Hamilton in the Middle of Royal Girls’ Block Party

Jennifer Hamilton still can remember her first practice as a sophomore with the Royal High girls’ volleyball team. Hamilton watched in awe as players such as standout Wende Brown drilled spike after spike.

“I was surprised at how hard the other players hit,” said Hamilton, who was starting her second year of competitive volleyball.

Now a senior, Hamilton has matured into one of the Southern Section’s top players and is one of the major reasons that Royal (16-3, 11-2 in league play) is ranked ninth in the Southern Section 5-A Division and is in first place in the Marmonte League.

“She means an awful lot to our team,” Royal Coach Bob Ferguson said.

Just how much can be measured by Hamilton’s performance last week when the Highlanders beat Thousand Oaks and Westlake in key Marmonte League matches and finished second to Arroyo Grande in the Santa Barbara invitational.

Hamilton, a 6-foot middle blocker, had a career-high 27 kills last Tuesday in a four-game victory over Westlake and came through with a school-record 36 kills and nine blocks in a first-place showdown with Thousand Oaks on Thursday. She saved her best for last against the Lancers as she led the Highlanders back from a 13-9 deficit in the fifth game with two clutch kills, including one on match point.

She was just warming up.

Royal continued to shine Friday and Saturday in the Santa Barbara invitational. Hamilton had 79 kills, 19 blocks, 20 digs and 16 service points in four games on the way to being selected for the all-tournament team. In a victory over Santa Cruz Harbor, she again broke the school record for kills, this time with 38, including 16 in the first game.

“She was just unstoppable,” Ferguson said.

After last week’s offensive barrage, Hamilton is closing in on Brown’s season and career records for kills. Hamilton already holds the Royal record for blocks in a career and season.

“By the time she gets done, her record for (career) blocking is going to be somewhere out of sight,” Ferguson said.

Hamilton would rather play up the team’s success. “My teammates help me play well,” she said. “If we play well as a team, someone is going to stand out.”

After playing in the shadow of Brown--the 1989 4-A player of the year--her first two years on the varsity, Hamilton has made the transition to co-captain and leader both on and off the court.

One of the most sought-after recruits in Ventura County, she has visited Washington State and Cal State Northridge and plans to make trips to Santa Clara and Arizona. “Jennifer is as hard a worker as I have on my team,” Ferguson said. “She is really good at playing within herself. If she has one drawback, it’s that she expects too much of herself and sometimes gets down on herself when she makes a mistake.”

On the floor, she is one of Royal’s most vocal players, yelling encouragement to her teammates and pumping them up with her impressive kills and blocks. Away from the game, Hamilton has organized several squad get-togethers to foster team unity.

“To me, it’s important to be close off the court to play well together on the court,” said Hamilton, a second-team All-5-A selection last season.

Hamilton learned how important togetherness can be in 1989. Her older teammates helped her adjust to the varsity.

“I was kind of shy, but they did a good job of encouraging me,” said Hamilton, one of the team’s best passers.

That team went on to win the school’s first Southern Section title in girls’ volleyball, and Hamilton is hoping this year’s team also can reach those heights.

“The whole team wants a CIF championship,” Hamilton said. “I have to remind everyone of where we can go if we work our hardest.”