2008 Woodie Awards
Women's Volleyball Continues Dominance
The Lady Hornets destroy first conference opponent and prepare for the week.
Kevin Alurede
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Sports
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The Chargers (4-9, 0-1), who were the Lady Hornets first Orange Empire Conference opponent, truly did not have a chance against Fullerton who are now rated No. 3 in the State after the victory.
The Lady Hornets (5-1,0-1), who have eight sophomores on the team, have developed a very tight unit on the court with the incoming freshman this season. Middle blocker Gina Conley had 11 kills, for a .348 hitting percentage, and 2 service aces to go along with 9 digs.
Outside hitter Leah Haproff followed suit with 11 kills and a team leading hitting percentage of .471. She also had 2 service aces, 4 digs and 5 blocks in the match.
"Depending on what their defense is and what block they put up I try to hit around it," Conley said. "For Cypress I would hit angle mostly. They were playing rotation defense."
Libero Brooke Raynor was her normal dependable self with 21 defensive digs, and she also had 2 kills. Setter Katie Adams was outstanding with 36 assists.
"I don't try to keep it set to one person. I try to find whoever's on," Adams said.
"Whoever's on their game, and if a block is set, I go the other way."
Outside hitter Nicole coffer, who just returned from injury, had 7 kills, 2 service errors, 12 defensive digs and 2 blocks. Outside hitter/defensive setter Kelly Thompson rotated in the last set and contributed 2 kills in 4 total attempts and had 4 digs.
"[I don't mind rotating], that's why our team is so special this year," Thompson said.
"Everyone is aware of what's going on in the game, and are willing to help out if someone isn't on. No one is selfish."
Last Wednesday, the Lady Hornets took it to Cerritos in a game that they'd rather forget.
Although they defeated the Falcons in three straight (30-20,30-23, 30-20), the team was not impressed with their overall performance. No one on the Lady Hornets team reached double digits in kills, and there were several service errors throughout the match.
Conley finished with 8 kills and 8 digs. Coffer and Haproff had 6 kills apiece, and outside hitter Crisi Nihipali had 7 kills and 12 defensive digs. No Lady Hornet had a hitting percentage of above .300.
"If we had played that way against another team, we would have a lost," Haproff said. "We just went through the motions. Our play was really bad, we didn't play to our level."
Adams and Raynor again had outstanding outings. Adams assisted on 36 points and had 3 service aces, the highest on the team against the Falcons (0-12, 0-1). Raynor duplicated her output against Cerritos with 21 digs and she had one service ace.
"I just keep myself on my toes and watch the ball to see which way it's going to go,"
Raynor said.
The true test for Fullerton comes in the games that begin today. The Riverside Tigers will be in the South gym at Fullerton at 6 p.m. Riverside (4-2) is aware of how many returning players Fullerton has, and should be prepared for it.
The real rivalry begins when the Lady Hornets square off against Orange Coast Community College (7-1, 1-0), who are back-to-back State champions.
The Lady Hornets need to be very conscious of the Pirates outside hitter Jacquelin Reed, who has led the team in kills in all but three matches this season. Game time for that match is on Friday on Orange Coast's campus at 7 p.m.
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