I caoched GYV last year, and I'll tell you right now there is no requirements to coach there.
I played 8 years of volleyball and tried the technique coaching with 4th and 5th graders, we lost every single game to teams who just simply wanted to put the ball back over the net. and to coach es who didnt know that if the ball was on the line, it's in.
I DO NOT recoment GYV for young girls unless you don't mionf shandy coaching, an average facility and a very disorganized owner.

I still say it is a difficult sport and not very fun for younger kids. No rallies. The middle school volleyball programs I have seen are all serve and put it back over on one and wait for the other team to mess up. Teaching kids the right way to play and the proper technique in middle school leads to you losing every game to teams that just hit it over on one. One overhand server can run off 20 points in a row. Middle school is the right age to begin to teach them the right way to play but I havent seen too many good coaches at this level. Its frustrating for them too.

The City of Glendora has a volleyball league which would be comparable to an AYSO attitude of teaching basics and everyone plays. The cost is also similar to AYSO and is ran by volunteers.

some elementary and middles schools have very competitive volleyball programs, some starting kids at 3-4 grade level. However not all schools do or donot have the resources to field volleyball teams. This can reduce potential girl/boys from furthering their participation long term in the sport. Club can be very expensive and let's be frank, not all families can afford the cost or even the ability to transport their kids to practice or games. I have seen for many years some high school programs who are perenially weak in sports where if club experience is necessary, they don't fare well in league. Club has got to realize their excluding many young people from participating and come up with a plan to include all who wish to participate.

I know that Wayne over at Club West opens his facility to junior high volleyball leagues in the early afternoon in order to foster more kids involvement. Obviously this is also a marketing tool to get kids to join his club, but at least it gives them opportunity to play in a real gym.
This move to private clubs is happening in all sports, not just volleyball. Private travel teams have emerged in basketball, baseball and of course soccer. The difference is that at least there are city leagues for those sports that is very low cost for the kids that just want to play for fun without the high competition. Not so much with volleyball. We can only hope that as the sport continues to grow in the Inland Valley, that other lower cost options come up to allow more kids the opportunity to play.

That is the biggest game of the week, hopefully both teams are at full strength tonight. I would agree that Bonita is favored in that matchup. CO needs that "signature win".
When do the new rankings come out?

Big Game tonight is Charter Oak vs. Bonita @ Charter Oak. Word on the street is key players from CO have been benched for tonights game due to borrowing an answer sheet during a test. Should make for an interesting game. Too bad actually. I believe Bonita will take them in 3 regardless of who is playing.

Interesting topic brought up Ghigh. I would disagree about only needing a gym space to play volleyball and comparing it to basketball. First off, you also need several other players(at your skill level, not an easy task) to play volleyball, basketball you can play by yourself. Secondly basketball can be played outside in many communities year around, not so with volleyball. The last point and most important is that it is a highly skilled game. It is a very tough game for 6-10 year olds to play. Darn near impossible. Basketball and soccer are the most popular sports in this age group because many of skills can be performed by younger players.
They Olympic Volleyball domination of this years U.S. athletes shows that things are back on track with our grass roots programs. I would agree that year round programs should be more available to all economic groups and not just the wealthy.

When the topic of money comes up I have to wonder about the state of volleyball in our country. Volleyball, with the exception of a gym, is not an expensive sport to play. Unfortunately, with the Country Club culture we have created with Club, for the most part only the affluent excel in this sport. This is not so with Basketball, which also requires gym space. Obviously Brazil and Cuba, both poor countries with excellent volleyball histories, have youth programs for all socioeconomic levels (Cuba probably a bad example!).
In my opinion our countries lack of ability to include everyone in volleyball has hurt the sports popularity-I know before I got into the sport I thought it was something you played at Picnics. Any ideas on how volleyball, especially at the beginning level, can become more like little league with more participation across the board. Or are we all fine with the current state of affairs. Will the new CIF rule allowing coaches to work with their players hurt or help the low performing schools?

Maybe I had too much coffee.
ABC- I agree. What do you want to talk about? Tell about your team? Predictions? Talk to us.

