PREP NOTES

It might be easy to overlook La Quinta when the Southern Section 3-A girls’ volleyball playoffs start next week. After all, the Aztecs don’t have a player taller than 5-9, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re short on talent.

The Aztecs (12-1) have clinched the Garden Grove League title this season with a lineup that’s dwarfed by most opponents. Carin Whittington, a junior middle blocker, is the Aztecs’ tallest player at 5-9. Senior setter Tay Lu stands 5-3.

None of the La Quinta players compete on club teams during the off-season, and three of the Aztecs’ six starters--Lu, Vicki Thai and Anh Nguyen, all of Vietnamese descent--had little, if any, playing experience before coming to La Quinta.

“A lot of the girls here start at ground zero,” said Larry James, who has coached volleyball at La Quinta since 1973. “They’re not very big and their level of play isn’t as sophisticated. But they play very, very hard.”

Lu and Whittington are being wooed by the nation’s top colleges--for their academics. Lu has a 3.93 grade-point average and is considering Harvard and Stanford. Whittington has a 4.0 GPA and is looking at several schools, including Stanford and California.