JUST LIKE OLD TIMES : Lions’ Doolittle Takes a Gamble, But Is Reunited With Prep Coach

Deanna Doolittle gambled when she signed a national letter of intent to attend Loyola Marymount on a volleyball scholarship during her senior year at Irvine’s Woodbridge High.

The outside hitter had initially been recruited by UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine, but started considering Loyola after she learned that her coach at Woodbridge, Steve Strathos, was in the running to become coach at the school.

“I was kind of looking at different schools but when he told me that he had a chance of getting the job here, I became really interested,” Doolittle said. “So I checked it out and I liked it.”

But as the NCAA signing deadline approached, the Lions still had not decided on a coach.

So Doolittle took a risk and signed with Loyola.

“It was getting real close to the signing deadline, so I just went for the gamble,” she said. “But by then I pretty much narrowed it to two choices, UC Irvine and here. I kind of wanted to get away from home, anyway. When he got the job I was real happy.”

And Strathos said it was nice to have a familiar face on the squad.

“I started with somebody who was a really good friend and knew what I wanted from my team,” he said. “That made it easier to make the transition in coming here.”

Not to mention what it meant to Doolittle in her development at the major-college level.

As a freshman, Doolittle set school freshman records for digs and kills. She also made the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team.

Doolittle, 19, has continued her success as a sophomore. She leads the Lions in digs with 422 and is a second to outside hitter Joli Eberhart in kills with 371. Strathos credits Doolittle with playing a big role in the success of the Lions, who are enjoying their second consecutive winning season at 15-12. Loyola has two matches remaining.

“She has done so much for this program,” Strathos said. “I think our problem is sometimes we forget that she is only a sophomore.”

Doolittle credits Strathos with helping to make for a smooth transition from high school to prep volleyball.

“It was a lot easier for me because his techniques and the physical part of his game I already knew about,” Doolittle said. “But I think that in the transition from high school to college it became a lot more demanding.”

Even before she started her college career, Doolittle realized there would be differences between high school and college volleyball.

“It was mostly the intensity and the time commitment,” she said. “I think during the summer before my freshman year, I was worried because I had gone to college volleyball matches and it was such a step above high school. But in practice before the season, everyone here was real encouraging to me, and that helped.”

The biggest problem for Doolittle since coming to Loyola has been staying healthy. She has had injuries to her back, shoulder and knees.

“I have a hyper-extended back and I’ve been getting therapy for that for a while,” Doolittle said. “I have tendinitis in my shoulder, but that’s getting better, and I also have tendinitis in both knees.”

She said her knees started bothering her in high school, but the other injuries developed in college.

“It’s kind of off and on, but we’re getting toward the end of the season, so we’re all kind of hurting,” Doolittle said. “A lot of people think of football or rugby as physical sports, but all of the running and jumping (in volleyball) puts a great physical demand on your body.”

Doolittle said the difference in her performance this season is that she has learned how to compete despite injuries.

“I know that my injuries were a lot worse at the start of the season,” she said. “The beginning of the year was really bad for me but my pain tolerance has also gone up.”

Strathos says Doolittle is not the type of player who allows injuries to prevent her from playing.

“The most important thing about her is her desire,” Strathos said. “At our level, to be only (5-foot-8 1/2) and play her position as well as she does is very unusual. But she just detests losing and that’s an important quality to have.”

Doolittle said she uses her lack of size to motivate her against opponents.

“When I’m going against a huge right-side blocker and she barely has to jump, that really gets me motivated,” she said.

Strathos said Doolittle’s fundamental skills help her against bigger opponents.

“She’s just a very good technician, and I think that enables her to overcome her size at the net,” he said.

Despite her success, Doolittle is looking to improve.

“My blocking and my serving are two things I need to stress a lot this spring,” she said.

Having coached Doolittle for five years, including the first three at Woodbridge, Strathos doesn’t expect the player to stop developing.

“I’ve been around her since she was in high school, so I’ve had a chance to really see her grow as a player,” Strathos said. “She has improved a lot since she first came here, and I expect her to continue to improve.”

The Lions will try to qualify for the Women’s Invitational Volleyball Championships with victories in their final two regular season matches. They visit the University of San Diego tonight and visit Cal State Northridge on Tuesday. The Lions competed in the tournament last season.

But Doolittle is looking forward to having free time after the season.

“We’ll take a little time off after that, but in the beginning of the year we’ll start up again,” Doolittle said. “But that’s just the way it is in volleyball. It’s really a year-round sport.”