THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 17, 1995 TAG: 9509150221
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
On the 100th anniversary of the sport of volleyball, the Southeastern District boys are getting into the spirit of celebration. For the first time, the district is bringing boys volleyball to the competitive realm.
Five teams - Deep Creek, Great Bridge, Indian River, Oscar Smith and Western Branch - debut on the court this year to battle for the district title. Each team includes a few experienced players and several that are being introduced to the sport. As Deep Creek coach Bob Scott points out, ``the kids are dynamite, but it's a huge learning curve.''
Scott says he is still looking over his team and deciding who to put where.
The early favorite for the district championship is Western Branch. While girls coach Jim Stanko declined the opportunity to take the reins of the boys team, he remains involved with the program. Gary Steinfort heads the team that includes his son, Junior Olympic contender Eric, a senior middle hitter.
At Great Bridge, coach Bill Clement has turned his attention from coaching girls volleyball to working with the Wildcats. He has his starting lineup set and is looking toward a competitive season.
E.T. Keil planned to build his Oscar Smith team around experienced Junior Olympic player Pavel Orechowski, but the 6-foot-1 junior recently moved to California. He'll be a struggle to replace, but the Tigers recently added Tyrone Williams, an Oscar Smith basketball player and excellent athlete.
Indian River, with a strong history in competitive volleyball, is expected to challenge for the title.
With the lack of experience and overabundance of enthusiasm created by a new sport, the district title is truly up for grabs.
DEEP CREEK
Coach: Bob Scott
Expected standouts: ``We have three seniors and three real promising sophomores, the rest are juniors,'' Scott said. ``We have 12 players on the team.''
Outlook: ``It's a learning year,'' Scott said. ``What occurs in practice may not be what occurs in the game. It's important to establish what we want. Everybody is in the same boat. We're basically starting from ground zero.''
GREAT BRIDGE
Coach: Bill Clement
Expected standouts: Vic Vanderberg, Sr.; Gary Graham, Sr.; Mark Higginbotham, Sr.; Jason Harvey, Sr.; Bradford Tibbs, Jr.; Paul Smith, Sr.
Outlook: ``We have a strong starting core,'' Clement said. ``We're basically concentrating on our offensive and defensive system. I think we'll be fairly successful.''
INDIAN RIVER
Coach: Sean Barnack
Expected standouts:
Outlook: Some coaches are viewing Indian River as a potential title contender.
OSCAR SMITH
Coach: E.T. Keil
Expected standouts: Kelvin Sykes, Sr., spiker/blocker; Duane White, Sr., passer; Travis Aherron, Jr., server/utility; Todd Swindell, Jr., server/blocker; Charles Abadam, So., passer/setter; Bryan Hartman, So., spiker/server; Ashley Harrison, Fr., passer/setter
Outlook: ``If Pavel moves to live with his dad, our chances of being a district contender are significantly diminished,'' Keil said. ``We expect to establish reasonable individual and team goals, and we will strive to attain the goals we have established. We hope to have fun.''
WESTERN BRANCH
Coach: Gary Steinfort
Expected standouts: Josh Brinkley, Sr., middle hitter; Eric Steinfort, Sr., middle hitter; Andrew Powers, Sr., setter; Bryan Puraza, Fr., setter
Outlook: ``Almost all of the players are brand new to volleyball,'' Setinfort said. ``They've played maybe a year's worth of recreational volleyball. The rest are learning.'' ILLUSTRATION: File photo
E.T. Keil brings his particular style of coaching to Oscar Smith.
by CNB