September 27, 2007

SPORTS

Pioneer girls’ tennis team loses to Willow Glen

By Gary Van Den Heuval
Sports Writer

A sweltering late September sun looked down over the tennis contest between the Pioneer Mustangs and the Willow Glen Rams on Pioneer's courts Tuesday. Willow Glen’s squad won the battle between these two up-and-coming women’s programs by a 6-1 margin.

Pioneer's #1 player Jackie Mattern.

The win continues the Ram's unbeaten season, now at 6-0, while the Mustangs fell to 3-3. Both teams have forfeit victories over James Lick High School, but don't acknowledge it on the records because Lick dropped its tennis program before the season.

For Pioneer, even the smallest bit of progress is welcome after last year's winless season. Being a competitive program is a testament to the heart of the players on the team, according to Coach Long Phan.

"Actually, we had a very good team [last year], but these girls are more together. They're pulling for each other, and that's the biggest difference," said Phan.

Pioneer's varsity No. 1 player Jackie Mattern played Willow Glen's top player Adalia Lopez in a battle of baseliners with similar styles but subtle differences. Mattern showed a strong forehand that she can punch with some topspin kick to keep her opponent back on her heels, while Lopez, who didn't display the forehand snap of her adversary, nonetheless varied her pace with big, sweeping two-fisted backhands and drop shots that had Mattern scrambling to the net, a place she didn't look particularly comfortable. Mattern may have slowed a bit when she rolled her ankle in the very first game.

Willow Glen #1 Adalia Lopez (left) with #3, Nicole Unger. Photos by Gary van den Heuvel

Lopez used her drop shots to break Mattern's serve in the third game, but gave the advantage right back when her serve faltered and the score was tied at 2-all. Lopez's groundstrokes made the difference though, and she took the first set 6 games to 3.

An early break made the second set resemble the first, with Lopez's consistency grinding down her opponent. Mattern wasn't about to quit just yet though, fighting off two match points, the second on a Lopez double fault, to close to within 5 games to 4. But Lopez got the final service break, running Mattern around the court before closing out the match 6-3, 6-4.

In the other singles matches, Willow Glen's second-ranked player, Laura Pierson, used a steady, consistent baseline approach to beat Chandler Nielson 6-1, 6-0.

Pioneer's only match victory of the day came from third-rated Ashley Keeley, but the win wasn't a completely satisfying one. Leading 5-4 in the first set, Keeley was declared the winner when Willow Glen's Nicole Unger could no longer continue due to a foot injury. Fourth-ranked Amber Haywood played Edith Herrera evenly after two sets, both winning a set 6-2, but Willow Glen's Herrera pulled away 6-love in the third set for the win.

Pioneer doubles player and team captain Gina Quan

Willow Glen's doubles teams were spotless on the day as well. No. 1 team Carla Avila and Isabelle Tran beat Pioneer's Gina Quan and Allie Steinkoph by a 6-3, 6-2 tally; No. 2 Sandra Macias and Alyssa Terrazas humbled Julie Hoy and Ashley Burke 6-0, 6-1, their win was the fourth of the day and clinched the team victory for the Rams; and No. 3 Erin Wilcox and Kathryn Sartor, Willow Glen's "twin towers," had all they could handle from Pioneer's Katey Hoyt and Charlotte Karyska, going all the way to a third set tiebreaker before pulling it out 7-5.

While Pioneer's newfound success has been unexpected to some, Willow Glen Coach Nancy Williams made no bones about the pleasant surprise her own team's success has been. She cited the overall depth of her squad, but also admits, "It's like smoke and mirrors out here; we just keep on winning. I had no idea we'd be here [undefeated], but they keep improving. It's exciting."

Coach Phan, in his second year with Pioneer, remains optimistic despite the setback. "[Last year] we had a chance to win this division, but we went 0 and 14. This year I let the girls figure it out for themselves. They came to me and said 'Hey, we can do whatever it takes.' And it shows."

Gunderson girls top Pioneer volleyball team

Team can’t overcome early mistakes

By Gary Van Den Heuvel
Sports Writer

Team continuity and cohesiveness were in question after the Pioneer High School girls’ varsity volleyball team dropped a match to Gunderson High School in three straight games, with scores of 25-17, 25-20, and 25-19 at Pioneer Tuesday.

