Spikers Head North for Mitty Tourney

The Palisades High girls varsity volleyball team begins its season in the familiar position of having to defend the City Section championship after capturing the Division II crown last fall.

In an effort to prepare his team for another title run head coach Chris Forrest has lined up three tough tournaments, the first of which starts Friday in San Jose. The Dolphins are seeded No. 13 out of 16 teams in the Archbishop Mitty Invitational and will be underdogs for one of the few times all season. 

Having lost only three starters to graduation, Palisades is the favorite to repeat as City champion and junior outside hitters Katie Kaufman, Molly Kornfeind and Shanna Scott and senior setter Meghan Middleton are big reasons why. Also back is libero Maddie Hausberg, who played a pivotal role in the championship match against Sun Valley Poly in November.

The seniors are Hausberg, Middleton, opposite hitters Maddy Grey,  Jenevieve Norris and Brittany Butts, outside hitter Jenna Sherman and defensive specialist Christina Noel. Rounding out the roster are junior middle blocker Bailey Butts, sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Krems, sophomore outside hitter Caroline Grande and freshman middle blocker Kathryn Clark. 

"I'm pretty confident that as long as everyone stays healthy we'll win City again," said Forrest, excited to begin his fifth season at Palisades. "We more than held our own in a scrimmage with Notre Dame Academy last week and we played Taft in a summer league match and split with them even though we were missing three starters. I'm looking forward to seeing them again in the playoffs."

The Mitty Tournament is loaded with powerhouse teams, including top-seeded Palo Alto, which beat Long Beach Poly in five sets to win the Division I state championship last season. Palisades opens bracket play Friday at 4 p.m. against fourth-seeded Presentation of San Jose, which finished 34-6 last year and was the CIF Central Coast Section Division II runner-up. 

If Palisades loses its first match it will drop to the loser's bracket and play the loser of the match between No. 5 Santa Margarita and No. 12 Campolindo. Should the Dolphins upset Presentation they will advance to the second round of the winner's bracket to face the winner of the Santa Margarita-Campolindo match. The consolation final is at 4 p.m. Saturday, followed by the championship final 6.

Click here to view the complete tournament draw and schedule.

"I don't care where we finish, we're just there for the competition," Forrest said. "Every team we play up there is going to be better than anyone in our league, so it's all about improving as we go along."

Regaining the league title will be priority No. 1 for the Dolphins, who finished second to archrival Venice in the Western League last season before upsetting the Gondos in the City semifinals.

Next weekend, the Dolphins will travel south for the La Jolla Beach City Invitational in San Diego. The Dolphins' third tournament will be the Redondo Varsity Power Classic the weekend before the start of the City playoffs.

"I like these tournaments because we can challenge ourselves," said Forrest, who piloted Palisades to a 88-33-2 record and three section titles in his first four seasons. "The ultimate goal is to be playing your best at the end of the season."

The City Division II playoffs begin Nov. 3 and the championship match is Nov. 19 at Roybal Learning Center in Los Angeles. Palisades players may want to circle the date on their calendars.

2011 PALIHI GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 16 -- at Archbishop Mitty Invitational                 

Saturday, Sept. 17 -- at Archbishop Mitty Invitational                 

Tuesday, Sept. 20 -- vs. Marlborough, 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 21 -- vs. LACES, 4 p.m.*                                 

Friday, Sept. 23 -- at La Jolla Beach City Invitational

Saturday, Sept. 24  -- at La Jolla Beach City Invitational

Monday, Sept. 26 -- vs. Venice, 4 p.m.*

Wednesday, Sept. 28 -- at Hamilton, 4 p.m.*

Monday, Oct. 3 -- vs. University, 4 p.m.*

Wednesday, Oct. 5 -- at Fairfax, 4 p.m.*

Friday, Oct. 7 -- vs. Westchester, 4 p.m.*

Monday, Oct. 10 -- at San Pedro, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 12 -- at LACES, 4 p.m.*

Monday, Oct. 17 -- at Venice, 4 p.m.*

Wednesday, Oct. 19 -- vs. Hamilton, 4 p.m.*

Friday, Oct. 21 -- at University, 4 p.m.*

Monday, Oct. 24 -- vs. Fairfax, 4 p.m.*

Wednesday, Oct. 26 -- at Westchester, 4 p.m.*

Friday, Oct. 28 -- at Redondo Varsity Power Classic

Saturday, Oct. 28 -- at Redondo Varsity Power Classic

* Western League match