Take your shot at a Girls Volleyball top ten

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Freds too busy doing football he doesn't read this. St. Lucys-thats a good win. St. Josephs is a quality team, congrats.

Fred, how long are you going to make us scroll to the bottom of the page. How about a new thread? Volleyball is alive and kicking in he valley. Lets get going!

St. Lucy's won in four. We played St. Joseph's of Lakewood. Started off slow but girls came together quickly for a strong three game finish. Team win. Girls looked great. Go Regents!

Gladstone Tournament, Charter Oak Pool

Maranatha High School easily swept the day's pool. Their setter led such a varied attack that there was just no answer for their offense. CO was so off-balanced that they just checked out of the match and never recovered. So goes the arguement of who's more valuable...the setter or the hitter.

Charter Oak looked strong against the rest of the field and took second place in pool play. They will advance to Saturday afternoon's Gold Division, at Gladstone High School.

Sierra Vista had moments of fuery and flight. They fought with Covina and eventually came out as victor. Seeing them against Maranatha, Covina, and Charter Oak definitely brings value to that parental comment of "it just depends on which team shows up. Against Maranatha, they played hard and actually took the game to 25 to approx. 18. There was no contest to the second or third place rivals.

I wonder what will happen this weekend. Will they step up and compete or will they fall to their emotions.

Ganesha won their pool of the Gladstone tourney defeating Rowland (great defense) 25-20, 25-12 and Westridge 25-16, 16-25, 15-13.

We will play at 3 PM at Gladstone on Saturday in the Gold Div.

Can we possibly get another thread Fred so we don't have to scroll down so far. VBall blogging will go crazy like last year if you give us some love!

Did South Hills play Glendora this week? Results?

Volleyball CIF Polls have come out and still no article or blog accept DIV III-A volleyball. But we have multiple (and daily analysis) on high school football from every angle. I'm not saying football isn't great but give the girl athletes a little recognition too.

Thanks guys!!!!

SL treated game against Flintridge as scrimmage. 2nd and 3rd string played third and fourth games. However, Flintridge entered stats in Maxpreps when just yesterday it said (scrimmage). Not a big deal. Its always fun to get everyone out there and have a good time. First preseason game is at home against St. Joseph's of Lakewood @ SL.

After careful observation at the LA/Diamond Bar game I noticed that the "ex-coach" was present at the game. Was wondering why? Does he have a daughter or relative playing? If he is no longer coaching what are his interests? The new coach seems to be doing well, I am sure he and the team do not need him around. The team seems to be getting along and having fun. Let the new coach do his job!!!!

I think St. Lucy's lost to Flintridge Sacred Heart 3-1

walnut beat Western Christian 3-0 in a scrimmage I believe.

CIF Polls are out and the San Gabriel Valley is representing...

For Division II-AA
St. Lucy's is #5
Walnut #6
South Hills #7

Division III-AA
Bonita #3
Los Altos-Notable Mention

Division III-A
San Dimas #10
Ganesha-Notable Mention

Good Luck to all the area teams. It is apparent CIF recognizes the talent too. Only surprise was not seeing Glendora in the mix. But I am sure that will change once the real games begin. Most games last night were scrimmages and not considered preseason.

Well, LA is definitely off to a great start and they look strong. They have two very strong outside hitters, Russell and Macias. With these two on the court they are unstoppable. They took Diamond Bar in four. I believe they will have a great season.

post results

LA at Diamond Bar tonight.

CIF rankings should be coming out today or soon. Fred, how about creating a voleyball page when they come out? Should be interesting.

Well, Los Altos came together this weekend at the Queens Court Tournamet. There were off to a shakey start on Saturday and landed in the Silver Bracket. On Sunday, they proved themselves by winning this bracket. What was nice to see is that they were a true team and no one individual ran the show. Good luck girls.

Let the games begin! Pre-season games start this week. Who is playing where? Let's get it started!

There are a lot of good teams, I dont think any one team will run the table locally. Every league should be tightly contested.

