Lady Bees Volleyball

HOLD OFF LATE EAGLES CHARGE FOR SWEEP

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Thursday night, September 2, 2010

NORTH OLMSTED – Brecksville-Broadview Heights held off a late rally by host North Olmsted in the third game here tonight to escape with their third straight victory sweep to open the young 2010 season.

With a 25-13, 25-15, 25-21 performance the Lady Bees upped their record to 3-0 overall and to 2-0 in the Southwestern Conference.

North Olmsted, a much improved club this year, fell to 0-2 overall and to 0-2 in the SWC.

Brecksville, who will entertain SWC favorite Olmsted Falls in the league headliner on Tuesday at the fabulous Bee Hive, managed to run away with a pair of conference matches on the road in extremely hot gymnasiums this week. Their effort and result was a testament to mental toughness, a quality that championship teams, by nature, possess.

Sohomore setter Natalie “Scooter” May set-up senior hitter Ashley King with a home run ball and King pounced on it to give Brecksville a, 10-4, lead in the opener.

“Their comeback wasn’t that big of a deal.” Said King. “We do everything in practice to prepare for this and we just keep getting better and better.”

The Eagles went on a mini 3-0 run to narrow the gap to 14-9 before senior Andrea Green hustled her way to a ball that almost hit the ground. Green tipped it up and a teammate got it over the net. On the return the Bees Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski was there for the block and that enabled the Bees to buzz to a 16-9 advantage.

With the wind now out of the Eagles wings, Green served for an ace and junior Hannah Nowacki set both Chrzanowski and Sarah Orlandi up for decisive kills in the, 25-13, win.

“We may have gotten a little over-confident after our first two matches. We had to get ourselves grounded, get re-focused and start back again.” Orlandi said. “And I think we did that toward the end.”

The second game was tied for the eighth time at a dozen each when Greens’ service point gave the Bees a, 14-12, lead. On the next play Green dove for a ball destined for the floor and in the process her head connected with the hardwood, leaving the senior slightly woozy.

Green remained in the game for a few more plays and racked up another service point before Chrzanowski’s pair of death darts forced North Olmsted to call for a time out trailing, 18-12.

During the timeout Green was visited by North Olmsted trainer Stacy Slack. Green said that she was all right, but those in charge thought it better that she sat the rest of the evening out. At the end of the match Green was sporting a nice sized knot as a battle wound on her forehead.

Another kill and a block by Orlandi kept the Bees rolling. Junior Jessica Scott got into the act with a kill and block of her own and when the Eagles commited a hitting error Brecksville had game two locked up by the tally of, 25-15.

With Green (ice bag in hand) taking it easy on a night that had many feeling light-headed on acccount of the heat, Bridgette Odabashian took her place. Odabashian, a veteran junior, performed steadily.

Orlandis’ ace gave the Bees a, 15-11, lead in the third set. But the Lady Eagles weren’t about to fly away.

North Olmsted battled back to take a 19-18 lead forcing Brecksville head coach Danny Irving to use his first time out of the campaign.

Full of confidence and with their trademark  Rock Star swagger back, Brecksville raced to a, 24-20, lead as Chrzanowski returned a ball to sender, Orlandi killed another and Nowacki’s running left-hand serve fell cleanly in for an ace. To round out the scoring Chrzanowski blasted one home for the match winner on a perfect set from Nowacki.

“We are confident and we do play good together.” Said King. “And it was important that we got through this part of the schedule.”

It was an all-around team effort for BBHHS.

“Even though we are 3-0 we know that we have a tough match coming up on Tuesday in Olmsted Falls.” King said in a post-match chat.

“We’ve had back-to-back road matches which is tough to begin with. And then when you have the 90 degree days like the last two that we played on in gyms that don’t have adequate vetilation or air-conditioning, I think the heat had a little bit to do with it.” Said Irving. “Honestly though I think that we were kind of put back down to Earth tonight is what I told the kids. It was a wake-up call that we can be beaten by any team on any given night.”

Brecksville will practice on Friday at 5:30 pm and on Monday (Labor Day) at 10:00 am to work on a few loose ends.

“We’re going to work hard on Monday and Friday in getting ready for Olmsted Falls.” Irving said.”It was a long day and night for the girl’s and I think it kind of wore on them. I think that we had a little bit of a letdown as a team.”

The Bees played the better part of the match without Green, their veteran defensive specialist who makes a living diving after balls.

“It was a big factor after we lost Greenie. She is the libero and she makes the plays back there.” Said Irving. “And we really haven’t practiced Bridgette back there at that position. That is something that, in the future, I am going to have to look into in practice.”

