1994 Prep Preview: Girls’ Volleyball : Capistrano Valley’s Moorhouse Has Talent, Will Travel

Meet Nikole Moorhouse, a 5-foot-11 right side hitter on the Capistrano Valley girls’ volleyball team.

That’s Nikole with a k , as in kill leader or key player for the Cougars.

“This is Nikole’s fourth year in our program and second on varsity,” Capistrano Valley Coach John Gipe said. “She’s one of our hardest workers and she’s a natural leader.”

Moorhouse also has a lot of natural athletic ability.

She grew up playing soccer, but after nine years playing goalie, she quit the sport when she entered high school.

Moorhouse went out for the volleyball team as a freshman and has been hooked since. She even dabbled in basketball last season at Capistrano Valley after volleyball season ended.

On the volleyball court, Moorhouse has also shown great versatility.

As a sophomore, she played outside hitter and middle blocker. Last season on the varsity, she played middle blocker while Lena Malinowski, a second-team All-Southern Section Division I player, took the spotlight.

Now Gipe has moved Moorhouse to the right side.

“Nikole took to the change real easily,” Gipe said. “She’s working hard at it and learning some little things every day. In the long run, it might be better for her because some college coaches I’ve talked to said that the right side might be the call for her.”

Said Moorhouse: “I played some right side in my freshman year, and I’ve been bugging (Coach Gipe) to put me out there. We have a real strong middle, so the right side is where I’m filling in now. That’s where the team needs me.”

The Cougars are ranked in the top 10 of The Times Orange County coaches’ preseason poll and they have high expectations for this season.

“We should be pretty strong,” Moorhouse said. “This is the most excited we’ve been since I’ve been here. We’re looking really good.”

The Cougars looked good in the summer, winning the Prep Nationals, a one-day tournament at Cerritos Gahr High that is regarded as one of the summer’s toughest. Capistrano Valley also won the Orange County summer league, defeating San Clemente in the final.

“We have good chemistry and the team has a togetherness this year,” Moorhouse said. “Players like Katie Wilson, Christine Thuerback, Keri Gallup and myself all played together for the Saddleback Valley Club team this summer, so that might help some. Seeing how well we did in the summer was promising.”

Returning to the top is something Gipe is targeting. The Cougars won the South Coast League championship for four consecutive seasons before Dana Hills broke their string last season.

“The girls are hungry,” Gipe said. “I think we’re a contender, but we happen to be in the strongest league. Dana Hills, Mater Dei, San Clemente and Mission Viejo will all have good teams. It will be a real battle for the league championship.”

Gipe will get a better read on his team after the Orange County Championships Friday and Saturday.

All of the county’s top-ranked teams will play in the Division I half of the tournament. Newport Harbor, ranked No. 1 in the county, is the favorite. Two-time defending section and State Division I champion Corona del Mar will also compete.

“This tournament is very important because it’s a chance for us to see what we can really do,” Moorhouse said. “These are the big boys.”

The Cougars will also get a look at their South Coast competition with Dana Hills, Mater Dei and San Clemente also entered in Division I.

Recruiters have been keeping their eyes on Moorhouse, who said she has looked at a number of schools on the East Coast.

“I’m interested in George Washington, Connecticut, and I’ve looked at some out west like UC Irvine, Arizona State and Loyola Marymount,” she said.

Moorhouse has a 4.0 grade-point average. She has taken several Advanced Placement courses and her interest in political science and history will also influence her school selection.

“Academics have always been stressed by my parents,” Moorhouse said. “They’re both in banking.”

Moorhouse and the Cougars are hoping they can bank on a successful season.

Girls’ Volleyball at a Glance

Top players: Julie Adams, Cypress, Sr.; Tina Bowman, Newport Harbor, Sr.; Jill Butts, Edison, Sr.; Kelly Campbell, Corona del Mar, Jr.; Christy Collisson, Laguna Beach, Sr.; Sharlene Conley, Orange, Sr.; Jennifer Coopman, Sunny Hills, Sr.; Ashley Cross, University, Sr.; Sara Fairborn, Newport Harbor, Sr.; Roberta Gehlke, Mater Dei, Jr.; Mary Heinecke, Woodbridge, Jr.; Nadia Horner, Fullerton, Sr.; Lindsey Jones, Irvine, Sr.; Jenny Kessy, Dana Hills, Sr.; Kristy Kierulff, Esperanza, Sr.; Stacy Laitsch, Los Alamitos, Sr.; Sara Langley, Canyon, Sr.; Skye Lewis, Dana Hills, Sr.; Lynn Lovingier, Calvary Chapel, Sr.; Misty May, Newport Harbor, Sr.; Erin McCown, Edison, Sr.; Kristin Moro, Fountain Valley, Sr.; Amy Nihipali, Esperanza, So.; Laura Osborne, Newport Harbor, Sr.; Courtney Owens, Calvary Chapel, Sr.; Lisa Pitt, Kennedy, Sr.; Tara Pollak, Dana Hills, Sr.; Lisa Ravensberg, Laguna Beach, Sr.; Kameron Schambeck, La Habra, Sr.; Melissa Schutz, Newport Harbor, Sr.; Amanda Schwer, Foothill, Sr.; Stacey Vanderwal, Huntington Beach, Sr.; Cindy Vojtech, Pacifica, Jr.; Melissa Wendt, Huntington Beach, Jr.

League favorites: Century: Orange; Empire: Kennedy; Freeway: La Habra; Garden Grove: Pacifica; Golden West: Ocean View; Olympic: Calvary Chapel; Orange: Valencia; Pacific Coast: Laguna Beach; Sea View: Newport Harbor; South Coast: Capistrano Valley; Sunset: Huntington Beach.

1993 final poll: 1. Newport Harbor; 2. Corona del Mar; 3. Laguna Beach; 4. Dana Hills; 5. Capistrano Valley; 6. Mater Dei; 7. Fountain Valley; 8. Los Alamitos; 9. Huntington Beach; 10. Calvary Chapel.

1994 preseason poll: 1. Newport Harbor; 2. Corona del Mar; 3. Laguna Beach; 4. Calvary Chapel; 5. Capistrano Valley; 6. Mater Dei; 7. Huntington Beach; 8. Edison; 9. Dana Hills; 10. Esperanza.

Key dates: Orange County Championships at Edison HS, Sept. 17; San Marcos tournament at UC Santa Barbara, Oct. 1; Newport Harbor and Calvary Chapel at Rams Challenge at University of the Pacific, Oct. 22; Southern Section finals, Nov. 19; Southern California Regional finals, Nov. 29; State finals, Dec. 3.

Notes: To win a mythical national championship, Newport Harbor will have to endure a tough schedule. The Sailors have four nonleague matches against Orange County preseason top-10 teams and a doubleheader against Northern California powers San Jose Archbishop Mitty and Stockton St. Mary’s (Oct. 22) at the University of the Pacific. Newport Harbor also plays Corona del Mar twice (Oct. 4 and 20). . . . Returning league MVPs are Misty May of Newport Harbor (Sea View), Courtney Owens of Calvary Chapel (Olympic), Lisa Pitt of Kennedy (Garden Grove) and Amanda Schwer of Foothill (Century).