by Araceli Esparza
Editorial Assistant
With the commencement of the 1998 spring semester only a few months ahead, the University of La Verne’s men’s volleyball team has begun preparing for a new and competitive season.
Under new head coach Jack Coberly, ULV’s Division I men’s team consists of nine returning players and four new members. As a whole, it has great anticipations for the upcoming season.
“Our main goal for sure is to go win at the small college national championships in Springfield, Mass.,” said senior Morgan Coberly, who looks forward to his second year as a setter for ULV.
Morgan believes that last year’s team was rather young, and those players who had experience were simply too new to the program. Though the 1997 team concluded the season with a 4-21 record, Morgan believes the 1998 team is much more experienced.
Aside from the offensive ability of Morgan as a setter, the entire team possesses qualities which are key to a successful and exciting season.
Included is junior Chris Peterson, who will begin his third year on the team. According to Peterson, past seasons on the team have been different from what he has seen thus far in the 1998 team.
“[In previous seasons] most of the guys are out there for individual reasons, that’s been a real negative,” Peterson said. “This year is a huge change; the coaching change is a big reason for that.”
When Jack was hired last April, he arrived with a goal he set out to accomplish 20 years ago-to coach a Division I team.
As the opportunity has now arrived, Jack has learned about the team’s past through his son, Morgan, and has since developed personal expectations for the upcoming season.
“First of all, we want to try and get the group to come together as a team and play together as a team,” said Jack. As far as pure record, he wants to try to get .500 winning percentage, or win 50 percent of the matches, to get to small college national championships.
“We’ve never been to the final four [small college national championships] and they just started it last year. It’s a very attainable goal if we just have a decent season,” said Peterson.
Other players for the team include freshmen Agke Grow, Jason Kolodge and Alex Lienert, sophomores Jeremy Collins and Ryan Orr, juniors Sean Douglas and David Raumbaugh and seniors Ryan Allen, Joel Harworth, Troy Langley and Jeff Pang.
“The key for this team is versatility. We need to begin eliminating unforced errors, and start winning games, if not matches,” Coberly said.
As far as any challenges, he believes that the most difficult thing with any team is breaking old habits. By getting the team focused on what is necessary, Coberly is ready to assist in making those changes for the 1998 team.
“I don’t think this team has major setbacks. I’m incredibly optimistic for the season,” he said. “Win or lose, we’re going to put on a good contest. For me as a coach, this is where I need to be.”
The men’s volleyball team will face its first competitor tomorrow in a round-robin scrimmage at UC Irvine. In the tournament, the men will compete against UCI, Long Beach State and San Diego State. The team’s first game is scheduled for Jan. 8 against Pepperdine in Malibu.
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.