“Our passes weren’t there and our setters weren’t able to run our offense in a consistent manner.” Irving said. “That is something that we definitely have to shore-up before Tuesday.”

“But give credit to North Olmsted. Like I told you on Tuesday, they are scrappy. They get everything up and they play tough defense. They may be a bit unorthodox in their approach and that throws you off as a player when you see different mechanics than what you are used to. But I thought that we made good enough adjustments to come away with a 3-0 win.”

TONIGHTS OFFICIALS:

A veteran duo.

Dan Barringer (pulpit) and Jay Messner (floor).

TONIGHTS STARTERS:

BEES: Orlandi, Chrzanowski, Scott, Brinkman, King, May and Green (L).

Eagles: T. Borsz, McCord, Branchick, Kelley, D. Borsz and Toreky.

NEXT UP:

The Bee Hive will be the place to be Tuesday night when head coach Dawn Moses, super-star Dayna Roberts and the Olmsted Falls Lady Bulldogs visit bucolic Broadview Heights.

The long-anticipated showdown between the pair of league juggernauts will have a bearing on the SWC standings and eventually its final results.

“This match against Falls is huge. We are really hoping that we’ll get a big turnout. That energy in the gym will get us really pumped up.” Orlandi said. “We have put up signs everywhere in school plus we are having a food drive where if you bring two cans of food with you there is no admission charge.”

“It’s definitely going to be a high-impact game. It is going to be one of those nights where we jump a little higher, hit a little harder and run a little faster.” Irving said of the match with the rival Bulldogs. “It will be interesting going against Dayna Roberts. The tough thing for me  is that she is such a great kid I can’t get myself to dislike her as much as I’d like to.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATE:

The young Bees had a blast at home last night in their twin Southwestern Conference matches with visiting Berea Roehm.

The Seventh grade Bees took a 25-9, 25-3 victory to raise their ledger to 2-0 on the young season.

The Eighth graders blasted their guests by the tallies of 25-17 and 25-13. They, too, are undefeated with a pair of triumphs.

FRESHMEN REPORT:

The Bees upped their record to 3-0 overall with a 25-17, 25-17 victory at North Olmsted. “Julia Dean led the team in passing and Hannah Anderson served up lots of aces. Said coach Amy Mauceri. “The girl’s are getting stronger every game.”

JUNIOR VARSITY REPORT:

The junior varsity Bees dropped their first match of the year in a 2-1 set-back at North Olmsted this eveing. “We passed well in the first two games, but we played too tentative in games one and three.” Said first-year coach Amanda Gordon. “We need to play better and more consistent as a team in all two or three of our games.”

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT:

“Where is Ashley King going to play basketball? That girl can jump!” Asked game official Dan Barringer prior to first seve. Barringer is the girl’s head basketball coach at Max Hayes High School in Cleveland.

“The Buckeyes kick off is 13 minutes.” Said Irving prior to varsity first serve.

EAGLES NEST:

Despite the oppressive high heat and humidity in the gym tonight it is always nice to visit North Olmsted. They are one of only three Southwestern Conference schools that employs a house announcer for volleyball matches. Amherst Steele and Olmsted Falls does it and they do it well. And Mike Arnold, the voice of the Lady Eagles, does an outstanding job behind the microphone too.

NOT GONE  AND NOT FORGOTTEN:

As it turns out Jason Krucek is still the head coach at North Olmsted. There is not a new coach in The Eagles Nest as was erroneously reported by this site the other night.

Krucek was tipped-off to the miscue by one of his team members. It had been suspected that lots of opposing players and coaches track this website, now at least we know for sure. Lady Meteor Nation checked in this morning. It is always nice to start the day hearing from those fans in Middleburg Heights.

“I’m still the coach here unless you guys know something that I don’t know.” Krucek said, laughing it off before the match said. Krucek, one of the true good sports and positive energy coaches in the area, is in his fifth season as head coach at North Olmsted and 13th oeverall. Like Mark Twain once said. “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

Welcome back coach Krucek. Glad you never left.

VOTE OF THE NIGHT:

A new tradition, born out of the blue, has started this season. The junior varsity team members have been asked to vote as to where this scribe should take his post-match meal. The Lady Bees have taken to the fun task with great enthusiasm. Tonight’s vote was 6-4-1 with The Olive Garden getting the nod. But in the end it was The Longhorn (no votes) in Independence that won out. Sophomore Alyssa Kusanke had a swell idea. “Who don’t you just go to Frankie’s Wok? Call ahead and order, then take the food home and watch Ohio State. Plus it is the least expensive way to go.”

