Jill Schneider Turns Terminator for Magnolia

Sometimes, when volleyball matches go the full five games, a standout player can rack up some pretty impressive numbers in kills, assists and blocks.

And sometimes the validity of such statistics is questionable because they are kept by student volunteers.

Even so, it’s pretty rare when a player totals 31 kills in one match--as Magnolia High School’s Jill Schneider did last week in a 14-16, 15-1, 15-7, 15-9 victory against Orange.

Schneider, The Times’ athlete of the week, is a 6-foot senior middle blocker who was All-Orange League last year and runner-up to Western’s Soli Byrd for the league’s most valuable player award.

“She really has a good jump,” Magnolia Coach Jerry Gregg said. “She’s got good hang time and girls don’t often have hang time.

“Men can go up (and hang) and find the holes, and she can do that.”

Orange Coach Dan Brady spent a good deal of time watching Schneider hang around.

“She was a dominating force in that match,” Brady said. “(Her teammates) set for her pretty well.”

Indeed, no one gets 31 kills doing a solo act.

“Jill just doesn’t get 31 kills,” Gregg said. “People were looking to get her the ball.”

Those “people” primarily are Esther Arbiso and Jessica Abrams, one of the better setting tandems in the county. Both were named to the All-Orange League team last year.

On her 31 kills, Schneider said: “I was surprised. I asked ‘Are you sure?’ because it didn’t seem like I had that many. I thought I had a good game, but . . . “

Brady, for one, doesn’t think the numbers’ game is all that important.

“I think 31 is pretty high,” he said. “She did get a lot, probably not 31, but she was up there. She exceeded what was a good performance.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Tracy Crisell of Marina swept her matches, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0, to lead the Vikings’ tennis team to a 10-9 victory over Long Beach Wilson Friday.

Mandy Gomez swept her matches, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, to lead the Royalettes’ tennis team to a 14-1 victory over Orange Lutheran Friday.

Kim Hale of Sunny Hills had 14 kills to lead the Lancers’ volleyball team over La Quinta, 10-15, 15-13, 15-2, 13-15, 15-11, Thursday.

Cindy Kuragami of Savanna, a two-time defending Orange League champion in tennis, swept her matches, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0, to lead the Rebels to a 10-9 victory over Buena Park Thursday.

Jill Schneider

Magnolia High School

Position: Middle blocker

Height, Class: 6-0, Senior

Last Week: Schneider had 31 kills in Magnolia’s 14-16, 15-1, 15-7, 15-9, victory over Orange in both teams’ season opener.