Center of Power Shift

Colorful housing tracts and sprawling shopping centers continue to pop up in South Riverside County. But they aren’t the only things sprouting from this once-barren landscape.

Volleyball is also taking root, particularly at Temecula Chaparral High, where the girls’ team has become one of the best in Southern California.

It hasn’t taken long.

Chaparral, which opened in 1996, won its first Southern Section championship last season and, with a record of 9-2, is ranked second in Division I-A.

“We’ve made a name for ourselves, finally,” said Kelli Tennant, a middle blocker who is headed to USC and is considered the top player in the Inland Empire.

“We’re now a team that everyone will know, and it feels good to be a part of this.”

Tennant and her teammates aren’t ready to claim status as one of the Southland’s elite volleyball powers, but recent results may suggest otherwise.

In the prestigious Las Vegas Durango tournament two weeks ago, the Pumas defeated four nationally ranked teams on their way to a third-place finish. Their only loss was in the semifinals to defending state Division I champion Los Alamitos.

Among the teams Chaparral defeated in Las Vegas were Mountain View St. Francis, a Northern California power that has won eight state titles; Carlsbad La Costa Canyon, a Division I state quarterfinalist; and Long Beach Wilson, a Division I-A semifinalist last year.

Three days later, Chaparral played host to three-time section champion Santa Ana Mater Dei and defeated the Monarchs, ranked No. 1 in Division II-AA, in a five-game match.

Middle blocker Darla Donaldson said her team set out to make a name for itself in Las Vegas.

“Last year, we didn’t do very good and we weren’t happy about it,” she said of the tournament. “This year, we knew who our competition was and we just had to go out and do it, and we did.”

Chaparral made people first take notice last November, when it defeated Downey Warren in four games to win the Division I-A title. Despite a first-round loss in the state playoffs, the Pumas finished with a 26-9 record. A large banner in their sparkling gymnasium is a reminder of their watershed moment.

“It showed everyone that inland teams can win,” Donaldson said. “It had always been the teams on the coast that won.”

This season could prove to be the best in the Pumas’ short history.

Even with top-ranked Manhattan Beach Mira Costa in its division, Chaparral looks to defend its title with talented seniors led by Tennant, Donaldson, setter Kylie Morel and outside hitter Meghan Haas.

Many of the varsity players have club volleyball experience thanks to Ed Morel, Kylie’s father. He started the first age-group team in Temecula six years ago because he grew tired of having to drive his daughter 25 miles to participate on a team in Corona.

There are now three club programs serving the Temecula-Murrieta area. Morel, who owns a local dance studio and health club, is about to open a 78,000-square foot indoor facility that will include 12 volleyball courts.

“At first, we were begging kids to come play,” Ed Morel said. “Kylie was playing club soccer and I would be asking the kids if they wanted to try volleyball. It’s just evolved from that.”

Said Tennant: “I owe everything to Ed Morel. He really boosted volleyball in this area. A lot of girls owe it to him for the reason that they play.”

Impressive talent has emerged from the club scene. Donaldson will play volleyball at Cal State Northridge, and junior middle blocker Sabel Moffett is considered an up-and-coming standout.

Jo Merandi, Chaparral’s first-year coach, didn’t realize what she was walking into when she became an assistant coach two years ago after moving from her native Texas. She played volleyball for four seasons at Notre Dame.

“I didn’t know anything about them until the first tryouts,” Merandi said of her players. “I thought all schools looked like this. John [Mosbacher, assistant coach] said, ‘Oh, no. These girls are special.’ ”

Tennant believes she has helped to build something permanent at her school.

“It’s hard to think about it ending because a lot of us have given our heart and soul to this program,” she said. “We’ve been a part of something so amazing for this school, this valley and this whole area.”