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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2004 Walters makes Ashland a threat in SOC volleyball Grizzlies picked to finish second behind Roseburg, but league may not measure up to last year By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Off-season acquisitions usually aren’t big news in high school volleyball. That changed over the summer when Ashland landed perhaps the Southern Oregon Conference’s best player in Jessica Walters, who transferred from North Medford after her family moved to Ashland. Whether her presence is enough bring the Grizzlies the league championship remains to be seen. Advertisement Roseburg has been picked by the SOC coaches to defend its title, but Ashland is a popular second choice. They won’t waste time finding out how they stack up: The Grizzlies visit Roseburg tonight to open the season. Ashland’s eighth-year coach, Josh Rohlfing, suggests a wait-and-see approach, given he lost eight seniors off last year’s co-runner-up team. "It’ll be kind of an arduous task for us," says Rohlfing. "It’ll take us some time to come together. We get a chance at Jessica and have a couple of other good returners, and people assume we’re ready to start beating up the league. Truthfully, we’re still a little green and have some things to learn." Like many of his cohorts, Rohlfing characterizes the league as down from last year, when the top four teams — North Medford and Eagle Point were the others — made it to the state tournament for the first time in history. For that reason, he says, the league "is up for grabs." "Last year," says Roseburg coach Bruce Myers, "we had six really solid teams. I don’t see the level of play being that high, but it’ll still be a highly competitive league." Walters, who was not at full strength the past couple of weeks because of illness, is a 5-foot-10 junior setter and right-side hitter. Her former coach, North’s Ron Beick, termed her among the best players he’s coached in more than a quarter-century, and Rohlfing won’t argue. "I do think she has that kind of ability and that kind of talent," he says. "I know what she’s capable of. I’ve been on the other side where we couldn’t stop her." Walters had a school-record 57 aces at North and 151 kills in the SOC, the second-highest total in Tornado history. She’ll team with a handful of other returners who didn’t start, among them 5-9 junior Lindsey Stone, a second-team all-conference setter last year. Rohlfing considers Stone one of the state’s best setters. Seniors Holly Milligan (5-8), an outside hitter, and Liz DeFranco (5-5), who plays in the front row, join sophomore hitters Madison Thivierge (5-11) and Sarah Holgen — who has a 27-inch vertical jump — in the starting lineup. ROSEBURG — The Indians are led by all-conference returnees Emily Waldron, Natalie Hooper and Corynn Jorgensen. The 5-10 junior Waldron, a first-team outside hitter, sees the court well and has all the hits, says 11th-year coach Myers. In Hooper, a 5-3 senior who also made the first team, he has perhaps the best passer and serve-receive defensive specialist he’s ever coached. Outside hitter Jorgensen, a 5-8 senior, made the second team as a defensive specialist last year as a junior. Middle blocker Nora Burmeister, a 6-0 senior, also returns to the starting lineup, as does 5-7 setter Shannon Miller, a junior. SOUTH MEDFORD — After the perennial powerhouses — Roseburg, Ashland and North Medford — coach South coach Adam Wagman sees several teams vying for the final playoff spot. His is one of them. With first-team all-conference player Jen Mendenhall and honorable mention Marissa Towry returning, the Panthers stand a chance. Mendenhall, a 6-1 senior middle blocker, will get a chance to play all the way around the rotation this year, says Wagman. She only plays volleyball during the school season but "comes in ready to go." The junior Towry is a 6-0 outside hitter, and another junior outside hitter, 5-7 Emily Marshall, also returns as a starter. Two others with varsity experience will also be counted on: 5-6 junior setter Lauren Koeninger and 5-7 junior outside and defensive specialist Audrine Beamish. NORTH MEDFORD — Certainly the loss of Walters will have an impact, especially since Beick, in his 11th year, has one of his youngest teams ever. The Black Tornado hopes to overcome its losses, including five seniors, from the co-runner-up SOC team, with strong setters and defenders. It’ll be an interesting campaign, says Beick, because North is untested in the hitting department. A good sign was a 5-2 record in the Willamette jamboree last week. First-team all-SOC setter Allanah Munson, a 5-8 senior, returns, as does second-teamer Kelsey Hamilton, a 5-3 senior defensive specialist. A couple other defenders, seniors Jessica Durham (5-6) and Heidi Sandgren (5-4), will be called on, while sophomores Lauren Berger (5-11) will play middle hitter and Kylie Schwarm (5-9) handles the right side. Adding to the youth movement will be freshmen middle hitter Erica Schultz (5-9) and outside hitter Whitney Hodnett (5-9). EAGLE POINT — The Eagles broke through last year, winning a playoff match and making it to the tournament for the first time. They’d like to do it again. Second-team all-SOC players Nicole Lucas and Annie Mannenbach lead the way. The offense will be geared around Lucas, a 5-10 senior outside hitter, while Mannenbach, a senior setter, will run the floor. Senior middle blocker Shannon Richardson returns after earning honorable mention, as does senior middle blocker and right-side hitter Jill Shaw. Coach Briana Groves has a stable of tall middle blockers for the first time, and rates her team’s outside and right-side hitting a strength. Others who will be relied upon are right sides Beth Logan, Melissa Lass and Kelsey Heider, outside Mickie Burns, Heather Jones in the back row and middle back Reilly Johnston. CRATER — Coach Greg Dippel returns for his third stint, having coached the Comets from 1986-90 and again in 1993. He’ll do so on a one-year interim basis. Crater went 0-14 in the SOC last season, and its lone all-conference player, Justine Bettencourt, graduated a year early. Seniors Becca Shelamer, a defensive specialist, and Nicki Tyska, a 6-0 middle who hasn’t played since her freshman year, will be joined in the starting lineup by Amanda Penkala, a 6-1 junior middle. Also, there are outside hitters Kirsten Davidson, a 5-8 junior, and Haley Hevern, a 5-6 sophomore; setters Randi Salyer, a 5-4 sophomore, and Erica Thorpe, a 5-7 freshman; right sides Kristen Tyska, a 5-8 junior, and Mariah McMillin, a 5-8 junior; and defensive specialist Arlisa Hoffman, a 5-4 sophomore. GRANTS PASS — First-year coach Stacy Iverson takes over for Steve Levesque. Iverson has been an assistant at Ashland and Grants Pass the past six years. The Cavers will try to build on last year, when they missed the playoffs by one game match. Junior outside hitters Ashley Franko (5-7) and Kim Gonzalez and junior setter Justine Hix (5-6) return as starters to a team short on height but long on quickness. Seniors who saw playing time last year are middle Ashley Lawson (5-8), outside hitter Danielle Cereda (5-6) and setter Michelle Solomon (5-6). Junior middle Tess Bransfield (5-7) also factors into a largely interchangeable lineup. KLAMATH UNION — The Pelicans are shooting for the final playoff berth after finishing seventh last year. Coach Tiffany Davis has only one returning starter in setter Kristen Croxford, a 5-6 senior, but a strong preseason jamboree showing against conference foes has KU thinking big. Other key players are 5-7 senior Erika Meng, who will move to outside hitter from setter, and two junior middle blockers up from the JV in Breezie Coke and Blake Stearns. Defensive specialist Ashley Willhite is a national champion racquetball player. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities