Volleyball team starting conference on the upswing

Volleyball team starting conference on the upswing

The Eagle volleyball team returns home Friday night looking to continue its winning ways in a conference-opening match against Butte.

After starting the season 2-8, the Eagles have won 9 of 12 the past month and improved their record to 11-11. Most recently they've stayed hot without the help of head coach Lyndi Scholl, who is on leave after the birth of her first child, a son named Crue.

Assistant coach Jess Petricevic, now the interim head coach, says "the girls had to band together" without Scholl, and they're moving forward with a goal of making the playoffs -- a goal she believes they have a good chance of achieving.

A team of mostly freshmen, Petricevic said the Eagles have been winning more while making progress on their ultimate goal: "to play for each other and not individually."

A former university coach who is also College of the Siskiyous' head beach volleyball coach, Petricevic said the Golden Valley Conference will be competitive this fall. The Eagles' .500 preseason record is third-best among GVC teams. Rival Shasta tops the list at 17-5, while Feather River is 15-6, Lassen 10-13, Redwoods 3-4, and Friday's opponent, Butte, 5-12.

The Eagles' recent success started with 5 wins a row from Sept. 11^th to 20^th and included their most recent home matches against San Jose, Redwoods and Yuba. They've also won their last three by 3-0 scores against Mendocino, Napa Valley and Contra Costa.

The team's upswing has been a result of improved play from front to back, offense and defense, Petricevic said. "It starts with passing. If we don't have good passes, it's harder to have a good set. Our passing is improving. The girls are learning to not worry about where the ball is going, but where their body is positioned. The less movement the better (for passing). Get positioned in the right spot and the ball will go where you want."

A defensive player in college, Petricevic said "it was grit all the time, no give-up. Point 1 or 25 it's the same, grit and dedication. We expect them to take responsibility and make the right decisions."

She pointed to standout back row players like sophomore libero Amelia Gastelum and three freshmen: libero Sarah Speasl and defensive specialists Samantha Oakley and Callie Denney.

Petricevic gives credit to assistant coach Kayana Woodard, a former setter for the Eagles who played at the four-year level, for doing a great job developing the setters. The team's three setters are returning all-conference player Isabella Colombo and freshmen Madeline Gibson and Zoe Brooks. The coach said Colombo "has done a great job leading the setters in gaining confidence and doing what they need to do."

Up front, "the hitting line is doing really well," she said. "Give credit to Lyndi for that. She teaches them to be versatile, have correct hand placement, see the court. She worked hard with them to gain that knowledge."

Among the players who have stepped up in the front row are four freshmen: middle blocker Ajhana Tagler and outside hitters Sadie Gaviet, Quincy Paarsch, and Heitiare Moala.

The team's serving has been good Petricevic said, but it's the area "with the most room for improvement. We're focusing on serving with pressure; not just getting the ball over the net, but making the other teams move." The coach noted one serving success from last week, when Amelia Gastelum's streak of 10 serves in a row included 6 aces.

After coaching at two universities, Petricevic returned to Yreka and coached the Miners in 2021-23. She said she feels "in my comfortability" at the junior college level and appreciates the dedication of players with "a drive to get to the four-year level." 

The Eagles return home Friday night to take on Butte at 6 pm after playing their last eight matches on the road. They'll also face Lassen at home next Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 6 pm, then play at Shasta and at Feather River before finishing the first half of their conference schedule with an afternoon match at home against Redwoods Friday, Oct. 25.

By Steve Gerace