By Ed Piper, Jr.
Paige Kaufman, a seasoned junior, and Maya Gessner, a freshman, had never played together. Yet they vanquished their foes on Our Lady of Peace 22-20, 21-15, Thurs., March 16, figuring out all the communication issues, signals, and court coverage.
"It went really well," said Kaufman, reclining next to one of the volleyball courts at Coronado Street in South Mission Beach, her playing mission for the day accomplished. "She (Maya) really stepped up. She really played well."
First lesson the junior knows: Give plaudits to your younger partner.
Asked what her own strengths are, the tall junior who played in the number-three pair, watching teammates play in a different match, said, "Defense. Playing well defensively and trying not to let anything drop."
A graphic turn of phrase, the latter, since if the ball drops, that means it hits the sand--dead ball, point lost.
New head coach Kelly Drobeck, she of the Cathedral Catholic background, was on the other side of the stretched cords serving as court boundaries, busily observing another pair as the Vikings competed against OLP. This was the third week of the SDVBA season. La Jolla won in its first two weeks.
Kaufman has been in Drobeck's program for a while. She played club volleyball under the veteran, future-Hall-of-Fame coach. The teen now only plays sand volleyball, and says she isn't going for a college scholarship in the sport.
"If it comes along, that's fine. But I'm not shooting for it at this point."
She's got the normal responsibilities of a high school upperclassperson, with homework, family responsibilities, and so forth. Dad Pete comes along and asks if she's ready to take a ride home, since he's her ride.
"I parked 10 blocks away," he says, commiserating with a visitor who likewise struggled to find a parking spot in any one of the narrow alleys that dot Mission Beach. The street parking along Mission Beach Blvd. was completely filled outside the myriad of beach residences along the strip.
The looming issue for Kaufman family: what's for dinner. Dad Pete says he has to come up with a plan, and it is already begging 5:00, the trip up the hill to La Jolla through commuter-time traffic yet to happen.
"You'll have to grill up some more salmon for Paige," the visitor says, attempting to inject some humor right after interviewing the high school student and learning her proclivity for the pink fish. Dessert sounds easier: She says doesn't really have a treat that stands out. But she does remember as a child going to Mr. Frosti's.
As far as her coach, Kaufman explained, "She breaks everything (in practice) into every aspect. We start with passing, then transition to hitting... Then she combines everything and we play a game. She lets us play a lot, which really helps.
"In club, she'd have us focus on one skill and get that down. Then go on to another skill.
"She (Drobeck) really knows the technical aspects (of volleyball).
Probed how her coach sets her up mentally, the junior said, "She's never negative. She always helps you through it. It's always constructive criticism, so she always makes you want to play for her."
Kaufman contrasted sand with court volleyball: "(In sand) it's only you and your partner. In high school (court) volleyball, you have your coaches all the time. In beach volleyball, you have to figure it out." She seemed to welcome the freedom this affords.
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