First-year coach Bryan Lacaille expressed dismay that his team--which he'd considered a solid favorite going into the game against the winless Lady Grizzlies--instead lost their third in four matches. They have a 1-2 record in league play.

Pioneer volleyball player Macie Skipwith. Photos by Gary van den Heuvel

"The problem was the teamwork. Not everybody showed up today and when that happens the team can't gel like it should," said Lacaille.

Gunderson came out smoking in the first game, jumping to a quick 5-1 advantage on the serves of Natalie Bonnapart and some Pioneer miss hits. When Gunderson took back the serve, Alexa Abraham led them to a dominant 11-2 lead and the Mustangs found themselves staring up at a huge deficit early in the match.

The Mustangs settled down and tried chipping away at Gunderson's lead but couldn't put together a good run of serves, suffering some communication lapses and miss hits near the net. Trailing 22-11, Pioneer dug down and kept the rally alive with the strong, deep serves of Reylene Rodriguez, a diving save by Anna Barlaan and a well-executed spike by Jacque Waters to pull to within 22-16.

However, Gunderson quelled the Mustang momentum by calling a time-out and was able to reclaim serve before winning game one 25-17.

The second game started with a Rachel Morgan ace for the Mustangs, but errors and misplayed spike attempts on both sides kept the game close. At 7-all, Gunderson ran off six straight points behind the service of Jasmin Alonzo for a 13-7 edge, but a spike by the aggressive Kristy Schaumann gave the service advantage back to the Mustangs.

Pioneer volleyball player Rachel Morgan

But Pioneer couldn't capitalize again and soon the serve was returned to Gunderson. Pioneer kept the second game close with a competitive spirit but couldn't overcome their own errors, the final point being a netted spike attempt that cost the Mustangs the game 25-20.

The team regrouped for the third game, taking a 3-0 lead on a strong swat at the net by Heather Goodman, who didn't have to leave her feet to punch the ball back toward the Gunderson baseline. But on the next play, Gunderson scored and regained service when Goodman's standing slam sent the ball too long.

Gunderson kept pecking away, pulling even at 8-all and gradually pulling away behind strong serving from Tess Jones, Vicky Avalos and strong net play by Jazmine Wright. Pioneer kept it close but finally succumbed 25-19 on a service ace by Avalos.

Lecaille acknowledged that improvement needs to be made in terms of teamwork and communication, but didn't take the loss as a complete negative, saying, "The sophomores and juniors stepped up big time. It's a lesson."

High School Sports Schedule Sept. 28–Oct. 4

Leland

Football
Frosh/Soph: Thursday, Sept. 27 vs. Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.

Varsity: Friday, Sept. 28 vs. Silver Creek, 3:30 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
JV: Thursday Sept. 27 vs. Mt. Pleasant, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 vs. Evergreen, 5 p.m.

Varsity: Thursday, Sept. 27 vs. Mt. Pleasant, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 vs. Evergreen, 6 p.m.

Girls Tennis
Thursday, Sept. 27 vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 2 at Evergreen, 3:15 p.m.

Cross Country
Saturday, Sept. 29: Stanford Invite, at Stanford Golf Course, time TBA

Water Polo
Boys Frosh/Soph: Tuesday Oct. 2 vs. Evergreen at Willow Glen High School, 5 p.m.

Boys Varsity: Tuesday Oct. 2 vs. Evergreen at Willow Glen High School, 6 p.m.

Girls JV: Friday Sept. 28 and Saturday Sept. 29, Monte Vista Tournament, time TBA
Tuesday Oct. 2 vs. Santa Teresa at Live Oak, 4 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 3 at Los Altos, 3 p.m.

Girls Varsity: Tuesday Oct. 2 vs. Santa Teresa at Live Oak, 5 p.m.
Wednesday Oct. 3 at Los Altos, 4 p.m.

Pioneer

Football
Freshmen: Saturday, Sept. 29 at Scotts Valley, 9:30 a.m.

Frosh/Soph: Saturday, Sept. 29 vs. Piedmont Hills 11 a.m.

Varsity: Saturday, Sept. 29 vs. Piedmont Hills, 2 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
JV: Thursday, Sept. 27 vs. Overfelt, 5 p.m.
JV: Wednesday, Oct. 3 at Oak Grove, 5 p.m.

