COLLEGES / IRENE GARCIA : Loyola Women’s Volleyball Team Is Playing in a Different Stratosphere

Steve Stratos has raised the once-ailing Loyola Marymount women’s volleyball program to a different level during his four years as coach.

The 41-year-old was hired from Irvine’s Woodbridge High and inherited a team that finished 8-19 under Mike Normand in ’89. The Lions placed third in the West Coast Conference during Stratos’ first two years and finished second last season.

On Saturday, Stratos became the first coach in WCC history to earn 20 wins in three of his first four seasons when the Lions (20-6, 8-2 in conference) beat Pepperdine in five games.

Stratos also became the first Loyola coach to beat Pepperdine twice in a season. Before this season Loyola had won only two matches against Pepperdine in the eight-year history of the series.

“It was great because that was one thing in the conference that we hadn’t done,” Stratos said. “We had not even won a game (at Malibu) in my previous three years as coach, not to mention a match.”

The Lions are riding high entering tonight’s WCC match against first-place Santa Clara (10-0, 20-5) at Gersten Pavilion. Loyola will also play host to San Francisco (4-6, 10-18) on Saturday.

The Lions will need some help to win the WCC championship. Loyola has to win its last four matches (it plays at Gonzaga and Portland next week) and Santa Clara has to lose two of its last five.

Loyola lost to Santa Clara in five games in the first meeting.

“We made errors of a young team,” Stratos said. “We have more firepower, but they have the experience. They’re very consistent.”

If the Lions don’t win the league title, their chances of earning a berth to the NCAA playoffs appear good because they are ranked ninth in the West Region. Teams finishing among the top 10 in the region usually get a bid.

“We play hard,” Stratos said. “We even play hard in practice. We give a full effort all of the time. . . . That’s rare for such a young team.”

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Who needs seniors? The Lions don’t have any in their starting lineup and a freshman, Suzanne Radcliffe, leads the team in several categories.

The 5-foot-11 Radcliffe, a former All-Southern Section player from Torrance, has 290 kills and 33 aces. She also has 183 assists and 221 digs. Radcliffe was also honored as WCC player of the week.

“I think she is one of the best freshmen in the country,” Stratos said. “She is that good. She has had some ups and downs as any freshman would, but she has definitely progressed and her mental toughness has increased.”

Sophomore middle blocker Mardell Wrensch has been named WCC player of the week twice. Stratos says after hearing about this year’s recruiting class, the 6-1 Wrensch thought she wouldn’t play much.

“Her major concern was making the travel squad because she knew how good we would be,” Stratos said. “Well she has nothing to worry about. This school has never had someone block the ball the way she’s blocking the ball right now. She is just terminating the ball.”

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Junior Robin Ortgiesen is perhaps Loyola’s steadiest player. Barring major injury, the Mira Costa High grad will end her collegiate career as the top setter in WCC history.

Already she is on the verge of breaking a league record. Ortgiesen is second in the conference with 4,274 career assists, trailing former St. Mary’s setter Tracie Hajdukovich, who had 4,305.

Ortgiesen finished 10th nationally with 12.59 assists a game as a freshman and was second with 14.10 assists as a sophomore. Her 14.10 average ranks third in Division I history.

“She’s not real flashy, but she’s steady,” Stratos said. “Other setters have more flare. She just gets the job done.”

Notes

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s soccer team finished 11-8 and was 18th in the final NCAA Division II rankings. Forward Teresa Bateman (Torrance High and El Camino College), midfielder Jennifer Womack and defender Wendy Nakashima (Torrance High) made the All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. first team. Forward Gwen Nakashima (Torrance High) and midfielder Monica Lastrapes made the second team. . . . The Dominguez Hills men’s soccer team finished 7-9-2. Forward Ken Hodge and defender Ryan Robertson were named to the All-CCAA first team and defender Jonathan Sibbald (Redondo High and El Camino College) was named to the second team. . . . The Dominguez Hills women’s volleyball team is down to its last chance to win a CCAA game when it plays host to Cal State Bakersfield tonight at 7:30. The Toros are 8-24, 0-9 in the CCAA.