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Westlake up to the challenge for Marmonte League title
Unlike league powerhouses Thousand Oaks High and Moorpark High, the Warriors, with few returnees, feature a largely inexperienced team. Top players Alex Johnson, who led the team last year with 322 kills, and Cathy Quilico, with a team-high 478 digs, have graduated. And temporarily absent from the team is senior Mimi Sander, who won't see action for the first third of the season due to unspecified disciplinary reasons. Head coach Ernest Rittenhouse is hoping that even though the team is missing some of last year's top players, 2007 will not be a rebuilding year. "The underlying thing about this team is that we are not young, we are just inexperienced," Rittenhouse said. "We have a lot of seniors on the team, but they're seniors that haven't played before. "It's hard to tell yet whether or not this is a rebuilding year because we haven't really played any games yet. Once the team takes the court under the lights and a big crowd, we'll start to know what kind of team this is. Some teams respond well to that type of atmosphere. Some play worse." If Westlake wants to maintain a winning record, the team will need stellar play from its three returnees. Those include senior middle blocker Kaitlyn Watase, who recorded 121 kills, 46 blocks and 20 aces in 2006, and outside hitters Michelle Ketter and Michelle Osinski. Osinski had a good year in '06 by registering 30 kills and 45 digs in limited playing time. "There are some girls on this team like Michelle (Osinski) who played last year but didn't have as big of a role," Rittenhouse said. "Now that she's returning I'm going to be relying on her a little more this season." Ketter, who played last year as a sophomore, recorded 110 kills and 34 blocks. Rittenhouse described Ketter as a little smaller than a typical middle blocker but one whose speed gives her an edge. In fact, Ketter said, the Warrior team overall is smaller in stature than in past years. "We're a lot smaller than other teams, and I think because of that we'll probably be running a quicker offense than usual," she said. "I think our speed and how consistent we play throughout a game will be the biggest factors to our success this season." Ketter said that having a year's worth of varsity experience has made her feel more confident this year. Advice given to her last year from Johnson has also boosted her resolve. "She told me to never feel intimidated by another team," Ketter said. "She told me that I am just as good, if not better, than any of the competition. I think that helped me and I plan on being a little more vocal on the court this year because of it." Joining the three returnees after a solid year in '06 at the junior varsity level is newcomer Dena Gallucci. "Dena is a very solid player and will be our main setter this year," Rittenhouse said. "I think a lot of the team's success will be because of her. She has really played great early on in practices." Rounding out the Warrior roster are Megan Tuttle, Jessica Kane, Melissa Johnson, Colleen Ceglarski, Stephanie Cohen and Vicki Lou. Rittenhouse, who coached the boys' team at Camarillo for 10 years before taking over the Westlake job in 2004, said he knows all about rebuilding years after losing many players to graduation. "I think what a lot of people associate with experience is consistency, and we're going to have to be consistent in order to win in this league. I've been in situations where we had to rebuild, but I'm not sure we're going to have to do that yet. There are a lot of good players on this team." Westlake plays tomorrow at Oak Park with game time set for 6 p.m. |
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