Publication Date: Friday, October 22, 2004
Palo Alto girls finally in position
Palo Alto girls finally in position
(October 22, 2004)to wrap up first-ever volleyball title
by Keith Peters
Dave Huan noticed something seriously missing when he walked into the Palo Alto High gym for the first time.
On the north wall that held plaques of every sport with the years of titles won underneath, volleyball was conspicuously absent. On one side of the volleyball plaque was gymnastics (last title 1992) and on the other was football (last title 1995).
Under volleyball? Nothing. It's the only sport in Paly history never to have won a league championship.
"When I look in the gym, the volleyball plaque is empty," Huan said earlier this season. "I see the plaques for the other sports like football and basketball, and they all have stuff on (actually under) them."
The rest of the plaques should have some company soon. The SCVAL El Camino Division-leading Vikings (8-0, 19-9) took a one-game lead over Lynbrook into last night's showdown in Paly's gym and were expected to duplicate their earlier sweep of Lynbrook on Sept. 28.
With that accomplished, Paly should take a two-game lead into next week's matches at Fremont (Tuesday) and Wilcox (Thursday at home). A win over Fremont should clinch no worse than a tie for the division title, with a triumph over Wilcox giving the Vikings their long-awaited championship.
All that, however, is contigent upon Paly beating Lynbrook.
Paly has come close over the years to giving the volleyball plaque a championship year. The Vikings finished second in 1995 and again in 1996 in the El Camino Division. After that, Paly earned the right to play in the tough SCVAL De Anza Division against the likes of St. Francis, Los Gatos and Los Altos.
The greatest season in Palo Alto volleyball history came in 2000, when the Vikings went 34-9 and reached the Central Coast Section and Northern California championship matches. The Vikings finished only 7-5 in league that season and the unfortunate task of playing St. Francis four times - the final two in those title-deciding matches. The Lancers won all four and eventually landed in the state championships, while Paly didn't even get a league crown that year.
Since then, the program has been on a slow downward spiral. Paly went 5-7 (22-15 overall) in 2001, 6-6 (15-12) in 2002 and finally hit rock bottom with a 2-10 league mark (9-19 overall) last season that earned the Vikings a demotion to the weaker El Camino Division.
Exit then-head coach Ami Williams and enter new head coach Dave Huan.
Huan is perhaps fortunate to be in the El Camino Division this season while teaching his players a new system, one the players have responded to.
"Coach Huan has really been positive as our coach," said Paly senior Katrina Zawojski. "He has had great expectations for us."
One expectation is that Palo Alto returns to the De Anza Division next season. That's a given once the Vikings wrap up the El Camino crown. St. Francis, of course, is long gone to the West Catholic Athletic League, which leaves Los Gatos and Los Altos as the perennial powers to deal with. Paly also will be able to renew its rivalry with Gunn next season.
Huan, however, will lose five seniors off his team - Zawojski, Lindsey Harris, Shaina Epstein, Murray Koch and Dami Wusu. The Paly JV team, which was 8-0 and 19-8 before last night, will send its top players to Huan next season.
"The future of Paly volleyball is bright," said Huan, who expects to hang around just to see how bright it can get.
While Paly was focusing on winning a title, Gunn (5-4, 13-8) remains focused on trying to earn one of the three automatic CCS berths in the De Anza Division. The Titans looked solid in Tuesday's 25-21, 25-14, 25-16 victory against Mountain View, but then ran into first-place Los Gatos on Wednesday and fell, 25-20, 25-17, 25-7. Alex Graves led the Titans in both matches with eight and seven kills, respectively.
In the PAL Bay Division, Menlo (9-0, 11-5) won its ninth straight and maintained a one-game lead over Carlmont following a 25-11, 25-9, 25-10 win at Terra Nova this week. Ali Lycette (seven kills) and Alex Fisher (10 digs) led the Knights to their easy win.
Menlo-Atherton (6-3, 17-12) remained tied for third place with Aragon after a 26-24, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14 win over visiting Burlingame. Nikki Engelhardt (11 kills) and Kelly Wright (five kills) led the Bears, who hosted Carlmont yesterday in a big match with playoff ramifications.
In the Private Schools Athletic League, Hannah Lippe had 18 kills to help Pinewood improve to 4-1 in league with a 25-13, 25-21, 25-23 win over host King's Academy.
Castilleja, meanwhile, is on the road in West Bay Athletic League play for three matches before returning home to host Mercy-Burlingame on Nov. 2. The Gators remain atop the division at 7-0 (21-3). The Gators tested themselves last night against Los Altos in nonleague action, visit Harker tonight and compete in the Milpitas Spikefest II tournament Saturday.
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