Aribud! Why you gotta be such a hater,dude? Good thing I had my morning coffee or this might have come off sounding ugly. Lucy's won league in 04, 05,06, sharing the title with Glendora one of those years when we split matches with them. They made school history by getting into the semis in 05 and 06 losing to laguna in a great 5 game match.

We are 3-2 in league right now. That should make you happy.

Your money comment is telling especially considering your other post. But every top team in the Sierra League has girls who do outside conditioning and who do private lessons, as well. That's why the league is so strong. Don't hate. Bad form.

Everyone talk about SL because they always have the most resources with money pouring it into every players(in term of parents paying for conditioning ouside of campus and kids playing club and getting private lessons), but then at the end they still haven't win league in the past 2 years, who is going to get blame for that? George Bush? How long are the SL parents going to suffer? It is time to send another stimulus package into the SL volleyball economy.

what were the scores for Glendora vs Ayala and St Lucy vs Chino and Chino Hills and Diamond bar? Hopefully, no one really struggled for the top 3 teams

BTW, SL's beat Chino in 3 tonight

Patrick,

I think that's great and I commend the coach for doing a fantastic job. She has brought the program a long ways and I look forward to the continued competition in Sierra. I hope we can say the same about our coach in 3 years, which I am sure will be the case if he chooses to stay.

in order for this blog to not be anout st lucys we must first change the subject and stop commentsing on SL. ask about a different team, worry about other things and take the stress off SL parents

Glendora beat Ayala in 3.

Any scores from the Monday matches?

Go Regents, i know one things...atleast i CAN say im happy with where Coach Bevins has her team compared to 3 seasons ago before she took over. Win or lose, i know she will have them prepared as much as a coach can, the rest?? , is up to the girls.

Go Brahmas!

Thanks for the clarification Mikasa. Yes, I totally agree that changes to the coaching staff disrupt the program. I can't help but wonder if SD is considering what happened to his predecessor and trying not to make waves with the administration. Seems like he is reluctant to come down too hard on the leadership of this team.

Patrick, I wasn’t trying to jab DB, but I will stick to my guns when I say that SL’s should have never lost that match. Their wins were blow-outs and their losses were all close. Give them the home court advantage, being out-coached, whatever you want, but they still should have never lost that match. I can hear you now… Sour grapes. Yes, possibly, but we will see how this plays out for the second half. Hopefully I will be proved correct. You won’t hear me saying the same about Glendora. I can be somewhat realistic!

Someone had mentioned the previous posts of SL’s conditioning. I agree that SD has this team in far better shape then last year, however no matter how good of shape you are in, if the same two hitters are repeatedly set and never taken off the court, they are going to eventually get tired. Not only that, but the team becomes predictable and then becomes easy to defend. DB and Glendora both figured this out. Our setters have to be more creative in mixing it up and calling different plays.

GHigh, I agree this has become too much of a SL’s blog. I too would like to see more insight from other teams as well. I wish other schools approached the sport with the same passion. Keep the updates coming.

Patrick: I didn't imply anything but it appears you are suggesting this so you can do more grand standing.

I gave what I would like to see happen and a recommendation about the possible future to the teams that are currently at #1 & #2. That's it. No more; no less.

I spoke to the games at hand just as you did. I have watched area volleyball for years and I enjoy watching all the local leagues. I try to go the big games of the week. You were calling SL out for being swept in 3 by Glendora and how DB was better because they lost by 4. In your own words, a wins a win and a loss is a loss. You can't have it both ways. I went to the DB/Glendora game and I wouldn't give DB that much credit. I went to the DB/SL game as well and it was anybodies game the last three. That was my point.

You can step down from the soapbox now.

This blog could be called the St. Lucy's blog, but that's a credit to the parents and fans of St. Lucy's. It's too bad we don't have more participants from other teams because it would make this more fun and informative. I don't think anyone else from the Valle Vista league even knows this blog exists, or they don't care. Posting scores and stats on MaxPreps has also gone way down this year. Kind of disappointing for those obsessed with high school volleyball.

I though you might have had them ahead of S. Hills. I would put them ahead of Bonita after Bonitas loss to Walnut. I have them at 4 behind Walnut, Glendora, S. Hills.

VBL, based off how DB's week went and the top 3, i would problably at best swap them or put them at a tie with Bonita for 4th or problably leave them where they are at currently in 5th.

