Women’s Volleyball Fortunes Looking Up at Last

When the season began, Cal State Fullerton women’s volleyball Coach Mary Ellen Murchison was hopeful this team would be the one to turn the corner.

She might get her wish.

Murchison believes the Titans’ 3-2 victory over UC Irvine last weekend is further proof the program definitely is headed in the right direction after three consecutive seasons with a total of three victories.

Last weekend’s victory was Fullerton’s first over Irvine in five years and the first time the Titans have defeated a Big West Conference opponent other than Utah State since 1991.

The Titans, 8-17 and 1-11 in the conference, have a chance to reach a double-digit victory total for the first time since the 1988 team finished 11-24. They have six conference games remaining, including two at home in which they have a good chance of winning--against Utah State Nov. 10 and 11.

“We’ve finally attracted some Orange County kids who are having a positive experience in the program,” Murchison said. “I think it’s going to snowball now.”

Four of the six starters--Shelly Smith, Stephanie Wichmann, Melissa Blackler and Karen Hernandez--played at Orange County high schools. Hernandez (Foothill) is the only senior in the starting lineup. The other starters are sophomore Heather Bassett and freshman Rocky Titen.

Bassett, a community college All-American at San Diego Mesa last year, leads the team in kills with an average of 3.87 this season. Smith (Capistrano Valley) leads in digs, averaging 2.84. Blackler (San Clemente) leads in assists with an average of 10.32. Titen leads the team in average blocks and hitting percentage. Wichmann (Capistrano Valley) has become one of the top defenders.

“I think we’ve really jelled as a team in the last month, and the game against Irvine is an example of that,” Murchison said. “We’ve continued to get better every time we’ve played lately.”

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The Titan women’s soccer team plays at UC Irvine at 3 p.m. Friday, in a game that could go a long way toward deciding whether either team gets an at-large bid to the NCAA playoffs.

Irvine (12-2-3) has lost some momentum by going winless in its last three games. The Anteaters were beaten by UC Santa Barbara and San Diego and tied San Diego State. Fullerton is 13-4 after losing, 2-1, to Pepperdine Tuesday.

The Fullerton women’s program is only in its third year, and has come a long way this season thanks to two newcomers, freshman Dolores Browning and junior goalkeeper Suzy Strazzulla. Browning has 20 goals in 16 games. Five have been game-winners. Strazzulla has a school-record five shutouts this season.

Coach Al Mistri thinks the Titans haven’t been ranked regionally this season because of questions about the strength of their schedule. “Some people have bad-mouthed our schedule, but we made the best schedule we could, and we still think it’s a good one,” Mistri said.

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The women’s basketball team has completed two weeks of preseason workouts and Coach Debbie Ayres said she has “been pleased with the level of intensity.”

Ayres is rebuilding around senior guard Shayla Bradshaw after Koko Lahanas, the NCAA women’s scoring champion, completed her eligibility. Point guard Marissa Frial and forward Autumn Hollyfield also are gone. Hollyfield missed half of last season because of an injury after leading the nation in three-point field goals as a junior.

“Bradshaw is going to have to be the glue that holds us together,” Ayres said. Nine players are in Division I for the first time.

Ayres said she has been pleased with the early practices of two community college transfers, forward Julia Allen and point guard Kathy Hankee.

The women’s team opens the regular season Nov. 24 against Arizona State in the Iowa State tournament.

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Women’s gymnastics Coach Lynn Rogers is still a bit stunned by the recent knee injury to junior Alexis Lott, which will put her on the sideline for the 1996 season.

Lott, co-gymnast of the year in the Big West Conference last season when she was the conference champion on the bars and was second in the all-around, was injured in a preseason practice.

Rogers hopes Lott, who was the team captain, can make a strong comeback in the 1997 season after surgery. She still will have two years of eligibility.