Knee Injury Could Derail Volleyball Team’s Big Plans

The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team, seemingly cruising along toward something big, hit its first rough spot because knees simply aren’t made for sports.

The 49ers received a big-time dose of bad news Sept. 25, when Anja Grabovac, their standout freshman outside hitter from Rijcka, Croatia, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee. Grabovac was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday.

A season-ending injury to a key player is the last thing any coach needs, but lamenting doesn’t get the bills paid. Coach Brian Gimmillaro knows. He has seen the disastrous effects key injuries can cause.

“Teams can ‘cover up’ for the missing players, they’re not really made up for, and that’s the big difference,” Gimmillaro said. “Compensating for the loss of top players is much more difficult than most [coaches] admit.

“It’s not something you like to think about, but the fact is that most teams can’t recover.”

Which brings us, much to his dismay, to Gimmillaro’s bunch. His job is to keep the 49ers together in one of those worst-case scenarios: a big gun gone for the season.

“We’re playing OK now, but it’s going to be very difficult from here on,” Gimmillaro said. “I don’t know if another top team in the country could lose its best hitter and win a national championship, but that’s our goal.”

At the time of her injury, Grabovac was among the team leaders in kills with 103 and had a good hitting percentage (.366). Now, Gimmillaro is working hard to convince his players they have enough talent--and courage--to overcome the loss of Grabovac.

“[Outside hitter] Michelle Jones has played exceptionally well off the bench and I think she’s coming into her own,” Gimmillaro said. “But no one player on the team can replace [Grabovac] individually.

“We’re going to have to find the points collectively. But it’s just not the points. Anja is very mature, very confident and very knowledgeable. She’s the type of player who doesn’t make mistakes.”

Sounds like a tough road ahead. Even with losing Grabovac, though, the 49ers aren’t exactly the New York Jets of women’s college volleyball. And Gimmillaro is an old hand at the motivation game, which doesn’t hurt.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” Gimmillaro said, “but nothing is impossible.”

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More Misty: Misty May continues to gain admirers--and accumulate awards.

May was selected Big West Conference player of the week (Sept. 30-Oct. 6) for the second time this season. A former star at Newport Harbor High, May had 56 assists, 15 digs and 14 kills in a key five-game victory at Pacific Oct. 5. In two matches last week, May had 90 assists, 20 kills and 21 digs.

“Their setter is amazing,” said Sacha Caldemeyer, May’s counterpart at Pacific.

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So far, so good: Bill Shumard, in his first season as the 49er athletic director, gives his new job good reviews.

“I’m pleased,” said Shumard, named the permanent athletic director in September. “Things certainly seem to be on the upswing.

“I think the program overall has been going in the right direction for the last three or four years. A lot of that is what [former athletic director] Dave O’Brien did and we’re going to continue building on that.”

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Hi, everybody: Wayne Morgan, in his first year at Long Beach, was among many Southland Division I basketball coaches who spoke at a luncheon Wednesday at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

“I’m happy to have the opportunity to join the West Coast family in basketball,” Morgan said. “I’ve been an East Coast guy for all of my life, but I’ve received a very warm and wonderful welcome from all of the people that I have met since I’ve been here.”

Morgan makes his 49er coaching debut at noon Nov. 2 when Long Beach plays an intrasquad game at the Pyramid. The regular season begins Nov. 25 at home against Wyoming.

49er Notes

Long Beach (16-0, 4-0 in the Big West) is off to its best start in school history and ranked fifth in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Assn. poll. . . . Middle blocker Nique Crump leads the conference in hitting percentage at .466. Anja Grabovac is third and Misty May is fourth at .355.