Vballfan, you missed the whole point of what i said. You are implying that i said DB is looking ahead, if fact nowhere i that statement did i say DB was looking ahead or nontheless claiming the league title. Everybody that reads the Sgv tribune knows this whole VB thread has been 95% about St Lucys! Lastly, im not a fan of the shoudve,couldve, wouldve analysis. If St lucys was supposed to win , then they would have won..Point blank.

patrick, where would you rank DB in this weeks poll?

Well said, Mikasa Mom.

The girls have been through so much and team building is key.

We just need to be patient and continue to be positive role models for the girls. There is a lot talent (uperclassmen and lower classmen alike).

Patricks on a roll today... You are just as good about giving the jabs as the SL Fans are. Diamond Bar did a great job coming back. St. Lucy's exposed weaknesses they have just as Diamond Bar exposed theres. Just because you took Glendora to 4 doesn't mean anything. Maybe Glendora wasn't playing to their potential either? Or maybe they decided to put their 2nd string in to have some fun on the court. I think there is a lot of trash talking on both sides considering this went to five games. Win or lose. It really wasn't a sweep for either team. Both teams seemed to be pretty evenly matched and the scores of the games reflect it.

SL will get their chance to play DB and Glendora at their home court as well. Would love to see SL be an underdog and pull out some unexpected wins just for the sake of rattling the cage. Despite the drama, there are some promising players at SL and SD will get things together too.

Glendora and Diamond Bar would be unwise to think they go unopposed for the rest of the season. We are almost at the halfway mark of the season and Glendora and DB have everything to lose. Diamond Bar could take Glendora. SL could take Diamond Bar. A lot of games to be played. Good luck Sierra League.

Wow, so much to say, so little time! Briefly and in order of importance: Go Regents, I agree with everything you have said so far. What you said in your first paragraph is exactly the issue I had in mind as I brought up last year's situation. Think about where each of the "returning" players were last year-some chose not to play, some were bench players, and some were being bounced from one team to the other depending on who was coaching at the time-leaving us with 1 returning starter! What we lost was a continuity in tradition, mindset, a team based culture, and the
opportunity for our players to learn their roles and aspire to assume the responsibility of leading a team, not be granted court time. The frequent coaching changes finally caught up with us.
If you go back in time for at least the last 12 years (and this is true of any winning program), you can name those players that were impact players and who younger players wanted "to be like someday!" The circumstances of last year interrupted this progression as did the coach in, coach out pattern. So how do you get it back? We are in a good spot now. Great coach, lots of young talent, maybe a humbling year. The missing piece to now focus on is the team building piece. You can't put this many 14-18 year old GIRLS together and say, "Go win!" Develop the team concept and we won't have a bench that isn't doing their job in supporting those on the court, which everyone knows can be a huge factor in getting a team going.

For those who choose not to be careful readers: this is not to make excuses; this is not to disparage the wins of any who have beat us; this is not the fault of administration, our coach, or parents, or the volleyball gods. It is a situation brought about by circumstances that were no one's fault, and certainly not that of the girls.

In reading through the previous posts, most SL supporters were quick to offer congratulations and kudos to those teams that prevailed. The vb family is really a small one and most of these girls have played with each other and against each other. Families are now friends. To see them play well makes us all proud, too. I, for one, am very excited to see the future of the programs at DB (7 seniors-but did you see their JV?),Ayala (young but strong) and Chino Hills (tall). Glendora has all the pieces in place this year, so more power to them-at least until next week. All of us in the Sierra League are going to take our lumps one year or another, but the future is bright! Bring on the OC teams in a few years-one of us will be there and that team will be ready. Good luck to all this week.

I haven't seen the St. Lucy's posters say that. I think after winning the first two they were expecting to win the match and are disappointed they didnt. I do think the Regents fans are beginning to temper their expectations from the start of the year when they were talking CIF finals. Dont feel slighted DB fans nobody is doubting your team.

Regarding on campus coaches, Ghigh, your explanation was right on. Less turnover also with on campus coaches. The top programs in the area have all had their coaches for many years. (exceptions Bonita and St. Lucys)

We played DB over the summer and Ganesha took a lead in two of the games. Diamond Bar did a great job calling timeouts and the players seem to know when to buckle down (needless to say they beat us).
They also are a tough serving team and have the best libero I've seen this year. Looking forward to seeing them at the Gabrielino tournament on Saturday-hopefully Ganesha won't have to play them until late in the playoffs!

