DATE: Friday, October 31, 1997              TAG: 9710290208

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 21   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAY LIDINGTON, STAFF WRITER 
                                            LENGTH:   60 lines

TRUCKERS ROLL REGIONAL TOURNEY

Their high-speed run through the Eastern District complete, the Churchland Truckers make a pit stop next week at the Eastern Region tournament.

There their opponent could be the tournament host Tallwood Lions, who defeated Churchland in a Nansemond River pre-season tournament.

If so, the Truckers think things will be different this time around because now they're a more solid team. One of their leaders, senior Kim Keefer, was playing her first game at setter when the two teams met the first time. She, along with her teammates, is more comfortable now.

``We've improved a lot,'' said the Truckers' Melissa Betts. ``We've got a good team and we know how to work together.''

Churchland outdid itself this season, rolling through the district season with a 12-0 record. The Truckers lost only one district game last year, to Booker T. Washington. Churchland is the No. 5 team in the Virginian-Pilot's South Hampton Roads girls volleyball poll this week.

But if there is a weak spot in the Churchland armor, it is lack of experience against quality opponents. The Truckers went 4-2 in non-conference games this year. One of their losses came to Western Branch, among the top teams in the Southeastern District.

Churchland didn't get to play a match against Southeastern District champion Indian River because of scheduling conflicts and lost last year in the first round of regionals to Cox, the eventual state champions.

``I don't think they realized what it would be like,'' said Churchland coach Bobbi Conrad of the Western Branch loss. ``When you don't play against any competition, it's tough.''

The Eastern District teams, including Churchland, don't have the access to recreation-league volleyball that the Chesapeake and Virginia Beach schools have and off-season games are usually held at least 45 minutes away from western Portsmouth.

Churchland hasn't seen much in the way of vicious spikers, the key difference between the sport in the Eastern District and the rest of Hampton Roads. Players elsewhere may have a better concept of the timing and topspin that make for an effective spike.

``We just don't see that much dinking and hard kills,'' Conrad said.

The Truckers have tried to make up lost ground through active recruiting. Betts and Tawanda Brown were recruits from the school's basketball and softball programs. Combined with the Keefers, they are the best four players in the district, Conrad said.

``You can train them and show them how to play,'' Conrad said. ``All they know is from P.E. class,'' an experience akin to playing ``dodgeball with a net,'' as one volleyball official said.

``They have stepped up tremendously,'' Kayt Keefer said of her teammates. ``Their names will be in the papers next year.''

``We weren't sure,'' Kim Keefer said about Brown's first season with the team. ``By the end of the season, she came on. She picked it up really quick.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JAY LIDINGTON

Churchland volleyball team members celebrate with their father after

a a recent game. The Truckers are ranked fifth by the Pilot this

week.

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