FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS : Thousand Oaks Wins Share of Marmonte Volleyball Title

When Coach Ron Beick took over the Thousand Oaks girls volleyball team this season, he was surprisingly optimistic. The Lancers had finished 1-11 last season.

Beick’s goal was for this season’s team to qualify for the playoffs.

With the 15-6, 15-10, 15-0 victory Thursday night over host Channel Islands, the Lancers went beyond even Beick’s expectations. It gave Thousands Oaks a 9-3 record and a share of the Marmonte League title with Simi Valley.

Beth Welch, who runs the Thousand Oaks offense, had 12 kills. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

Royal def. Westlake, 15-12, 15-7, 15-6--Sara Toring and Suzi Koonter led Royal (8-6, 7-5 in the Marmonte League) with 12 and 10 kills. Julie Myers served 14 points for Royal, which finished fourth in the league. Westlake (8-4) finished in third place.

Kennedy def. Verdugo Hills, 15-12, 15-5--Elke Hohls had 13 kills to lead Kennedy in a North Valley League match. Kennedy’s record is 8-4, 6-2 in league.

Taft def. Birmingham, 15-11, 10-15, 15-10--Robin Melnyk had five kills and Michelle Pali added five digs for Taft (8-2, 6-1 in the West Valley League). Birmingham is 5-6, 2-5 in league.

Hart def. Schurr, 15-12, 13-15, 15-5, 16-4--Hart, which overcame a 14-6 deficit in the final game, finished in a third-place tie with Alhambra in the Foothill League. A coin toss will determine which will advance to the playoffs. Hart (7-9, 4-6) was led by Kris Paris, who had nine kills.

Burroughs def. Burbank, 15-7, 15-10, 15-7--Debbie Penney had 12 kills and served eight aces to lead Burroughs (14-3, 9-1 in the Foothill League). Teammate Jaquie Delange added seven kills and four blocks.

Cleveland def. Sylmar, 15-4, 15-7--Nancy Nicholls had five kills to lead Cleveland in a North Valley League match. Cleveland improved its league mark to 5-3, while Sylmar dropped to 0-8. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Pierce College def. Hancock, 15-8, 13-15, 15-4, 12-15, 15-9--Karen Suppan had 16 kills and 12 digs in the Western State Conference game at Pierce. Trish Lynch added 12 kills and Sheryl Waggoner served four aces for Pierce (6-3 in conference). WATER POLO

Burroughs 13, Blair 12--Scott Weerts scored one of his game-high five goals with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter to win the game. Lucas McClelland, Mike Stewart and Jeff Paggi each scored twice for Burroughs (3-5 in the Foothill League). Burroughs goalies David MacMartin and Eric Hladelick had four blocks and six saves respectively. Blair drops to 1-7. GIRLS TENNIS

Chatsworth 7, Kennedy 0--Amy Joella, Kim Christianson and Marcy Linsky each posted singles victories as Chatsworth improved to 8-1, 4-1 in the North Valley League. Kennedy is 2-3 in league.

Grant 4, North Hollywood 3--Grant won three doubles matches behind the play of Stephanie Sasaki and Karen Berelowitz, Naomi Katz and Michelle Lee, and Enna Hozumi and Kim Keer. Grant is undefeated in five East Valley League matches. North Hollywood is 3-2.