The reason DB is successful is because Coach Bevins is cool under pressure and when the kids see that , they are relaxed and play well under pressure.I think Coach Bevins had been the best fit for this program since the 80s era.

Well according to the Regent posters, DB should not have beaten St.Lucys. That to me was a jab! To be completly honest, Diamond Bar was not playing up to its potential, however to suggest St Lucys gave the game to Diamond Bar is insulting. Thats why volleyball has 5 game limit.IF im correct Glendora swept St Lucy in 3 straight, Diamond bar took them to 4.Evidently maybe your bench may or maynot have made that big of a difference, but a loss is a loss and a win is a win.

It can be a huge difference when a coach is on campus, especially if they have a volleyball PE class where they see their athletes all year. It's no fault of off campus coaches, their job is simply harder because they don't know the student body as well. The better a coach knows his athletes the better he/she will know how they will stand up to pressure. On campus coaches also have an easier time fighting for their programs including gym time, fundraisers, tournaments, etc.
One thing about St. Lucy's issues culturally is the team is not used to being an underdog. Sometimes it's easier to keep a fighting mentality all of the time when the team doesn't expect to dominate. I know, in my opinion, Walnut doesn't seem to have the size or hitting power of many of the teams they have beaten, but man to they play great defense and never quit. I think in the SGV and IE our teams need to be great defenders and fight hard or the OC teams in CIF will continue to beat us in the late rounds.

CIF is only three weeks away. When playoffs come I think we should rally the troops and support all of the teams in our area! Good luck to all-I know at Ganesha we are looking forward to having the chance of hosting only our second home CIF game in school history!

The DB vs SL games last week should have gone to SL but the leaving of the starters in the whole time vs the senior more experienced and savy DB starters was the difference. It is true the SL has many seniors, however not all actually play. The younger players clearly tired and the coaching staff didn't account for that factor. Still their is alot of season left to reclaim a playoff as well as a top spot to enter the playoffs.

Just wondering if Diamond Bar even have anyone came off the benchto spark their comeback, did they use their bench players or the same line up in all 5 games? Didn't some St Lucy fans commented last week that they are well conditioned? Was there sign of fatigue on certain St Lucy players? Can someone claim that Diamond Bar coaching staff out coached the St. Lucy's coaching staff in all levels? The outcome of the comeback according to the scores look stunning, what in game adjustments did Diamond Bar's coach do?

Speaking of the culture in certain programs. Im wondering if the teams who have "on campus" coaches have an advantage over teams that have off campus coaches. Just thinking of the top programs in the area, I know most have on campus coaches running the show and have for years. Thats not to say you cant have a successful program without it but in my opinion it is more difficult.

Blame the culture @ SL
Those girls have been taught to be that way since they were freshman.
The way the girls at SL play isn't team like.

Mikasa Mom, I agree with everything you said, however I don't think we can blame last year's drama for this year's problems. There is one starter, (Gasparo, who was benched for most of the match against DB) and 3 bench players (Aguilar, Prater and Callen) from last year's team who are playing this year. This is a new year and we were glad to see it come (and now will be glad to see it go if we don't recover!)
I am still in shock after that DB loss, only because everyone who was there knew there is NO WAY they should have lost that match, but somehow they did. SD is not utilizing his bench players enough throughout the match in order to give players like Dalton, Prater and Miller much needed rest to get through those 5 game matches. That is what allowed us to come back and win against Los Altos and St. Joseph's. DB beat us down the stretch because they out-lasted our starters. SD didn't adjust until much too late. Maybe he thought it would only go 3, which what everyone else who was there thought, but it didn’t. Perhaps a bad miscalculation on his part, not sure.
The other issue is that our girls need to start supporting each other no matter what role they serve on this team. Our bench could have not been there and wouldn't have made a bit of difference. I thought it was fantastic to see DB's JV team and their bench showing such great support for their team. SL's is uninspired, so who do you blame that on? The Seniors? The Captains? The Coach? I don't know, but something needs to change!

why certain regents parents keep blaming the administration, and the past, why not blame the players for not performing to the fullest? With 19 players who all play club volleyballs, someone got to find those club coaches accountable too. Unless whoever is coaching them is really doing a bad job utilizing all those club players on the team.