You got to love it!

See You at The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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STAY ON THE ROAD FOR THURSDAY NIGHT

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Wednesday morning, September 1, 2010 at 7:36 am

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS – Brecksville-Broadview Heights began defense of its Southwestern Conference championship with a three-game sweep of host Midpark last night at the steamy hot Galaxy.

The Bees (2-0, 1-0 SWC) battled their way through the ugly match and came away with the win. They did it by depending on their experienced varsity players to lead them through a few rough spots and called upon a bunch of younger players who earned valuable varsity playing time.

GAME ONE:

The Meteors (1-1, 0-1 SWC) took an early lead as they would in all three games on the hottest day of the year outside. It wasn’t much cooler indoors either.

The Bees got untracked when Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman and Ashley King put up a double block that gave the vistors a, 6-5, lead – their first of the night.

Brinkman then served the Bees to a 4-0 run forcing Midpark to call for a  time out. But back-to-back kills by junior Jessica Scott set up by junior Hannah Nowacki gave Beeville a, 17-10, advantage.

Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski, a stellar senior, rose to the occasion and pounded down three staright kills, including a loud exclamation point on the last one that gave Breckville a, 25-14, win.

GAME TWO:

King belted home a kill and then teamed-up with senior Andie Bonamer to block a Metor attempt and that gave the Bees an early, 5-2, lead.

A rivalry at the net, born during basketball season, began to unfold. King blocked Midpark star Kaila Barber at the twines and Brinkman slammed the rebound down for a, 10-2, Bees advantage.

Barber, a senior, stopped the Bees 10-0 run, but Nowacki served-up an ace and then put down a kill. Senior Andrea Green got into the scoring column with a point and the Meteors mis-served ending game two in the Bees favor, 25-13.

GAME III:

Things continued to get interesting in the finale. Sophomore Victoria Polisena and freshmen Nikki D’Anna and Sarah Milczarek saw plenty of court time and youth was served in head coach Danny Irvings “YOUTH MOVEMENT!”

The slow moving match was all that King could handle when she violently hammered a kill for a, 7-6, Brecksville lead. The Bees took a, 15-6, lead when Milczarek served up three aces over the next four points on a 10-0 run and Chrzanowski tallied on a sweet set from D’Anna for a 23-10 score.

A Midpark hitting error followed by a serving error mercifully ended the fray in favor of the Lady Bees, 25-13.

“I was scared, but it was fun.” Said freshman Nikki D’Anna. “I was nervous at first, but then I settled down. I love the Bees.”

“At the beginning it was a little nerve-wracking, but once I started serving it became a little easier.” Milczarek said. “At the varsity level the plays are faster, the practices are more intense and so is the competition.”

“It might have been boring and not a whole lot of fun to watch, but we still got out of here with a win and a win is a win.” Said Irving. “It is our first conference win and that is always the hardest one to get.”

In time a team will take on the personality of their head coach and that is what is developing with the Lady Bees early this campaign.

“I think the attitude of the team is kind of changing. We are playing with more of an aggressive style. The girls’ are taking things personally now.” Said Irving. ” I like what I see. I don’t have to say much. They just go out there and do what they do.”

“The YOUTH MOVEMENT was fun to watch. I was glad to see that.” Irving said. “We had planned on using freshman Emily Sokolowski as well, but when the junior varsity match went three games her court time was used up. I felt bad about that.”

“Milczarek went back there and rattled off three aces in a row and D’Anna looks like she was born to run this offense. It was pretty to watch.” Said Irving. “A big purpose of tonight was to bring up the younger players to push our varsity players. There are some talented young kids coming up. It is nice that they are there to push the older kids.”

“Natalie May stepped-up. The more that that everyone plays they will assume their role of leading the offense on the court and that’s what they really need to do.” Irving said.

FRESHMEN REPORT:

The young Bees swept Midpark, 25-18, 25-10 , to keep them undefetaed in both games and matches this season. “The team is improving everyday.” Said head coach Amy Mauceri. “Kate Stankey led us in kills and Sarah Filippi turned in a solid performance in the front row.”

JUNIOR VARSITY REPORT:

The Bees took care of the Lady Meteors in a marathon lid-lifter etching out a, 25-19, 16-25 and 25-22, hard fought decision.

“We served beter today and showed mental toughness in coming back to win the third game.” Said coach Amanda Gordon. “Maddie Elias passed well and Victoria Polisena came in during the third game at middle and was able to put the ball away when we needed it most.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATE:

It was a good trip to Ford Middle School in Brook Park on Monday afternoon for the younger Bees.

