Lackluster Finishes Hurt SCC Volleyball

The Southern California College women’s volleyball team let a good chance slip away Tuesday night. After beating Westmont, ranked No. 21 in the NAIA, in the first two games, the Vanguards lost the next three and and the match, 16-18, 11-15, 15-7, 15-9, 15-13.

“We just need to learn to put games away,” SCC Coach Krista Jones said.

But Jones, in her first year as coach, is far from being down on her team. If the Vanguards aren’t one of the top teams in the Golden State Athletic Conference, they at least can give those teams a good match.

Jones says the Vanguards (4-7, 1-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) are playing strong on defense and when their passing game is solid, good things happen.

SCC is trying to build on its successful 1994 season, when the Vanguards finished 18-11 and advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA Far West Region playoffs. A victory over top-seeded Fresno Pacific would have landed SCC in the NAIA national tournament.

Jones believes this team has a chance to reach that level.

“That’s definitely one of the goals out there and I think we have the ability to do it,” she said. “We just have to come together, keep working hard and find the ability to put teams away.”

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Jones, who as Krista Hoover was an all-conference player as a senior at SCC in 1991, took over the team in August, replacing Eric Boyles, who resigned to take a full-time job elsewhere.

Jones coached boys’ and girls’ volleyball at El Dorado High, her alma mater, the last three years. She remains the boys’ coach, for now.

“I was definitely excited to come back to SCC,” she said. “It’s something I always wanted to do. I just didn’t think it would happen this quickly.”

Boyles left Jones with a strong nucleus of returning players, including starters Karajean Stephenson, a junior setter, Michele Cabinte, a senior middle blocker, and Angela Tonavanik, a senior outside hitter.

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Bouncing back: The Chapman women’s volleyball team recovered from a rough start to finish second at a tournament in San Antonio, Tex. The Panthers opened their season last week, losing in three games to Division II Cal State San Bernardino. They then lost to Juniata (Pa.), which was ranked No. 2 in the final Division III coaches poll last season, 15-7, 15-11, 15-6, at the Powerbar National Classic.

“We just never got going,” Chapman Coach Mary Cahill said. “But for some reason we decided to wake up and we won three straight in Texas.”

Victories over Southwestern (Tex.), host Trinity, and Wheaton (Ill.) gave Chapman second. Outside hitters Shawna Parkinson, a junior, and Lori Fuller, a senior, were named to the all-tournament team.

Cahill is bullish about the Panthers’ prospects this season. Five starters and eight players return from the team that went 23-9 and reached the NCAA Division III regional playoffs before losing to UC San Diego.

Parkinson, Fuller and sophomore Shanea Bishop, another outside hitter, were all-region selections last season. Sophomores Addy Benard and Anne Hoffman are the starting middle blockers and freshman Lisa Nitta, from Sanger, Calif., is the setter. Junior Cathy Thielen is a key reserve and can play any position.

During the summer, Cahill turned down an offer and a significant pay raise to become the Cal State Dominguez Hills coach, deciding to return to Chapman for her seventh season. Cahill, who played at Chapman in the mid-1980s, said she is comfortable at Chapman.

“I kind of went with my gut feeling and what would make me happy,” Cahill said. “I didn’t look at the money.”

Notes

The Chapman women’s cross-country team finished tied for third in its division at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego Saturday. Tara McGranahan finished seventh in 21 minutes 18 seconds over the five-kilometer Balboa Park course. Pilar Gordillo (21:49) was 11th, Tracy Burrows (22:24) 16th and Danielle Garrison (22:24) 17th. Concordia’s Donna Prioa (21-35) finished ninth. . . . Playing without substitutes, the Chapman water polo team split four games at the Hillman tournament at Whittier College. Chapman lost to Claremont-Mudd, 22-6, and Occidental, 16-7, Saturday and beat Cal Maritime, 21-9, and the Claremont-Mudd B team, 13-5, on Sunday. Miles Takahashi scored 12 goals and Andy Law 11 in the tournament.