Bonita stopped Glendora.

Mikassa Mom, dont even give up on the Regents! I was at the DB game and you guys had us on the ropes!(wheew) I tell you what , Prater#26 and Dalton#?? are two tough cookies as well as the tough serving Schumann! If i were Glendora i would not be looking past the rest of the league just yet as it appears the may be.

Here go the Tartan horn tooters!, counting their chickens early!! Keep pissing off the rest of the league and see what happens.You folks should know what happens when teams are dissed , especially in the Sierra league! So i guess , the rest of the league should just pack up and stay home the rest of the league then huh??

no stoppin glendora, they're on a roll.
4-0 in league.

well put.
You guys may very well beat Glendora or DB in the second half of league play.

Not much to say,vbl! I think whoever said we were keeping things in perspective after the win against Ayala, said it best. Looks like we may lose all the big ones and be happy for the W's we do get! Hope I'm not sounding pessimistic or like I have given up supporting the team... but we are 1 match away from the season's mid-point and I don't see much happening at this point. If you are wanting your team to peak right before CIF then you're going to want to see steady improvement leading up to it. And while a win is a win, and this is meant with no disrespect to anyone, you must have a big win or two along the way. Losing is only good if you go from there and make adjustments, be strategic, plan your next match out with some intention, and have some heart. So what have we learned from losing to Upland, Rosary, South Hills, Diamond Bar and Glendora? Where's the leadership that comes from the upperclassmen that says,"This is unacceptable." Surely between 19 or whatever bodies, there has to be the right combination/chemistry to get a spark going. And again, I don't care who it is or what grade you are in. Truth be told, I think last year's experience hurt this team in more ways than it did last year's team. But that is another chapter. Ayala Tourney will be telling. Play hard Regents. Find your heart!

I miss the Regent fans. I hope they haven't left for good. Not a single post after the DB loss.

My vote is Walnut at #1....for now.

Starlings is the club to go with the economy...they even have high performance tryout at their annual starlings tournament down in san diego...a lot of scouts are there ...starlings is definitely a bargin for getting their kid a scholarship...scouts will find you no matter which club you play for

Ganesha beat Covina in 4 to secure 2nd in the Valle Vista, at least until Tuesday when we play at Northview. Cheapest club has and will probably always be Starlings, but most players are supposed to be low income. Starlings Pomona won't charge more than $500 this year. Anyone interested should look at the National website at www.Starlings.org

Club Volleyball is going to be a stretch for so many families this year.
The prices are hard to cover when the economy is good, so i can't even imagine how difficult it will be this year.
Were talking baout 3000 dollars for a non or 1 travel tourament team.
And for multiple travel(which equals most exposure) is going to be almost 4 or 5 grand for 6 months of volleyball.
I know club west wanted near 6000 for 17's teams last year.
Top Gun ran around 3000 for nearly all the same tournaments.
Im not sure club costs this year.
This is going to be tough.
BUT!
This new year round high school team, costless club with out weekend trips to ASC?
hmmmmm
The only set back is for Seniors. They can't play on a year round high school team and get a scholarship

each school can basically start their own club...club lucy sounds ideal for st. lucy's to rebuild their winning tradition...which club is the cheapest? Route 66? top gun? Baldwin Park Spikers?

There are clubs that have tryouts and then don't field teams. That one at Citrus College for one example.
Is it true that Club West expanded because of the new CIF rule allowing coaches to coach "club" teams?
What effect will the economy have on clubs?

Top Gun is not folding.
This rumor is all out of clubwest.
I have spoken to Vinh there will be Top Gun this year, the tryout dates are already listed on the website for 08-09.
the folding rumor is FALSE!

VBALL1,

Alot and Yes. I heard a rumor Top Gun has or is folding. Any truth?

How many of the ESGV volleyball players will leave their club teams to play for their Varsity Coaches/High School "club" teams this season? Will Top Gun and Club West suffer?