Varsity: Thursday, Sept. 27 vs. Overfelt, 6 p.m.
Varsity: Wednesday, Oct. 3 at Oak Grove, 6 p.m.

Cross Country
Wednesday, Oct. 3 vs. Del Mar/San Jose at Montgomery Hill, 3:30 p.m.

No games were listed for tennis or water polo.

For more information about Leland and Pioneer sporting events, go to:

Pioneer Athletics: www.phsathletics.com
Leland Athletics: www.lelandathletics.com
Blossom Valley Athletic League: www.bval.org

Sports Briefs

Youth Lacrosse coaching opportunity at Bret Harte Middle School
Bret Harte Middle school has an opening to hire a coach for the spring ‘08 Lacrosse season. Youth coaching experience preferred. Traditional sports such as soccer and football make a great foundation. Lacrosse experience not a prerequisite as Lacrosse training will be provided. Responsibility, positive attitude, and patience are required. Season / practice starts Jan. ’08, games begin March 1, ending by Memorial Day. This is a great opportunity to help our youth Lacrosse program grow in Almaden Valley while learning the fastest growing new sport on the west coast. The kids are great, the parents are top notch, and the school supports the program. This is an excellent part time opportunity for a sport-minded college student. Please apply before Oct. 31, to allow time for training, background check, etc. Interested parties should contact Club President Wayne Schatz at 623-4691 or wayne_schatz@sbcglobal.net See also; www.brethartelax.com.

San Jose Aces 18U Travel Baseball Team Seeks Players
The San Jose Aces 18U competitive travel team seeks 16-17-18 YO players (no older than 18 years on April 30, 2008 ) for the fall/winter season.  All positions are welcome but especially seeking experienced high school-level pitchers.  Current team consists of players from Branham, Leigh, Bellarmine, Santa Teresa and other local schools.   

This team will compete at local and some regional 18U wood bat tournaments.  Players should have prior travel/tournament and/or high school baseball experience. 

Contact Coach Warren Nagatani at warren@sanjoseaces.com or 449-7229 for tryout, practice and fee information.  You may also visit www.sanjoseaces.com for more information.

Almaden National Junior Basketball Signups
Online registration for Almaden NJB 2007 season is now open.  The league is open to boys and girls in grades 1-8.  Practice starts Oct. 20 and games begin on Dec. 2.  To register online go to almadennjb.homestead.com.  Walk-in registration is Sept. 20, at Amato's pizza on Meridian from 6-8 p.m.  If you have any questions, please call Ken Keiser at (408) 592-4190.


Bay Area Boot Camp 5K Fitness Training Program
Boot Camp dates are from September 10 - November 4 at South Bay locations. The cost is $125 - All proceeds benefit the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. The 5K Fitness Training program, developed by Bay Area Boot Camp’s expert coaching staff, is a comprehensive workout series designed to prepare you for the Silicon Valley 5K Run/Walk on November 4, 2007.

Designed for runners of all levels, this 8-week program includes:

Eight weekly training sessions led by Bay Area Boot Camp coaches

A detailed schedule of running, speed, and cross-training drills

A Training log to help you track your progress and keep your focus

An eight-week nutrition plan designed to support your training and optimize your energy level

Unlimited phone and email support from our coaching staff of veteran 5K, 10K, and marathon runners

15% off September and October Boot Camp sessions - an ideal way to enhance your race preparations and cross train in a supportive group environment

A pre-race party – get to know your fellow 5K racers and learn more about BAWSI!

For more information, contact Mary Beth Gonzales at marybeth@bayareabootcamp.com or phone 408-425-9475. Visit our website at www.bayareabootcamp.com.

The Walk to Cure Diabetes at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale
Scheduled for Oct. 7, this event will help raise millions of dollars for research to find a cure for diabetes and its complications. As one of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s largest fundraising efforts, this event empowers family, community and corporate teams to take action and help find a cure. JDRF’s mission is to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Since its inception, JDRF has put more than $900 million towards diabetes research. In a typical year, more than 80 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and education about research.  Significant dollars come back to fund research grants in the Bay Area at Stanford and UCSF. Registration is 10 a.m. and the walk begins at 11 a.m. Register at: www.walk.JDRF.org For more information, contact JDRF Greater Bay Area Chapter 415-977-0360 greaterbay@jdrf.org www.jdrf.org/greaterbay.

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