On Tuesday, we looked at Gilroy High’s cross country, field
hockey and girls’ golf prospects for the coming season. Now, we
offer the second half of our fall sports preview with some tips on
what to look for in girls’ volleyball, girls’ tennis and boys’ and
girls’ water polo when the Mustangs are playing:
On Tuesday, we looked at Gilroy High’s cross country, field hockey and girls’ golf prospects for the coming season. Now, we offer the second half of our fall sports preview with some tips on what to look for in girls’ volleyball, girls’ tennis and boys’ and girls’ water polo when the Mustangs are playing:
Girls’ Volleyball
Quick Study
2004 record: 13-19 overall, 2-8 in TCAL
Key Losses: Amanda Link, Michelle DiFiore
Key returnees: Brianna Balanesi, Jessica Groppe, Katherine Hussey
First-year coach Sue Grogan didn’t know what to expect coming into the new season.
So far, she’s been pleased.
“It’s kind of nice. We’ve got a lot of all-around talent,” said Grogan, who is in her first head coaching position but has experience as an assistant with the boys’ volleyball team.
“With all my options my biggest problem is going to be deciding who to play.”
Last year, the ‘Stangs struggled to a sub-.500 record. But Grogan is trying to make this year’s team a more aggressive squad. After a couple weeks of practice, the Mustangs have already shown progress.
“They’ve really stepped up shown they can handle it,” Grogan said. “They’re definitely a scrappy team. You don’t see a whole lot of balls hit the ground.”
Graduation took 2004-05 GHS Dispatch Female Co-Athlete of the Year Amanda Link, an All-TCAL middle hitter last season. But the Mustangs have seven returning players and Grogan believes the front row corps of sophomore Caitlin Chisolm, senior Jessica Groppe, Monte Vista senior transfer Alexandra Jenney, senior Isabelle Szucs and sophomore Vanessa Wilkins will be solid.
“We’ve got some pretty good height,” Grogan said. “They’re real tall, and those that aren’t (as tall) have a pretty good jump on them.”
Also returning is senior setter Katherine Hussey, who Grogan said will likely be named captain because of her natural leadership.
“She’s kind of taken control,” Grogan said.
This fall, new California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) rules will allow teams to use a libero, a permanent back row player who doesn’t serve but can sub in and out of the games an unlimited amount of times for a front row player. Grogan figures to use sophomore passing specialist Brianna Balanesi as her main libero.
A starting lineup hasn’t been solidified and Grogan expects it will take some mixing and matching before she finds the lineup with the right chemistry.
Boys’ Water Polo
Quick Study
2004 record: 17-8
Key Losses: Steve Dickson, Travis Gamble, Chris Hunt, Santiago Maciel, Lee Walton
Key Returnees: Austin Gubrud, Scott Castruita, Mitch Barnett
To say the Gilroy boys’ water polo team was hit hard by graduation is an understatement.
This season, head coach Tom Clark will have to figure out how to replace 10 players from last year’s 13-man roster.
Ouch.
Last year, the team finished a best-ever 17-8 and was a half-point short of making the CCS playoffs.
This year, Clark’s goals are a little different.
“I’m hoping to get close to .500,” he said.
“This is a very young group, very inexperienced.”
Clark worries about the team’s swimming level. He said he’s got several players wanting to play, but not swim.
“It’d be nice if we were strong swimmers,” he said.
“It would be an easier transition.”
But those who can swim are fast.
“The one thing we’ve got is speed,” Clark said.
“And hopefully the guys will think about that when they play.”
The three returning players are junior Austin Gubrud, also a wrestling standout who went to the wrestling state finals last year, senior Scott Castruita and senior Mitch Barnett.
With presently only seven players on varsity, Clark plans on bringing up some JV players before the team’s first match at home against Sobrato Sept. 6 at 3:30pm.
Girls’ Water Polo
Quick Study
2004 Record: 4th in TCAL
Key Losses: Kim Spaulding, Laura Rink, Lauryn Rossi
Key Returnees: Jenny Ailes, Lauren Baty
Like the boys’ team, graduation cleaned out the girls’ water polo squad.
“I hate to say to the seniors that we’re rebuilding,” said head coach Andy Been. “But we are.”
Still, that’s not a doomsday omen for Been’s squad, which has a reputation for “getting whacked” in the early goings, but then improving to take it to the top competition toward the end of the season.
And it doesn’t mean that the team isn’t having fun.
“Even though we’re rebuilding, who knows what will pan out,” Been said. “They’re enjoying it. I have 26, 27 girls here everyday, trying to learn. We went surfing for practice one day to build team (unity).”
Hey, whatever works.
The squad lost a few all-league players to graduation, but Been went out and persuaded some of his Gilroy Gators swimmers to join the team and some have proven to be sleeper talents.
The ‘Stangs will have some senior leadership to anchor them, with Lauren Baty, Cassie Collom and Elizabeth Rothenberg returning.
For scoring power, Gilroy has sophomore Jenny Ailes, who was the JV team’s MVP last year.
“She’s probably my biggest scoring threat right now,” Been said.
In goal, there are two young but promising prospects: 5-foot-11 freshman Lauren Van Herk and junior Jessica Coffin, who dropped volleyball for water polo and played a huge part in the TCAL tournament last year.
The key to success for the two goalies, Been said, is for them to learn the game better.
“Really, you’re only as good as your goalie,” he said.
Been said Van Herk has the physicality to be an all-league player.
“We’ve got to see if she’ll actually pick up (the game) fast enough,” Been said.
He figures the ‘Stangs will finish in the middle of the pack, but with other TCAL programs also heading into rebuilding seasons, it could be higher.
“We could be a challenger for the top of the league,” he said of the team’s hopes for this year and beyond. “Our goal is to be top three in league.”
Girls’ Tennis
The girls’ tennis program has a new look this year.
For starters, Randy Barbagila, a former real estate broker from Morgan Hill, has replaced Rose Harmon as head coach.
Additionally, the Gilroy tennis courts have been improved with a new surface, thanks to the Gilroy Tennis Club.
The squad, which qualified six players for the TCAL tournament last year, will have four doubles and three singles competing on varsity. The Mustangs return three seniors: Monica Valdez, Robben Beckman and Sarah Welka. Junior singles player Amy Huang will also play a key role this season.
“She’ll probably be our No. 1 singles,” Barbaglia said.
Barbaglia, who lived in Gilroy at one time and has three children who attended GHS, has never coached tennis before. But he has plenty of experience – 40 years worth of playing.
“I’m just excited by the challenge of coaching and it’s just nice direction for me,” Barbaglia said. “We’re going to do good. I have a little different outlook on tennis. I’ll teach a lot of the physical skills but I’m also going to introduce mental skills.”
The team opens its season at home at 3:30pm Thursday against Aptos, a team Barbaglia believes is one of the toughest in the league.