The new coach for Los Altos is not new to the program. He was the JV coach last year and is a fantastic coach. The girls seem to enjoy playing for him. Los Altos does indeed have a great deal of talent this year. I believe the coach will use this talent for a successful year.

The new coach at LA was the JV coach for the past several years. He is young and innovative. He needs to just get them focused. If he can do that, they will succeed with all the talent on the team. They have two strong juniors and one strong senior, so they will be a strong team for the next several years.

Los Altos has much to prove. From what I hear they are much stronger as a whole. We will see....

Only time will tell... Who is the new coach???? is he good??? Is he new to the program????

Being around volleyball for a long time now, you cant really judge a team during summer league. Usually the big guns dont even attend. Much like Melinda from South Hills... Its like judging a football team during passing league...

Just for fun...

1. Walnut...Defense wins
2. St. Lucy's...Solid at every position.
3. South Hills...Great Coach...Great Program
4. Ayala..This is my dark horse team. "See above"
5. Bonita...Best 2 OH hitters in valley. Solid
setting
6. Los Altos...Will be co-league champs with
Bonita. Three talented players
7. Glendora...Good program, two stud players
8. Diamond Bar...Did not show much this summer
but still have coach/talent.

Good luck to everyone this year. It will be fun to see how the season unfolds.

I heard that Los Altos didn't have all their girls for summer league due to JO's. So their top 3-4 players were missing. You can never count them out, but they do have a new coach this year. Let's see if he'll use all the talent on the team 'cause they really have some strong players.

Good luck this season Lady Giants!!

oops I see you had Glendora at 5 my mistake, I missed that the first time I read it.

vblFan2
Good list, although Glendora was not to be found, and they are definitely a top 10 force. Also I dont think Los Altos had a real strong summer league, I didnt see them winning a whole lot of games this summer but I did see them lose a few. #3 spot may be a little high IMO.

Here's a bit of a tweek on the list posted:
#1 and 2 spots go to Bonita and St. Lucy's-on any given day, either could be #1. Slight edge goes to Bonita on experience alone.
#3 Los Altos - too tall and talented as stated previously not to be taken seriously.
#4 Walnut - well-coached
#5 Glendora
#6 Diamond Bar
#7 Ayala (if you're going to discuss the local area teams seriously, you must include Ayala, even if they are out of the Trib's circulation area)
#8 South Hills - did not have a good summer league run at Club West - and granted that was without big Gomez. Never under-estimate their coaching, however. Could move up to 3 or 4 spot quickly.
#9 San Dimas
#10 Ganesha - a team and a coach with lots of heart!

Good luck to all!

Summer league is always a time for testing things out and seeing what works. But you can also gets the jist of who has some real talent and who doesn't.

I saw Ganesha play and they are missing some key players from last year. But I did see they had some frontline girls who can pack a punch. Will be interesting to see if they can pull it together before season begins.

San Dimas seemed like a wild card to me. Where did all their tall middles go? They both should be seniors this year. If the team they had on the court is all they have then we will not be seeing them in the top 10 unless they get the front line in order.

Also where are the Charger girls? They had a pretty decent season last year competing for league with the Bearcats. Did they all graduate?

Last but not least, we haven't heard anything from Los Altos. Do they still have the same coach? Any word on anyone who saw them play? Is Jazmin Russell there whole team again?

The good thing about girls volleyball is that these top teams play eachother a lot during the course of the season. The four top dogs in the sierra league(db,ayala,st.lucy's,and Glendora) along with South Hills & Walnut, Bonita and Los Altos all get to face each other twice maybe more if they meet in a tournament. Its not like football where you have to wonder how one team would do against another because they never play eachother. Most of the elite teams square off at one point or another during the year.

The Brahmas have some very good returning players with a lot of experience.

Morgan Bender, Bianca Kimsey and Kate Corbett have been playing together for 3 years and were instrumental backups on the Varsity team last season. Kathleen Torres was a big contributor on the Varsity squad last year as a freshman and comes into this season as a sophomore with solid Varsity and club experience. Stephanie Turner, Shellie Barner and Jen Miller have also been solid contributors to the this team. Carliza Valencia and Eyanna Shubin and Katy Honda are also strong players with many years of club expereince.

