Austin Jertberg passes while teammate Jack Chapman (L)
prepares to set or spike against Parker.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
"Jake (Northrup), Curran (Robertson), and Austin (Jertberg)--those three, along with (sand) newcomer Jack Chapman make up our top four players," says Vikings sand volleyball coach Dave Jones. "They're almost interchangeable, due to individual strengths and weaknesses that bring a lot of parity to the group."
To the advantage of the Vikings (not called La Jolla High at this point, because the sport is not officially sanctioned by CIF yet) athletes, Jones has been one of the moving forces in organizing the sand volleyball league. The Sept. 11 La Jolla-Parker match was held at Ocean Beach, off Voltaire St. The "home" site for the Vikings, if there is one, is at Mission Beach near Brighton St.
"Austin and Jack were our 'A' pair for the first match of the season," reports Jones, "while Jake and Curran were our 'A' pair for our second match of the season last week (versus Parker)." Jertberg and Chapman are seniors, Northrup and Robertson are juniors.
"They're (the top four) almost interchangeable, due to individual strengths and weaknesses..." --Viking coach Dave Jones
What Jones does is have the pairs face off in practice against each other each week to determine which pair will be A, B, and C. It's like what happens in band when clarinetists and flutists compete against each other for first chair.
"Jack is still learning the differences of the outdoor game, but his athleticism makes up the difference to keep him in that upper group of four players."
Volleyball is a pretty serious and skilled sport as practiced in San Diego. At the Vikings' match Sept. 11, the atmosphere was relaxed, with many intersquad and intrasquad games going on on the various courts at Ocean Beach. But it was also competitive. Coaches were chatting with one another as players played. The athletes were drenched with sweat in the muggy, sizzling heat that we've experienced lately.
I thought of some of the teams that come from out of the Southern California area to the Beach City Invitational each fall and spring, from areas where volleyball is not as popular or as competitive and where skills are at a much less developed level. Those teams come in pretty wide-eyed at the San Diego and other Southern California teams who have players who have played year-round, or on a club squad. There's no replacement for game experience and highly-skilled coaching.
Jones, who will only coach boys this year--in sand in the fall, on the court at school next spring--adds, "Another strength of our team is that the guys really enjoy taking their games to the beach and playing with one another."
Copyright 2014 Ed Piper
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