Still Pining : Moorpark’s Gulbranson Holds Dear Time at CSUN

Gretchen Gulbranson has tried to put the tumultuous summer and early season blues behind her. She has made the best of her situation, but it has not been easy.

Thing is, no matter how one looks at it, a starting setter on a Division I college volleyball team experiences a letdown when the following season she holds the same position at a junior college.

Gulbranson was the starting setter at Cal State Northridge last year but quit the team abruptly in mid-May and enrolled at Moorpark College.

As the Raiders’ setter, the 5-foot-6 sophomore finished the regular season with a Western State Conference-high 393 assists.

Gulbranson has led Moorpark (13-5) to the playoffs, which begin Tuesday.

“We’re really blessed to have her,” Moorpark outside hitter Tami Vaillancourt said. “She’s a team player and she has brought us together.”

Gulbranson, a graduate of Thousand Oaks High, is also one of the Raider’s top blockers and most versatile players. She has brought the team stability and leadership, according to Moorpark Coach Steve Burkhart.

“Getting a good setter on a junior college team is the most crucial thing to have,” Burkhart said. “We’ve had some experienced setters, but none this talented. Gretchen has made a big difference on this team.”

While she is happy to be competing and excited about her new team’s success, Gulbranson often reminisces about playing with the Matadors. Looking back, she says, her decision to quit the team at CSUN might have been a hasty one made during an emotional time.

“The more I think about it the more I regret it,” she said. “It was hard to leave. I really didn’t want to.”

Gulbranson received a scholarship to play at CSUN. As a senior at Thousand Oaks in 1992 she had a school-record 819 assists and led the Lancers to a Marmonte League championship and the second round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Gulbranson also had 187 service points and 130 blocks.

She had 947 assists last season as a freshman for the Matadors, who finished with a 12-17 record under interim Coach John Price.

But the team got a new coach and a new senior setter, Kathleen Shannon, a transfer from Illinois. After about one month of drills and scrimmages, Shannon was named the starter and Gulbranson the backup.

Gulbranson quit the team and hasn’t talked about it publicly until now. She wants to make clear that she didn’t leave the program because she lost her starting position.

“I’ve sat on the bench before,” Gulbranson said. “If she’s the better setter and she’s going to do the best, then I want her to start. That wasn’t the problem.

“I didn’t feel like I got the chance to compete against Kathleen. I feel like he (new CSUN Coach Lian Kang Lu) had his mind made up. He already had the starting lineup in his head. I just don’t like the way it was handled.”

Lu, who was hired in December, 1993, said Shannon simply beat Gulbranson for the starting position. Both, he says, had plenty of opportunities to showcase their talent.

“Both fought hard for the starting position,” Lu said. “But Kathleen earned it. In the beginning there was a 50-50 chance, but Kathleen turned out to be a better setter.”

Lu tried to talk Gulbranson into staying, however. He considers her a solid player and a great asset to the team.

“I told Gretchen, ‘Don’t leave. You will not sit on the bench. You will play a lot,’ ” Lu said. “I feel so sorry she left. I really like her. She works really hard and I was very upset that she left.”

So is Gulbranson, though she claims to be happy at Moorpark. She often attends CSUN volleyball matches and remains friends with many of her former teammates there. “I guess I still consider CSUN my team,” Gulbranson said. “Those players are my good friends. I still think about playing there, but we’re doing really good here and I’m happy with it.”

Before enrolling at Moorpark Gulbranson and her father took a trip to San Jose State, where she was offered a scholarship under the condition that CSUN release her. She didn’t like it, however, and chose to remain close to home.

Now Gulbranson is trying to focus on leading her team through the playoffs. She knows performance is crucial in postseason because in junior college volleyball that’s the only time scouts from four-year schools come out to recruit.

“I’ll play wherever they need a setter next year,” Gulbranson said. “I really just want to play my eligibility out . . . anywhere!”