The key to this team is that they all have been playing to together for 3-4 years and this is the year for it all to come together for them.

Go Brahma Girls!!!

The top 3 teams should be:
1) Walnut: Should be another great year for Sam Shellar and Delilah Arenas. Arenas protects her backline like no other. Possible breakout performance: Monika Settergren as middle but has big shoes to fill with Silva gone. Minus: Jennifer Silva is graduated
Bonita: Allie La Pierre is a seasoned veteran for the Bearcats, Ashley Maxfeldt the setter keeps getting better and was instrumental in their . Breakout Performance: Katie Kirby represented really well towards the end of the Bearcat season. It will be exciting to see how she performs as an upperclassmen. Minus: Courtney Donaldson has graduated.
St. Lucy's: Deanna Dalton had an amazing last season as a sophomore outside and Megan Callen made the big plays for the Sierra League title last year also as a sophomore. Jackie Macy will be running the show as setter and server. Breakout performance: Jasmine Warmington has SL fans buzzing and Alyssa Young will add to a fast and athletic frontline . Minus: Christine Aguilera graduated.

I believe Bonita should definitely be in the top 5. They lost Courtney Donaldson but they have a very talented group just the same with Allie LaPierre, Maxfeldt, Philips, etc. Walnut will be a returning force as well as Glendora. Glendora is returning Brain (MH/Outside) and Noriega (libero). Diamond Bar lost almost their entire lineup but have a great coach. Will be interesting to see. But even if this is DB's JV team, I think they are still better than what Robert listed them at. I read in a previous post that SL went to the final game in their summer league with REV and both had full rosters. That team may be young but I watched the SL games against GHS, DB and Riverside Poly and son't let their grade fool you. There are lots of recognizable names that (Dalton, Callen, Young, Warmington and Macy). As for South Hills, they have big and little Gomez for the preseason, but have lost Danielle Stewart. I have heard good things about there current setter but its hard to replace tenure. Ayala will be stronger than ever and would not discount there abilities. I do believe they are a contender with GHS and SL for the Sierra.

bonita lost some players but they have returning varsity members ashley maxfeldt, katy kirby and a few others the young talent is always there from club teams we just need to groom them and well have another good year

SL VBl Fan
Ayala is definitely good enough to be in the top 10 however they dont fall in the Tribunes coverage area so they are not considered for the rankings.

AMAT is under-rated.
Took 3rd in Gabrielino Tourney and beat Los Altos.
Tough League but should be interesting.

S.H. has lost some key players and is a young team. They have struggled over the summer, which could be an indication that they will not be as strong as has been predicted. Gomez is their whole team and she sounds like she is questionable.

No mention of Ayala. They are returning a lot of players and could be in contention in the sierra.

DB and Glendora also lost some key players, DB even more so. Don't know what we will get from them.

S.L. is a very young team with only one senior who is not a returning varsity player, however, they all have a ton of club experience from top to bottom. The returning sophomores will be key contributors making for an even stronger team than last year. The juniors are all tops in the league. Look for them to make a run into the deep rounds of CIF. All of you looking for the soap opera that has defined S.L.'s reputation will not find it this year. No egos, just serious players that are on a mission for a championship!

WestCO should be a solid team this year, dont sleep on em

Summer means nothing.
Walnut shouldn't be #1. Put us down around 10. Lots of great teams out there that are deserving of recognition and should be considered for the top spots.

Wow Robert!, your not a Diamond Bar fan obviously. Diamond Bar won the consolation championship over South Hills in the Ayala tourney, yet you have them in the trash cans as far as honorable mention.

Thanks for the compliments for Ganesha-we lost nine seniors but we hope we will still be strong enough to make another run.
Northview has improved a lot and so has Pomona in the Valle Vista. Gladstone has also improved as well as Azusa.
I didn't see most of the elite teams play so I can't comment, but hopefully a couple will have a chance at making a difference when CIF comes around.

