Long Beach Focuses on Present as It Shoots for Another Title

Brian Gimmillaro, coach of the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team, recently tried to convince a group of reporters that the past is all but forgotten.

Never mind that Long Beach won the national championship last season, when it finished 32-2 and won a share of its third consecutive Big West Conference title. And forget about Danielle Scott, who dominated the sport last year before completing her eligibility.

According to Gimmillaro, that’s ancient history.

“You know, there are some things I am very disciplined about and some things I am not, and one of the things that I have always been very disciplined about is that I can only see this team,” Gimmillaro said. “I have good focus on this team, what we do and what we need to do.”

The first order of business is trying to replace Scott, the 1993 national player of the year.

With the departure of Scott, a 6-foot-2 middle blocker, the spotlight will fall on Nichelle Burton, a senior outside hitter. Burton has always played in the shadows of great players--before Scott, the 49ers were led by Antoinnette White, the 1991 national player of the year--but this should be Burton’s season.

There seems little doubt she is ready for the challenge. Last season, she had a career-high 28 kills in the NCAA final against Penn State. In their season opener last Thursday, Burton led the 49ers with 21 kills in a 15-6, 14-16, 15-11, 15-6 victory over Loyola Marymount.

But Burton can’t carry the team alone. The task of replacing Scott at middle blocker falls on the young shoulders of Nique Crump, a 6-1 freshman from Mesa, Ariz.

Crump stumbled out of the gate at Long Beach, injuring her Achilles’ tendon on the first day of practice. She was further hindered when the NCAA denied her eligibility because her high school transcript was not properly stamped. Crump sat out a match against the Long Beach alumni on Aug. 27 but was cleared to play last Thursday and had four kills and two solo blocks.

Crump will be joined at middle blocker by returning starter Traci Dahl. Other returning starters are Brita Schwerm, an outside hitter, and Prentice Perkins, a defensive specialist. Kristin Harris, a freshman outside hitter from San Jose, also is expected to start.

Lori Price, a freshman from Tempe, Ariz., and Heather Hofmans, a sophomore who was a reserve last season, will compete for the setter spot, which was left vacant when Joy McKienzie finished her eligibility last year.

Long Beach (1-1) is ranked eighth in the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll.

There is one thing everybody wants to know about the 49ers, and Gimmillaro answered the big question before it could be asked:

“Are we going to contend (for the national championship)? Not yet, but possibly (later).”

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Andy Banachowski, UCLA coach, echoed that sentiment about his own team.

The Bruins finished 30-2 last season and won their second consecutive Pacific 10 Conference championship. They were disappointed, however, when they lost on their home court to BYU in the West Regional final and failed to advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1987.

UCLA (3-0), ranked second behind Stanford (3-0), has four starters back from last season, including All-American Annett Buckner, a senior outside hitter. The Bruins’ biggest loss is at setter, where All-American Julie Bremner finished her eligibility last season.

“Last year, we started out the year with question marks at the hitting position and solid at the setting (position), and I think the shoe is just reversed this year,” Banachowski said.

Kelly Flannigan, a sophomore who was a reserve last season, will start at setter. Kim Coleman, a freshman who led Corona del Mar High to national No. 1 rankings in 1992 and 1993, will also compete for playing time.

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Like a ship without a keel, USC will lurch ahead this season without Katie Haller, a four-year starter at outside hitter.

Haller was the only All-American on last year’s team, which was 22-9 overall and finished fourth in the Pac-10. USC has no one who can play at Haller’s level, although Whitney Casey, a reserve last season, probably will try.

Coach Lisa Love is hoping that what No. 15 USC (2-1) lacks in quality, it will compensate for with quantity.

“The good news is, any way you slice it, we are very, very deep,” she said.

Meika Wagner, a 6-0 senior middle blocker, will lead the Trojans. Wagner led the Pac-10 last season with a .329 hitting percentage and is a two-time all-conference selection. Other returning starters are Kelly Kuebler, an outside hitter, and Lauri Yust, a middle blocker.

Returners Capi Irato, Bonny Brunst and Kilee Hughes all had playing time last season at outside hitter and will compete for starting spots this year. Monika Cavaliere and Laurie Hill will battle for the starting setter spot, left vacant when Missy McCaw completed her eligibility last season.

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Loyola Marymount figures to challenge for the West Coast Conference title and Pepperdine hopes to improve on its fourth-place finish.

The Lions have all six starters back from last season, when they were 23-7 overall and finished a game behind conference champion Santa Clara in the WCC.

Loyola (0-2) will be led by a pair of junior middle blockers, Mardell Wrensch and Julie Greer, who were both first-team all-conference selections last season.

Pepperdine was 11-16 in 1993, its second consecutive losing season. This season, the Waves (1-2) will count on returning starters Tara Kroesch at outside hitter and Lauren Agajanian at setter.