Glendora and Walnut both deserve to be #1.
That's a tough call.
Although Glendora is now 4-0 in league with the biggest matches done.
Walnut on the other hand took down the #1 spot.
I'm not sure who should take #1, either way someone's disappointed.
Monday Wednesday games next week!
Glendora Vs Ayala @ Ayala
Diamond Bar Vs. Chino Hills At Chino Hills
St. Lucy's Vs. Chino At St. Lucy's
all to finish out the first round of league

CO has 1 win against a ranked opponent(San Dimas). And 1 win against a previously ranked opponent(Los Altos)They have also beaten Gabrielino who may have been ranked in the very first local poll. Bottom line is they have beaten everyone they have played, but the biggest test will be Bonita next week.

Looks about right to me sgvolley. If Charter Oak wins out next week then I think they should move up. Hard to argue with an undefeated team. Gabrielino tournament next Saturday, and Ayala tourney I think as well, should show us who is ready for CIF.

Alright, with the shakeup next week, there are two teams vying for the top spot. Personally, I think Walnut has made their case. Besides beating the number 1 and 4 teams this week, they have the most wins and best record against locally ranked teams. Walnut is 5-1 against top 10 teams, Glendora is 3-1 (3-2 if you count their scrimmage loss to S.Hills).Walnut also has at least 6 wins against CIF ranked opponents. They lost head to head against Glendora, so Glendora definitley has an arguement to be number one. But head to head doesn't mean too much in these rankings because Bonita beat Glendora a few weeks and never was ranked above them.
3. South Hills-could be at the top at the end of the season.
4. Diamond Bar-huge win last night against the Regents
5. Charter Oak-game of the week next week vs Bonita
6. Bonita-see above
7. San Dimas-tops in the Valle Vista
8. St. Lucys-still waiting for a big win against a top team
9. La Puente-dominating the Montview league
10. GHigh-pending tonights matchup

These are just my opinion(Im a numbers geek) Results based on Max Preps and info posted here.

The #26 from St Lucys ..Prater?? she is quite a nice player as well as the Dalton girl. Diamond Bar came out very slow the first 2 sets, then once they started to go to their bread and butter...Parke and Momah, the offense really started to click.Although, Kelley and Dimitrick for DB are also BIG key players for the Brahmas as well.

Fred and Steve are always talking about signature wins. There seem to be a lot of signature wins for local teams this week.

wow, DB down 0-2 and then come back to win 3 straight. StL fans take a deep breath, it will be ok. Great win for DB though. Good job to CO as well. Los Altos has struggled this year but still a quality victory for CO.
Awesome week of volleyball!

what was charter oak match score?

great win for walnut and diamond bar

It is the sign of the time.
When was the last time SL lose to Diamond Bar and Los Altos lose to Charter Oak in the past 5 years?

Charter Oak won in 3.

Who won the Charter Oak vs Los Altos game???

Diamond Bar scores:16-25, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 15-12. Huge win for DB-Ganesha played DB at Gabrielino's summer tournament and they are a strong team. Great program with hard working coaches. Shows how strong the Sierra League is.

What was the score for Diamond Bar and SL match?

Next weeks rankings should get very interesting. What happened with the Los Altos-Charter Oak match?

Listen to Walnut Volley ball and Water polo games on
sportsnetusa.net

Walnut beat Bonita in 3. 25-18, 25-19, 25-22. That is back to back wins against #1 and #4 this week.

Congrats to Diamond Bar for a big win.

Diamond Bar took St.Lucy's in 5 sets.

bulot been injuered she just getting her groove back but val i agree is big but randi and lindsay are also stepping it up not just brain!

ghs fan,
how much of the tartans have you been watching?
Bullot has been injured and hasnt found a spot on the floor yet, she's sitting most the matches.
You say "Oh and Randi Toomay and Lindsay Mitchell" but the truth is they with Brain are leading the team.

Covina is a decent team, but I was singing the praises of West Covina. Naturally for Ganesha it's just nice to be in the mix, since last year was our first playoff berth in nine years. I'm just hoping that we will rise above the other teams and maybe even beat San Dimas when we play them at home. That's as close to smack talking as I can (or should) get!

ghigh weren't you singing the praises of Covina this year? San Dimas, Ganesha, Covina, Northview, sounds like pretty good competitive battles for playoff berths

3 teams equally matched in Valle Vista? I sure hope not-we'll find out on Friday.

