Nofrey’s Humor Keeps Nordhoff Loose

Alison Nofrey was 11 years old when Jimmy Miranda learned she was different.

The Ojai Valley Club volleyball team had just been clobbered, 15-0, 15-0, and Miranda, the coach, attempted to console his youthful charges.

“I brought the team into a huddle to encourage them after the loss and Alison stopped me and asked who had won,” said Miranda, who coached Nofrey for five years.

Nofrey was so busy enjoying herself on the court that even a humiliating loss could not slow her.

Nofrey, now a 6-foot senior middle blocker at Nordhoff High and an NCAA Division I prospect, pays more attention to the score these days. But even leading the Rangers to the state Division IV title has hardly detracted from her carefree approach to the game.

Nordhoff Coach Cheryl Glass credits Nofrey not only with keeping the Rangers (24-3) loose on the court but with helping underclassmen Jami Sawyer, Julie Sandefur and Tacy Franklin adapt to a senior-dominated team.

“Alison has been a good bridge between the seniors and the sophomores,” Glass said. “She is real sensitive and has a quiet spirit. Other kids are more relaxed with her.”

But it is her sense of humor that sets her apart.

“Everything she does is funny,” outside hitter Allison Kerr said. “She can never be bored. She’s always coming up with creative things to do.”

Nofrey and setter Sami Sawyer frequently entertain teammates and coaches with a circus-type routine. The pair stand about 10 feet apart, and Sawyer places a grape in her mouth and spits it high in the air toward Nofrey, who catches it in her mouth and repeats the process. They say their record is 142 successful exchanges.

“Alison gives the game a character,” outside hitter Joanna Sandefur said. “She is intense in a jolly sort of way.”

Nofrey has helped provide balance for her teammates, who sometimes take things too seriously on the court. Her efforts were rewarded Saturday at Cal State Fullerton when Nordhoff defeated Forestville El Molino, 15-2, 15-7, 15-4, to win the state title.

Helped in part by her 10-kill, three-block, eight-dig performance, Nofrey earned all-tournament recognition, but she was even stronger in a five-game win over Oakhurst Yosemite last Tuesday when she had six blocks, 19 digs and a personal-record 24 kills.

That match, as well as any other, showed how much Nofrey has matured as a player. In a five-game loss at Yosemite last year in the second round of the state playoffs, Nofrey played poorly. But she exacted her revenge Tuesday.

“She faced that demon when we played (Yosemite) again,” Glass said. “She took (last year’s match) out on them.”

Nofrey believes she has played with a more focused approach this season.

“Last year, I wasn’t as motivated,” Nofrey said. “But this is our senior year. Basically, I wanted to win.”

Glass agrees. “We’ve had to work with her on having a killer instinct. We’ve had to tell her to get mean on the court.”

While Nofrey stands out with her off-beat approach to volleyball, it does not overshadow the fact she is an outstanding player.

Nofrey was an All-Southern Section Division IV performer last year and is expected to be a repeat selection. College coaches are impressed by her athleticism and her 3.6 grade-point average. Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Virginia, Washington State and Oregon State are among the schools interested in Nofrey, who hopes to study mathematics or engineering.

She has no clear-cut favorite among those schools, but one thing is certain: Nofrey can still have fun--it’s just that these days she has no trouble knowing the score.