Spikers take center stage

The Sutter High volleyball team has it's goal set on winning a fifth straight section title.

East Nicolaus is gunning for a second straight trip to the state tournament.

And some schools just want to stay competitive as league play starts this week for many Mid-Valley programs.

For Sutter (20-3), its 2009 Butte View League campaign starts by facing their biggest rival and challenger for the league crown. But when the Huskies travel to Gridley (8-8) tonight, a decisively younger team than in years past will take the floor.

Gone are players like former Appeal-Democrat MVP Whitney Lee — now a scholarship player at West Virginia — but in her place are powerful hitters like sophomore Angela Dehaan. This year, the underclassmen has smacked 75 kills.

Junior outside hitters Brenna McDonald and Katelyn Olson will also help push the Huskies toward realizing their postseason aspirations. McDonald has pummeled a team-high 91 kills and Olson has chipped in with 56 to compose a solid attack.

"They are just pounding the ball, every touch they get better and better," Huskies coach Ann Reynolds said.

All the power up front is anchored by returning senior libero Audrey Durfor.

To stop the vaunted Huskies, Gridley will employ a trio of seniors that have racked up kills through the Bulldogs' first 16 games. McKenna Cox has tallied a 102 kills, Kasey Blenn has 96 and Sheena Ruggirello notched 49 through nonleague play.

While Sutter and Gridley look to be the front runners in the BVL, Wheatland coach Ashley DeMello wants to see her Pirates (7-5) be in the mix.

In order for that to happen, the Pirates will need Emma Kuntz to continue to play well. A junior in her first varsity season, Kuntz moved from outside hitter to middle blocker and so far the transition has been almost seamless, DeMello said. "As an all around athlete, she's a powerhouse," the coach said. "She's strong and coordinated, it's all about her finding her comfort zone."

Down Highway 70 in East Nicolaus, things are only getting better. A year after making the state tournament for the first time in school history and falling just short in the Northern Section Division V title game, the Spartans (9-3) are even more stacked than before.

Much of that is due to the addition of Stephanie Hagins, who supplements the already strong Spartans with 94 kills, 61 digs and 27 aces.

Returning for East Nicolaus is stellar setter Haley Uhland, who led the team last team season as a sophomore. This season she is starting to cement herself as one of the best all around players in the area with 230 assists, 46 kills, 67 digs and 32 aces.

She is joined by Juliet Conant, an A-D first team All-Area player from 2008, who has tallied 77 kills.

With such talent, the Spartans are poised to make a run at the Mid-Valley league title. In the process they will play local teams Biggs (2-8) and Williams (1-6) but their biggest challenge will be Hamilton (34-6), who got the best of them in both regular season matchups and the section championship game.

In the Sacramento Valley League, three local teams — Colusa (2-5), Live Oak (6-4) and Pierce (2-8) will attempt to dethrone 2008 champion Durham, which went 10-0 in league last season.

Over in the Sac-Joaquin section, Yuba City (5-6) is led by Taylor Thompson. The senior captain has 59 kills and will be a focal point as the Honkers embark into Tri-County Conference competition.

Across town at River Valley (3-9), new coach Jenny Dove is working on turning the Falcons into a cohesive unit capable of competing in the highly competitive TCC. Right now their biggest problem is simply finishing, she said.

"We're learning how to win," Dove said. "We're playing everybody well but we haven't finished."

In order to accomplish her goal, Dove is leaning on team captain Hayley Thompson (45 kills), Taylor Loehrer (52 kills) and new addition Alex Tanner (50 kills).

In Yuba county, both Marysville (2-9, 2-0) and Lindhurst (1-8, 1-1) began Golden Empire League play last week. In the GEL, both the Blazers' and Indians' biggest challenge will be Golden Sierra, which went undefeated in league last season.