Volleyball Club to Send 2 Teams to National Event

It is no surprise that two teams from the SoCal Volleyball Club will be competing this week in the U. S. Junior Olympic volleyball championships, the most prestigious girls’ tournament in the nation.

Many of the SoCal players proved last fall that they were among the best in Southern California, a national hotbed for volleyball talent.

Last fall, Thousand Oaks High won the Southern Section 2-A Division championship, Agoura finished second in the 3-A and Royal advanced to the 2-A semifinals. Many of the key players from those teams--and other successful teams from the area--will form the nuclei of the SoCal teams competing in Fort Collins, Colo.

“In the past three years, volleyball in the Valley, and in the Conejo and Simi valleys, has really exploded,” Thousand Oaks Coach Ron Beick said. “Most of the coaches will tell you the success is because of good high school programs coupled with good club programs.”

The SoCal club is a local organization that comprises 13 teams and approximately 100 players. The teams that will play in the tournament, which runs through Saturday, had strong showings in numerous regional tournaments to qualify for the competition. In the Memorial Day Classic at Cal State Dominguez Hills, the 16-and-under team placed third and the 18-and-under team placed fourth.

The 18-and-under team includes Julie Chellevold, Kristin Cleary and Shireen Campbell of Thousand Oaks; Suzy Koonter and Julie Dahlberg of Royal; Dawn Krenik and Shannon Matthew of Agoura; and Leigh Wilcox of Simi Valley.

The 16-and-under team, coached by Mora Canim of Marymount High, includes Amy Chellevold, Phronsie Franco, Betsy Moore and Shauna Campbell of Thousand Oaks; Mary Hudson and Mary Beth Giordano of Louisville; Crissy Mills and Heather Lucas of Campbell Hall; and Keri Ellman and Christy Janssen of Agoura.