlake volleyball duo stands tall in Marmonte

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BIG BOYS—Westlake High seniors Scott Kevorken, left, and Jake Kneller have dominated on the volleyball court this season. Kevorken, a 6-foot-9 middle blocker, will attend UC Irvine, while Kneller, who stands 6-foot-5 and plays outside hitter, is Stanford-bound. They intimidate in different ways.

Standing 6foot9 and growing by the year, Westlake High senior middle blocker Scott Kevorken doesn't have to do much to get the opposition's undivided attention when he steps onto a volleyball court.

"Before each match, at every captains' meeting we have, the first question they ask is, 'How tall is he?' They ask Scott that every single time," said Warrior senior outside hitter Jake Kneller, who stands 6-foot-5.

"His height is definitely an intimidation factor," Kneller said.

Like Kevorken, Kneller makes his presence felt early in a match.

During Monday's three-game victory at Newbury Park, for example, Kneller crushed a kill so hard that the Panther defender in position to make a dig didn't even have time to get his hands up before the ball smashed into his face, leaving many members of the crowd in stunned silence.

The Newbury Park player was fine, but the message was crystal clear.

"His arm is worth a million dollars," Kevorken said of Kneller.

"Jake is such a powerhouse hitter that guys are actually afraid of him. When you hear him hit the ball, it's like thunder."

Kevorken and Kneller, team co-captains who are both bound for Division I universities, are the backbone of a Westlake squad that entered the week tied for first place in the Marmonte League and was ranked No. 3 in the latest CIFSouthern Section Division II coaches' poll.

The longtime friends have played volleyball side by side since their days at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks, and they still travel together as members of the Pacific Palisades Volleyball Club.

There has always been a great deal of respect between the two standout student-athletes.

"Having a solid middle (blocker) like Scott is just huge for any team," Kneller said. "The block he puts up shuts down everything, and it gives our backcourt defense an opportunity to get to a lot of balls."

Regarding Kneller, Kevorken said: "He's the heart and soul of this team. He's the solid rock that keeps everyone together. Just his voice on the court, and how he brings everyone together in the center, is defining for us."

Kneller is a 4.5 GPA student with a scholarship to Stanford. Kevorken will take his rapidly developing skill-set to UC Irvine during the fall.

"They are the faces of Westlake volleyball," head coach Doug Magorien said. "They are the strength. They are the experience. . . .

"I don't want to take anything away from the other guys, because the other guys play their roles and do a great job. And we have some good, young, upandcoming players. But the young players, they look up to (Kevorken and Kneller). I don't want to call them father figures, but they're more like older brothers to the guys on this team."

The 18-year-old seniors are three-year varsity players, and both started on Westlake's 2007 league championship team.

Kneller, however, missed most of his junior season with injuries to his ankle and wrist. With Kneller sidelined, the Warriors suffered through a rocky '08 campaign and didn't make the playoffs.

Another ankle injury cost Kneller the first few matches of this season, but he returned just in time to help lead WHS to a big victory over Royal on March 20.

"He kind of forced himself back a little bit, because he wasn't 100 percent physically at the time," Magorien said.

Following Kneller's return to the lineup, the Warriors posted a 9-1-2 overall record before Royal got its revenge with a four-game win at Westlake last Friday to even the league title chase.

With at least a share of the Marmonte crown within reach, and a legitimate chance to claim a CIFSS championship on the horizon, Kevorken and Kneller openly embraced the plethora of challenges that await the Warriors.

The goal now is to turn opportunity into achievement.

"It's exciting to know that, in the next few weeks, if we continue working hard in practice, play as a team and all have the same, common goal," Kneller said, "then we have a realistic shot at making our mark on this program and leaving behind something special that can be used as a goal, or precedent, for future players here."