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sports: women's volleyball

Rule changes, tough schedule for 49ers

By Marten Lewerth
On-line Forty-Niner

A major rule change and one of the toughest schedules in recent memory will greet the veteran-heavy Long Beach State women's volleyball team as its 2001 season begins this weekend.

In a move that went against the wishes of 49er Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro and other coaches across the nation, the NCAA did away with the side-out rule in favor of the rally-scoring method.

Unlike the side-out system, teams will now be awarded points on every play, thereby speeding up the pace of the game.

Gimmillaro said he was not pleased with the change, although the rally-scoring method may be a boon for his team's main strength -- the attack.

"I'm not saying it doesn't benefit the Long Beach style, but I just don't think it's best for the game," he said. "I don't think errors should be rewarded on the scoreboard everytime. I mean, a turnover in basketball isn't an automatic point for the other team. It's just too easy to score."

The 49ers return a talented cast led by five starters from the 2000 squad that went 28-8 overall and 11-5 in the Big West Conference before falling to Hawai'i in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Only two players are gone from last year's team -- defensive specialist Melissa Ohta and outside hitter Mariah Marquis.

Filling Ohta's spot will be difficult since the former co-captain brought an array of talents to the floor. As a result, junior defensive specialist Tracy Bulquerin will see her playing time increase and other players such as senior middle blocker Tayyiba Haneef will be asked to place a higher focus on defense.

The Beach was recently picked to win the Big West title in a near unanimous vote of the conference's coaches, finishing ahead of 2000 champion Pacific and highly touted UC Santa Barbara. The 49ers also ranked high in two preseason polls -- No. 3 by Volleyball Magazine and No. 8 in the AVCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.

A serious gauge of these preseason accolades will come Saturday night at The Pyramid with a match against the Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0), the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and defending NCAA champions. Nebraska boasts four All-Americans, including AVCA National Player of the Year Greichaly Cepero and Nancy Metcalf, who returns to the roster after training with the U.S. national team last year.

"This weekend will be very tough," Gimmillaro said. "Nebraska is undefeated, and their very best player [Metcalf] redshirted last season. They're a much better team than they were last year."

Haneef said the team is ready for Nebraska.

"We can't wait for that," she said. "We want to show them we're going to be No. 1 no matter what the polls say."

A 49er with extra incentives in the match will be Brittany Hochevar, who picked LBSU over Nebraska when deciding where to play collegially.

"I am so fired up," Hochevar said. "There's going to be a little extra heat behind what I bring out there on Saturday."

No matter the opponent, the 49ers will rely on a central core of players to get the job done. If a trip to the Final Four is in the cards this season, the following athletes will need to produce at a high level each night.

The Big Five

• Cheryl Weaver - middle blocker, senior: A two-time All-American and co-Big West player of the year in 2000, Weaver paced the 49ers with 546 kills (4.63 kpg) and 191 blocks (1.62 bpg) last season. The team's No. 1 gunner and go-to-player in all situations, Weaver is without a doubt one of the premier young middle blockers in the nation. Period.

 
• Tayyiba Haneef - outside hitter, graduate student: An intimidating force at the front of the net, the 6-foot-7 Haneef ranked second on the team on the attack in 2000 by posting 418 kills (4.27 kpg). A two-time first team all-conference performer, Haneef will also be asked to contribute from the backcourt this year.

 
• Brittany Hochevar - outside hitter/setter, junior: Hochevar began the 2000 season as the starting setter, but team injuries forced a switch to the outside position. The squad's best server (61 aces) and perhaps most versatile player, Hochevar's performance and drive are never an issue. She will start on the right side.

 
• Keri Nishimoto - setter, senior: Maturity, intelligence and experience are words Gimmillaro uses when describing Nishimoto, a third-team Academic All-American in 2000. The 49ers went 9-1 after Nishimoto took over as setter last season and she currently sits in fourth place on the 49ers' all-time assists chart with 2,095.

 
• Elisha Thomas - middle blocker, junior: A formidable counterpart to Weaver, Thomas' stock rose as the 2000 season wore on. She finished last year's campaign third on the team in kills (334, 2.85 kpg) and second in blocks (141, 1.21 bpg). Thomas also has a knack for getting under the skin of opponents' front-row players.

• Lindsay Phillips - outside hitter, junior: Phillips played in only eight games last year before going down with a season-ending knee injury. In that short period she tallied 30 kills (3.75 kpg) and 22 digs (2.75 dpg), and the 49ers struggled a bit offensively without her in the lineup.

Phillips was expected to be 100 percent by the beginning of this season, but a recent ankle injury will relegate her to playing backcourt until she is healthy.

"We hoped Lindsay would be back by this time and she's not," Gimmillaro said, "but everybody else has developed, so the team is very solid."

Rounding out the lineup are outside hitter Ashanti Taylor, who will see time on the front lines while Phillips recovers, and backcourt mainstay Tracy Bulquerin. Redshirt freshmen Kelsey Young and April Varner will also see action.

The 49ers open the 2001 season Friday with a match against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at 7:30 p.m., followed by a showdown with No. 1 Nebraska Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be played at The Pyramid and the Nebraska match will be broadcast live by kbeach.org.

Sports Information
Cheryl Weaver was one of the big guns for Long Beach State last season, leading the team in kills and blocks. She will be one of several players counted on to help lead the 49er this year.

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