Sierra currently has 3 teams ranked in the local top 10. But I dont see the big wins that some of the other leagues have. Glendora is the only one from that league that has beaten a ranked opponent.

You may be right about the valle vista league, but it is competitive with equally matched teams fighting for those top 3 spots.

True-Valle Vista can't match the top leagues, but we are a little stronger than the Montview and can compete with anybody. Sierra and San Antonio sound pretty closely matched this year, but the Sierra has more strong teams than anyone else (top 4 spots).

Valle Vista? Not to disrespect them, but they can not compete with the higher leagues. Miramonte, outside of Bonita, not a whole lot going on there. You could make an argument for the San Antonio League. They appear to be equally as competitive as the Sierra with Walnut & South Hills, however no other league has three teams that can compete for a share of league title. I think you still have to give it to Sierra.

Is the sierra league the best league in the valley? We have assumed this all year, but now I dont know. Ayala hasn't won a game. St. Lucy's has lost to both top San Antonio league teams. Glendora and Diamond Bar have looked strong so far but there are other leagues that may be just as competitive for the top 3 spots. Miramonte, Valle Vista and San Antonio come to mind.

Fridays games should create some space in the Valle Vista. Northview plays San Dimas and Ganesha at Covina. Ganesha is hoping to win and then go to homecoming!

Loved reading about Walnut volleyball, (am alumni). Congratulations to the Sheller family, looks like they have another athlete in the family.

Go Tartans!!

I don't think Ayala is that young. Bozodian and Ferrer are a junior and senior aren't they? Looked like lots of juniors on Ayala side besides those two. SL starters were three sophomores, one junior and two seniors during the three games they won. As for letting up the first game was 25-12, second game was 25-14. The third game Ayala won when we brought in our backup. SL just needs communication and they will be fine. Stay focused Regents...

I agree that St.Lucy's looked somewhat better against Ayala, however Ayala is a very young team in rebuilding stage and the coach has them playing as well as he can. St.Lucy's showed a disturbing trend towards letting up after the first or second game. Diamond Bar will surely be much tougher to conquer.

glendora has camile bulot oh and randi toomay and lindsay mitchall

anyone in the sierra league or steve,
who's on this Glendora team?
It seems to me like they were under estimated at the begining, but now they've made a name for themselves..
who are the big hitters?
(obviously "Brain" but anyone else?)
whos the setter?
who contributes the most?
Id like to read more about this up and comming power house.
Ive never seen this team so I could be way off.

Saint Tartan,
You need to read the post again. Rankings are based on matches played through Oct. 4. Yes, No. 1 lost to No. 3 and next week's rankings will incorporate that.

There should be some good games Thursday also. St.Lucys-Diamond Bar, Bonita-Walnut, Los Altos-Charter Oak.

Best game of the season so far. Both teams look great. Can't wait untill next time when these two teams meet. I would put Walnut at #2 and SH at #3. Glendora has a lot of power on that team.

Wow, never been to a VolleyBall game and I hope i never will.... Stiring the pot but didnt #1 lose yesterday to #3???

Trojan Man where are you?

SL's starters played strong last night against Ayala. After taking the first two games quickly, Douglas left his back up players in, who struggled through a game three loss with some sloppy play. In the fourth, Ayala showed some life as they kept it close up to the 16th pt when SL's pulled ahead for the match win.
Some of the SL's players who were in ruts in recent matches seemed to shake it off for this match up and played more on par with their abilities. Shuman did not play due to an injury so I think it helped the hitters only seeing one setter.

Next up a must win at DB.

Thanks again SGVolley. The girls loved the playoff atmosphere yesterday and if it helps us come CIF then the loss is ok. Both teams were nervous and there were too many unforced errors. Always nice to be recognized, even though it may be short lived. Let's not push it too much with the top five, but you never know.

Ghigh, you made it, or your girls made it I should say. Next stop top 5. Hopefully its not short lived after last nights tough loss.
Its too bad they cant put this out on Monday. It can be a tad confusing having last night results not affecting this weeks ratings, but I understand they have other things they are probably working on, on Mondays.