Ganesha's Tri City Tourney will have 24 teams participating on Sept. 17, 18, and 19. Local schools include La Puente, West Covina, Charter Oak, San Dimas, Covina, Alverno, Webb, Pomona, and Pomona Catholic among others.

Good luck to everybody and lets keep adding interest to this great sport.

Thanks Fred for putting this up and to other contributers...and yes this is a very fun sport to watch, I try and take my young daughter to as many Bonita games as I can and Robert you are right about their setter (center of the pic above) she really is one of the best, again I've only watch Bonita and whomever they happen to be playing at the time though, but she always stands out. I have to get to a St Lucy game as everyone seems to always be talking about them...

Nice list Robert. Great insight. Regarding the player of the year last year from South Hills, I know she was injured this summer is there a chance she doesn't play this year?

1. Walnut-Played extremely well in Summer. Excellent ball control. Tough in every facet.
2. St Lucys-Absolutely loaded at every position (and deep). Very athletic team. Opponents will have difficult matchups. Look out for 2012 as only one Senior.
3. South Hills-Young team that should contend with or without last year’s POY.
4. Glendora-Return two key players from a team that played well (except at end of year)-Don’t look for that to happen again.
5. Bonita-Very good at net with one of the best setters in area. Back row will provide biggest challenge to success.
6. Ganesha-Nobody gets more out players than this coach. Expect same this year. He is amazing.
7. Los Altos-A lot of questions to be answered under new coach. Tall, strong and talented along front line
8. San Dimas-Lost key position players but should rebound nicely.
9. Covina-Young team that will only get better as season progresses. Look fro them to contend at end.
10. Bishop Amat-Hopefully can make the playoffs for real (unlike last year’s record-keeping that led to forfeit.)
11. Diamond Bar
12. Western Christian
13. Charter Oak
14. West Covina
15. La Puente
16. Gladstone
17. Northview
18. Rowland
19. Diamond Ranch
20. Rosemead
21. Sierra Vista
22. Arroyo
23. Baldwin Park
24. Wilson
25. So El Monte
26. Duarte
27. Azusa
28. Nogales
29. Pomona
30. El Monte
31. Mountain View
32. Workman
33. Bassett

After watching the summer leagues and tournaments the Sierra League is going to be a battle down to the wire again this year.

Diamond Bar is always well coached and will be ready for the League battles to come. No one outstanding player but a lot of Varsity experience and club experience.

St. Lucy's is always tough and I am sure will come with their A game barring any team or coaching issues this year.

Ayala's team is always tough also and the girls looked good at their home tournament.

Walnut is going to be very tough to beat this year as their girls have a lot of experience and they play very well together as a team.

Haven't seen Bonita this year but they always have a strong team and have some underclass girls with lots of club and Varsity experience.

South Hills has one of the strongest players in the area but I did not see her much this summer, probably due to playing in JO's.

For those that have not been to a girl's volleyball match, you are missing some of the best action and quality athletes in HS Sports. Every game and match is high intensity!!!

Good Luck to all of the area teams and the hard working girls and coaches!!!

I will give it a shot. Let me first say I am no expert on all the teams in the area though I have seen a few play this summer. I am going off what I remember last year and who had a number of players returning.

1. Walnut-many returning players and finished near/or at the top in the Ayala summer league
2. South Hills-finished last year at number 1 and returning some dominant players.
3. Glendora-multiple returners
4. St. Lucy's-always a force, always drama
5. Bonita-lots of good young club players
6. Diamond Bar-good year last year but lost some key players
7. Ganesha-proved they belong among the elite
8. Los Altos-talent is there
9. San Dimas-spent all last year in the top 10
10. West Covina-Dark horse?

It is tough to go off what happened in the summer because there are so many variables (vacations, injuries, tryouts, etc).

I suppose I'll be the first to comment on the volleyball section. I am definitely not the only one who is getting excited for the upcoming season! I'm looking forward to posting to recruiting videos from local volleyball players, both women's and men's preps.

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