Lancer volleyball team returns a strong cast of championship-minded players

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BY THE BOOK—Thousand Oaks netter Deanna Elias demonstrates the perfect way to make a pass. The past two years the Thousand Oaks girls’ volleyball team has reached the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) quarterfinals.

The goal this year is to take it a couple of steps further.

“Hopefully we’ll get past the quarterfinals because we’ve been stuck there the last two years,” said Lancer senior Sara Kenna, who’s in her third year as a varsity player.

Yariv Lerner, the T.O. head coach, believes his team has the capacity to exceed the accomplishments of the previous two seasons.

NEXT STEP—Thousand Oaks players like Megan Fischer hope to see the Lancers advance beyond the Div. I quarterfinals this season. Head coach Yariv Lerner said the group has enough talent and experience to accomplish its goals. JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers But Lerner has made it clear to his team there are no guarantees.

“It’s different every year,” he said, “even if you have the same players. We still haven’t been anywhere, haven’t done anything, yet.”

The idea is to keep his Lancer players hungry.

“Even though it looks like the same cast, in my mind it’s a fresh slate,” said Lerner. “I’m just looking for who’s going to step up this year.”

Last year’s team was comprised mainly of juniors and sophomores (after losing several seniors from the 2003 team that reached the quarterfinals).

Most of Lerner’s players return this year.

“I think this year we have the team and the talent,” said senior outside hitter Kristen Berthiaume, also a third-year varsity member. “We can get there. We can go farther.”

The Lancers will play an ambitious non-league schedule prior to Marmonte League play. Valencia, San Marcos and perennial powerhouse La Reina of Thousand Oaks, are early season matchups.

And then the always tough Marmonte League should help prepare Thousand Oaks for the playoffs.

“League is going to be good,” Lerner said. “Royal is always good and Westlake and Simi (Valley) are looking good, too.”

Kenna agreed that the Marmonte League will be its usual dogfight.

“There are a few pretty good teams in league,” she said. “It seems like everybody has a lot of returners.”

Along with Kenna and Berthiaume, the Lancers include Jackie Bucher, Deanna Elias, Jenna Clark, Victoria Boden, Amanda Snyder, Keri Reinholm, Rebecca Robertson, Becca Clancy, Megan Fischer and Rachelle Loehner.

Lerner said his team utilizes a diverse attack that’s stable and consistent, but without superstars.

“We’re experienced and competitive and we’ve got a lot of good talent in the gym,” he said. “And we’re a very balanced team. We don’t have a superstar out there but we don’t have a weakness, either.”

Even though some of the Lancer players didn’t play club volleyball in the offseason, the team looks sharp in practice so far.

“I’m actually kind of surprised because we had a few girls who didn’t play club,” said Berthiaume. “But it’s coming along nicely. I think we’re doing a lot better than I expected, so far.”

Said Lerner, “We just have good practices. We have 12 good players that play hard at practice and that makes us better all around.”

The Lancer players hope to erase the sting of two straight quarterfinal playoff losses.

“That was a heartbreaker, two years in a row getting to the quarterfinals but losing,” said Berthiaume.

Her teammate, Kenna, said this is the year to break the quarterfinal hex.

“I’m hoping that when I end my high school volleyball career it will be the best year,” said Kenna. “This is the year to do it.”