THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 3, 1996 TAG: 9610010132
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY VICKI L. FRIEDMAN, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 75 lines
SHORTLY AFTER 2 P.M. at the Norview gym, the scene is chaotic as coaches shuffle football players to practice, tennis and field hockey players gather their gear to head outside and the Pilots girls volleyball team scrambles to put up a net on the floor. Amid it all, it might be easy to miss the eight guys, all relatively small in height, who make up the Norview boys volleyball team.
But Norview isn't to be dismissed this year in the Eastern District. With a 5-2 record at this writing, the Pilots are ranked fifth in The Virginian-Pilot's weekly poll in a season that already includes a win over defending district champ Maury.
Norview beating Maury in any sport is a real motivator, says coach Danny Dail.
How big was that win?
``Humongous,'' says Dail, wearing a T-shirt that spells ``Pride'' in bold blue letters.
``It was the best thing we ever did,'' says junior Jon Robinson. ``Maury basically stomped us last year. Maury was the only team that we failed to defeat at all. . . . It was something we had never done until this year. Then we go out and do it at home and with our style of play.''
The Norview style, a la Dail, emphasizes placement over power, a necessity when your tallest guy, being Andre Davis, is 6-foot-1. The rest, including Dail, are somewhere in the 5-7 range. Bottom line for the Pilots therefore: Killing is not the only way to win. Dail often instructs players to opt for dinks to the side rather than hammering the ball only to have it blocked by a taller opponent.
``We're not real fast,'' he says. ``If you've got speed, you can attack and worry about getting back for defense. We're more a positional team.''
Boys volleyball was introduced in the Norfolk schools two years ago. This is Dail's first year coaching boys. He was last year's girls coach but has since switched positions with Vicki Keener, last year's boys coach. While Keener drilled them in basics, Dail is able to teach a more advanced offense thanks to having six returners. Also, many of the players say they can relate to having a male coach more than a female.
``If Dail says something, it's the Bible,'' Robinson says.
Yet practices at Norview continue to be a balancing act. Most everybody on the team works outside of school, and many juggle volleyball with other fall sports. Two run cross country, including senior Lee Oliveras.
Last week Oliveras ran in a cross country meet at 4:30 and then joined his volleyball teammates at 6 in a game against Booker T. Washington.
Good thing, too. ``If one person's not here, we'll lose,'' assures junior Willie Richards.
That team aspect is what keeps the Pilots focused. Volleyball can be a hard sell at Norview when the football team is in contention for a district title and a lack of understanding of the game is commonplace. The Pilots stress that they are not an extension of the game once reserved for physical education classes.
``They think anybody can do volleyball,'' Oliveras says of many of his classmates. ``They don't understand the mental part. They think it's easy to hit the ball over the net. There's a lot more going on.''
Like teamwork.
``When you get football, you get numbers like 50, 60 players on a team,'' Robinson says, ``and it's a lot better playing on a small team like this. You have more of a chance to make an impact.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER
Junior Willie Richards goes up to spike the volleyball during a
practice.
Senior Lee Oliveras goes for a big hit. Last week, Oliveras ran in a
cross country meet, then joined his volleyball teammates for a game.
Jon Robinson, a junior, digs out the ball during a practice at
Norview.
KEYWORDS: BOYS VOLLEYBALL by CNB