Concordia Volleyball Grows Up in Tough Neighborhood

The Golden State Athletic Conference is not a hospitable place for a weak volleyball program.

The NAIA District 3 conference is one of the strongest in the nation. This year, four teams were ranked in the top 25 in the national preseason poll, three in the top 10.

No one has to tell Concordia University Coach Mary Holl any of this. Her team has struggled in recent years--it hasn’t reached the District 3 playoffs since 1988 and last year won only one game in conference play.

So Holl and assistant coach George Carey are aiming for improvement.

“We sat down last year and put ourselves on a three-year plan to turn around the program,” Holl said. “This is Year 2, so we’re looking to make some good strides.”

The Eagles (4-4) completed a successful trip to Texas Monday, defeating previously unbeaten St. Edwards in five games as Amy Bonacorsi and Lori Funk each had 14 kills.

Concordia won three of four on the trip, including a five-game victory Friday at Concordia Austin. The Eagles lost the first two games and were extended to 18-16 in the third.

The positive results are encouraging to Holl, but the real challenge starts Friday when the Eagles open conference play at Fresno Pacific, No. 25 in the preseason poll. They return to Southern California on Saturday to play at Azusa Pacific, another conference opponent.

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Holl says she expects her team to be more competitive and challenge for one of the eight District 3 playoff spots. The Eagles lost only one player to graduation after last season and have recruited six replacements.

Bonacorsi, a sophomore outside hitter, and Funk, a junior middle blocker, are the most notable returning players.

Three freshmen--setter Shannon Catalano, outside hitter Molly Jordan and middle blocker Minna Huovila--start.

“We’re having a youth movement, and the seniors are doing a good job providing leadership and stability,” Holl said.

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The Southern California College women’s volleyball team, under first-year Coach Eric Boyles, also will open its conference season with matches Friday and Saturday.

The Vanguards (5-3), who will play at Azusa Pacific Friday and Fresno Pacific Saturday, are led by junior middle blocker Genevie Wright and Celeste Young, a junior transfer from Hawaii Pacific.

The team’s only losses have been to NCAA Division II Cal State Los Angeles, Cal Baptist, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, and Biola.

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The Chapman men’s soccer team lost its first game of the season Sunday, but it was still an encouraging result.

UCLA, ranked seventh in NCAA Division I, won, 2-0, but the Bruins were scoreless in the first half.

Chapman (3-1-2) had a good chance to score in the first half when Dustin Kemmerer took a pass from Armando Orizaba and got behind the UCLA defense.

Kemmerer had only goalkeeper Chris Snitko, a former Canyon High standout, to beat. But Snitko reacted quickly and prevented a shot.

UCLA scored goals in the 66th and 83rd minutes to win.

“My big concern was how our guys would react after the first goal went in,” Chapman Coach Gregg Murphy said. “Would they break down and just lay down and die? I was most pleased to see that they continued to play as hard as they had in the first half after UCLA scored its first goal.”

It was the second time Chapman has played UCLA in men’s soccer. In 1986, the Panthers tied the top-ranked Bruins, 1-1.

Notes

Concordia’s Genevieve Graff-Ermeling was second at the Whittier Invitational cross-country meet Saturday at Clark Park in Buena Park. Graff-Ermeling finished the 5,000-meter race in 19 minutes 8 seconds. Biola’s Elizabeth Onymbu, who finished fifth in the NAIA national meet last year, won in 18:20. Graff-Ermeling finished fifth at the national meet as a freshman in 1989. . . . Leslie Burke has resigned as Concordia softball coach to pursue career interests in Colorado. Burke, a former Chapman softball player, was 21-52 in two seasons coaching the Eagles. The university is accepting applications for a new coach. . . . The Southern California College women’s soccer team, which is six games into its first season, is still looking to score its first goal. The Vanguards will get another chance Friday at Claremont Mudd.