Jaguars volleyball aims to reach potential
MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR ~ 8/25/2010

Boulder Creek High School’s varsity volleyball team opens the 2010 season Tuesday, a thought that has third year coach Sarah Vidhalm eagerly awaiting her first look at what this year’s team can be.
Following a 24-13 campaign a season ago that included a 5A Div-II state tournament berth, the Jaguars enter the new season looking to replace their top two outside hitters and a three-year starter at setter.
While that task sounds daunting Vidhalm said the potential for this year’s team is high.
“Potential is probably the scariest word in sports, because if you don’t reach it you’re disappointed,” she said. “So I think I’m both scared, but also really excited.”
In just the second practice of the season Vidhalm said she saw her squads potential on display.
“I had the goose bumps,” she said. “It was that exciting the way we were playing.”
While the team did lose a number of key cogs to graduation from last season’s team it isn’t as if they have an entirely green roster as the Jaguars return seven varsity players, three of which were starters.
“These girls have playing experience, it’s just this particular group hasn’t had much time playing together,” she said. “And for a lot of them it’s going to be the first time they’re going to be in positions where they’re going to be counted on heavily.”
The coach though sees a number of likely options that could emerge.
At the net senior middle blocker Kelsey Holland returns following a 2009 season in which she was second on the team in kills with 120 and was the team-leader with 64 blocks.
“Kelsey is an excellent blocker and even though she’s only 5-foot-9 she plays a lot bigger than she is,” Vidhalm said.
Holland expects to elevate her game this season.
“A lot of us haven’t ever been looked to as somebody to lead the team, but I’m looking forward to that challenge,” she said. “I’m excited. We have a lot of young girls, but they’re out here getting better every day. You can see the improvement.”
Flanking Holland at the outside hitter positions figures to be the combo of junior Felicia Zerwas
and Gina Teodoro.
“They both are strong hitters,” Vidhalm said. “They put a lot of heat on their kills. That and they’re both hungry. Felicia floated between junior varsity and varsity last year and had really started to improve before she got hurt.”
At only 5-foot-5 Vidhalm said Teodoro will surprise people with how well she
gets off the floor.
“I don’t let her use her height as an excuse because she does have an impressive vertical,” the coach said. “We’ve just got to put her in good spots to take advantage of it.”
That task will fall in the lap of the combo of junior setters Kaitlin Trujillo and Maisy Munson.
Those two will try to fill the void left by three-year starter Lindsey Lovell.
“Kaitlin learned a lot from Lindsey and you can see that with how she’s playing this year,” Holland said. “She’s doing a good job with her setting, but also talking out on the court and being a leader.”
Vidhalm said she’s still experimenting with how she’ll align her team.
“We probably will play a 6-2,” she said. “I’d like to use both of them out there together. My goal is to have three front line hitters on the court at all time. We’ll tests the waters early in the season to see what works best.”
Defensively the team will turn to junior Haley Owen to lead the way.
“Hayley steps on the court and she brings that intensity with her every time,” Vidhalm said. “She’s just the whole package, very talented defensively.”
Owen said this year’s team has what it takes to be successful.
“We’re a lot different as a team,” she said. “But we want to keep the same reputation for the program that the teams before us have built. We’ve got a lot of well-rounded girls on this team. We have the talent to be successful. It will come down to how much hard work we’re willing to
put into the season."
In an always challenging Northwest Region, which had four of its eight schools advance to the state tournament, Vidhalm is banking on her squad being somewhere in the hunt.
“I definitely think we have what it takes to finish top three again,” she said. “I feel like it’s a wild card season for us because we have so many new players in new roles, but I think the girls will rise to the occasion. I like the way they’ve already meshed. It’s a together team that’s open to each other. There’s a good bond on and off the court.”
After opening the season with a 6 p.m. home match against Pinnacle on Tuesday the Jaguars head south to play at La Joya on Sept. 2.