Irvine Coach Enjoying Calmer Ride

Irvine Coach Mark Mednick simultaneously dreaded and welcomed the 1999 girls’ volleyball season.

Last year was a tumultuous one for the Irvine athletic department. Rick Curtis, former Irvine athletic director, took the same job at nearby Northwood, which opened this fall. Other coaches and teachers followed.

“It’s awkward,” Mednick said last spring. “I’m glad it’s almost over.”

The fall brought a new school year and guarded optimism for the Vaqueros.

A strong core of seniors, including setter Jamie Browning and outside hitters Jody Carlson and Jamie Witmer, has helped seventh-ranked Irvine to a 3-1 start, including victories over No. 8 Capistrano Valley and No. 10 Laguna Beach.

Irvine’s only loss came against No. 6 Huntington Beach last week.

“The JVs are playing well too,” Mednick said. “They finished second at the Foothill tournament and haven’t lost any other matches.”

The success of the entire program shouldn’t be too surprising, considering there are two state volleyball championship banners hanging in the school’s gymnasium.

But Mednick’s experience with his freshman-sophomore team is something foreign. So far, the young team is winless.

“There are 10 players,” Mednick said. “Only three have any experience and 11 of the 16 kids from last season’s frosh-soph team went to Northwood.

“Seven of my players have never played before. There’s some good athletes and they’re all having fun, so that’s good.”

INJURED VAQUERO

What isn’t good for Irvine is the iffy prognosis for senior outside hitter Julianna Bailey.

Bailey, a first-team All-Southern Section Division I selection last season, had surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Mednick said. At the beginning of the season, Mednick was optimistic for her return sometime next month, but now he’s not sure if or when Bailey will return.

“I wouldn’t be completely surprised if she didn’t come back at all,” Mednick said. “I just don’t know.”

VEGAS WINNERS

Mater Dei moved up the county rankings after its strong showing in the Las Vegas Durango tournament last weekend.

The Monarchs reached the championship match of the double-elimination tournament but lost the rally-scoring final to Honolulu Kamehameha, 15-11. Mater Dei also defeated Calvary Chapel and Long Beach Wilson, teams it lost to in the recent Dave Mohs Memorial tournament.

Mater Dei won three of eight games against Kamehameha last weekend, and Coach Craig Pazanti was pleased with his team’s showing. Middle blockers Lindsay Pavlik and Kelley Kincheloe earned all-tournament honors for Mater Dei.

“Kamehameha scrimmaged earlier with Newport Harbor,” Pazanti said. “We held our own with Kamehameha and they split two games with Newport, so we feel pretty good about that.”

Second-ranked Mater Dei (3-0) plays at unranked San Clemente (1-3) tonight at 5.

If you have an item or idea for the girls’ volleyball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at mike.itagaki@latimes.com

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Southern Section Polls

(Released Sept. 27)

Division I-AA--1. Newport Harbor, 2. Irvine, 3. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 4. Long Beach Poly, 5. Redlands East Valley, 6. Capistrano Valley, 7. Arcadia, 8. Upland, 9. Alta Loma, 10. Dana Hills.

Division I-A--1. Mater Dei, 2. Santa Barbara San Marcos, 3. Santa Barbara, 4. Huntington Beach, 5. San Clemente, 6. Claremont, 7. Ventura, 8. Ventura Buena, 9. Thousand Oaks, 10. Edison.

Division II-AA--1. Santa Margarita, 2. Westlake Village Westlake, 3. South Torrance, 4. Cypress, 5. Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World, 6. Hemet, 7. Whittier La Serna, 8. Redondo Union, 9. Valencia, 10. Foothill.

Division II-A--1. Covina South Hills, 2. Lakewood St. Joseph, 3. La Habra, 4. Glendora St. Lucy’s, 5. San Luis Obispo, 6. Goleta Dos Pueblos, 7. Ridgecrest Burroughs, 8. Atascadero, 9. Lakewood Mayfair, 10. Ocean View.

Division III-AA--1. Torrance Bishop Montgomery, 2. North Hollywood Harvard Westlake, 3. Corona del Mar, 4. Costa Mesa, 5. La Canada, 6. Riverside Notre Dame, 7. Rosary, 8. Ojai Nordhoff, 9. Mission Hills Alemany, 10. Temecula Chaparral.

Division III-A--None submitted.

Division IV-AA--1. Laguna Beach, 2. L.A. Marymount, 3. Thousand Oaks La Reina, 4. L.A. Notre Dame Academy, 5. Flintridge Sacred Heart, 6. Cerritos Whitney, 7. Cerritos Valley Christian, 8. Woodland Hills Louisville, 9. Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, 10. Carpinteria.

Division IV-A--1. Calvary Chapel, 2. Los Angeles Brentwood, 3. Whittier Christian, 4. Sun Valley Village Christian, 5. Malibu, 6. Sierra Madre Maranatha, 7. Los Angeles Marlborough, 8. Orange Lutheran, 9. Sierra Madre Alverno, 10. San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea.

Division V-AA--1. St. Margaret’s, 2. Calabasas Viewpoint, 3. Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick, 4. North Hollywood Campbell Hall, 5. Pasadena Poly, 6. La Canada Flintridge Prep, 7. Simi Valley Grace Brethren, 8. Covina Western Christian, 9. L.A. Windward, 10. Sherman Oaks Buckley.

Division V-A--1. Hemet Baptist Christian, 2. Liberty Christian, 3. Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, 4. Camarillo Cornerstone Christian, 5. Baker Valley, 6. Pico Rivera Mesrobian, 7. Santa Monica Lighthouse Church, 8. Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian, 9. Cuyama Valley, 10. Independence Owens Valley.