Sharp shooter Shayla

By Michael Ashcraft --

Five brothers is what it took. Shayla Papik had to fight off five brothers in her childhood. She was the only girl.

Some brutal strength -- core and arm-whip -- tamed the Wolves, at the net and from the service line, where Shayla, a sophomore at Lighthouse Christian Academy, launched rockets with more efficacy than Hamas. (If the terrorists come recruiting, the answer is no.)

Where did she get such strength? Shayla, who has no time for journalistic hype, offered a prosaic answer. "Working out with (team captain) Allie (Scribner)," she deadpanned.

She smacked the ball. Wildwood got gobsmacked. She started serving in the match, and she finished off the match serving. Her marksmanship was notable.

Whatever its origin, her prowess and power helped the Saints send Wildwood home with their tails between their legs in three straight sets Tuesday at Penmar Park: 25:20, 25:18, 25-17. It was a non league game, LCA's second this season.

"Shayla served one ball and in my mind I wanted her to serve there but I didn't tell her, and she served it right there," says Coach Jessica Young (apparently coach uses mental telepathy). "She is strong -- and calm. She's really good at a fast hit at the net."

Shayla wasn't the only one manhandling her opponents.

"The girls were adapting and changing to the situation," Coach Jessica says. "The girls are so well-rounded and can play so many different positions. At one point, I thought Shayla was getting tired on the setting, just having to get to a lot of place. At that moment, I said, 'Dahlia, set this ball for these rotations.' She did great.

"It increased the energy of the team."

What's extraordinary about that is that Dahlia Gonzalez is the Saints' main hitter. She's not the setter. Hitting with concussion-producing speed, Dahlia was deadly Tuesday with 11 kills at the net.

Eleven kills? That makes a mass murderer.

"All of us have been hit by her balls in practice and they hurt," Jessica warns. "They're dangerous."

So Dangerous Dahlia is now setter?

Welcome to Dollywood.

Her little sister, Riley Gonzalez, also got a hit. What's extraordinary about that? She only 5'2". Call her the Tiny Giant because she stood proud. As a freshman, she dug balls, nailed serves and, surprisingly, joined LCA's hit squad.

Per usual, Allie Scribner powered the team with ace serves, critical setting and pinpoint kills. When the Saints were losing (by one point) in the third set, Allie rallied her team with some mind-boggling athleticism.

This is what she does. It's so common that it hardly gets noted in the news. It's just expected.

Karine Kaiser, a sophomore, contributed with blocks and hits from center. She's becoming more and more of key player, less of a "fill-in."

"It was really cool to see them help each other," says Coach Jessica.

LCA next competes in a volleyball tournament on Aug. 31.

Read more: the Jill Chills (Game 1).

About this reporter: Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.