Beginning of a New Era? : Loyola Marymount’s Commitment to Women’s Athletics Gets First Test : Volleyball: Lions have their first full-time coach as they open season against Murray State.

Steve Stratos is cautiously optimistic as the Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball team opens its season on Saturday, and the university also hopes it will be the beginning of a new era in women’s athletics.

Stratos, the third Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball coach in three years, is the Lions’ first full-time coach. The athletic department has made a commitment to women’s athletics and is slowly increasing scholarship levels in an attempt to make the Lions competitive with top teams in the West Coast Conference.

Loyola will take the Gersten Pavilion floor for the 7:30 p.m. match with Murray State with several returning players from last year, notably All-WCC outside hitter Kerry House. The 5-foot-8 senior was the Lions’ leader in kills, kill attempts and attack percentage and set a school record for digs.

Also returning are senior setter Anita Irwin, who accounted for 661 assists, and middle blockers Dana Bragado and Stacy Trapp. Bragado, a 6-foot sophomore with star potential, will miss at least the first two matches with a knee injury. Trapp, a 5-9 senior, will start in Bragado’s place and figures to be a key player off the bench.

Stratos, 37, who was coach at Woodbridge High in Irvine, has also brought in the nucleus for the future. Freshman Deanna Doolittle, the Orange County Female Athlete of the Year at Woodbridge, will team with House at outside hitter. Shawna Mickartz, a freshman from Irvine High, is scheduled to start in the sixth spot although she’s been suffering from a back injury, and junior Lisa Wenker, a 5-11 transfer from El Camino College, will start at middle blocker.

Another newcomer, 5-11 freshman middle blocker Teri Runge, has considerable promise but has been ill. She has yet to practice. Also on the roster are senior setters Loren Newman, who returns as Irwin’s backup, and Janiece Stimpfig, who lost most of last season to a knee injury; sophomore hitter Jill Sutton, an occasional starter last year; sophomore blocker Theresa Matus, a transfer from Cal State Northridge; and freshman hitter Katie Roberts.

“The infusion of new people and additional scholarships next year . . . will have a dramatic impact on the program,” Stratos said. “We think we can attract a lot of good athletes and will be much improved next year. You’re as good as the people you put on the floor. We think it’s going to happen, and pretty soon.”

Athletic Director Brian Quinn, who hired Stratos, said the move was the cornerstone of an upgrading of the entire women’s athletic program.

The Lions were 8-19 last year under Mike Normand, now the full-time men’s coach. They were outmatched in non-conference competition and not deep enough to offset several injuries--which could be a problem this season. In WCC play, they were 7-7. Perennial conference champion Pepperdine has already been tabbed the favorite, with Gonzaga second. Stratos would like to make it more than a two-team race.

“Pepperdine’s the team to beat,” he said. “We feel we’ll be able to play with people, and surprise a lot of people. That’s the goal, to become competitive right from the start.”

Stratos is known for defensive expertise. “We are not a large team but we are a defensive team,” he said. “We’re emphasizing our ‘D’ (and) back row defense is something we are working on.”

Along with the group of recruits, two more new faces in the program are Stratos’ assistants, Larry Smoot, his top assistant, and Pam Lawrence, a graduate assistant.

“I’ve got two terrific assistants,” Stratos said. “Larry’s the head of the South Bay Volleyball Club and Pam’s fiance is head of the Orange County Volleyball Club, so we have some very important contacts. And their knowledge of the game is so good they’ve immediately gotten the attention and respect of the players.”

As usual, the early schedule will test the inexperienced Lions. Tenth-rated UC Santa Barbara visits Gersten Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. By the end of September, the Lions will have played 12th-ranked Cal State Long Beach, the defending national champion, and No. 1 UCLA. In early October, they visit 16th-rated San Diego State.

But Stratos hopes to be on a par with those teams in the foreseeable future.

“I think the university has definitely made a commitment,” he said. “One of the aspects has been to bring in a full-time coach for the first time. They’ve done some other things . . . that has communicated (to the players) the school is dedicated to upgrading the program. That has lent itself to an increased effort on their part. I think we can attract a lot of good athletes . . . (I think) the people out there, the recruits will see there is a difference and want to come here.”

If the new commitment and enthusiasm translate into victories, the Lions’ rise could be Stratos-pheric.