The seventh grade squad knocked off Ford, 25-15 and 25-9. Meanwhile the eighth grade VolleyBees handled the hosts, 25-16 and 25-9.

Both Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School teams are 1-0 this year. They will host Berea Roehm this evening as Southwestern Conference action continues.

The seventh grade starts at 4:30 pm and the eighth graders should get underway around 5:30 pm at BBHMS.

COUSINS ON THE CLUB:

Did you know that freshman Hannah Anderson and junior Bridgette Odabashian are cousins? The Broadview Heigthts residents sure are. It turns out that Andersons’ father and Odabashians mother are brother and sister.

STANCATO’S POWERED:

Senior Andrea Greens mom, Wendy, took care of the team dinner, traditional prior to road matches, and she did it in style showing up at the high school cafeteria with a bundle of catered food from Stancato’s Restaurant in Parma.

VARSITY STARTERS:

BEES – May, Orlandi, Brinkman, Chrzanowski, King, Nowacki and Green (L).

Meteors: Roth, Morgan, Toth, Evans, Barber and Young.

VARSITY OFFICIALS:

Richard Shively (pulpit) and Tony Smerk (floor).

METEOR SHOWERS:

Midpark head coach Holli Morgan is in her fourth season on Paula Drive. On the team again this year is daughter Skye, now a senior. The Meteors actually played two days in a row. Midpark opened their season on Monday night with a five-game defeat at Lakewood.

Megan Earle, and assistant varsity coach, was a standout multi-sport athlete when she was at Midpark. Earle is now employed by the Cleveland City Schools. She is the teams all-time record holder in a a single match in digs, a mark she set in 2004.

GATORADE POWERED:

Kaila Barber, a senior and multi-sport star at Midpark, is looking into attending either The University of Notre Dame or Columbia University in The Bronx, NY next year.

Barber, a 4.6 GPA student, was named as the prestigious Gatorade Track & Field Athlete of The Year in Ohio for the 2009 – 10 school year as a junior.

MIDPARK NOTES:

The Lady Meteors last won a league championship in volleyball in 1992. In that sesaon they went, 20-3, overall and 13-1 in the old Pioneer Conference.

Condolences go out to Midpark sophomore Korie Maryo. Maryo was not at last nights match with the Bees because of the recent death of her grandmother.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:

“It has to get better from here.” Said referee Tony Smerk when the tape of the National Anthem failed to play on cue.

NEXT UP:

Thursday night the Bees will remain on the SWC road with a match at at North Olmsted. “From what I hear they have been hurt pretty badly by their pay-to-play situation.” Said Irving. “They have a new coach this year, Jason Kruczek has taken some time off, and I really don’t know a whole lot. The one thing that you can say about North Omsted is that they are always scrappy and have been pretty solid for the most part.”

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com

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BIG DAY FOR COACH KIM, IRVING and ALUMNI

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Sunday morning, August 29, 20101 at 10:57 am

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS - “Coach Kim” Brocklehurst was rightfully honored, over 30 volleyball alumni were part of the show and Danny Irving picked-up his first win as coach of the Lady Bees concluding one of the most emotional and entertaining 24-hour periods in Brecksville-Broadview Heights athletic history.

The twin communities were still buzzing on Saturday morning about the Bees, 21-17, upset football victory at arch rival North Royalton before things got underway with a flurry early Saturday afternoon at the fabulous Bee Hive.

Around 30 former volleyball players, from Jacque “Jaws” Reszler (2010), to Loren Rohal (2007), Val Waugaman (1996) and Nikki Ballinger-Ganley (1992) and well beyond were in the house. It was a day for the Lady Bee Volley Family to celebrate. (Click here for photos).

Lady Bee Nation shined yesterday that is for sure. And a lot of very good people, too many to mention, had their hand in it making sure that it did.

The afternoons most touching moment came when a pre-varsity match ceremony was held in honor of Brocklehurst, the Lady Bees late assistant coach.

A moment of silence was held in memory of “Coach Kim” who passed away at the age of 37 earlier this month following a short illness. Brocklehurst was a member of the volleyball coaching staff since 1994 and the longest tenured coach in the program.

Former Bees coach Cheryl Laws-Palidar read part of the thoughtful, well-written and emotional eulogy that she originally delivered at Kim’s funeral mass at St. Basil’s two weeks earlier.

Mention of two former Lady Bee volleyball players, Sarah Nelson and Sara Glosik, whose young lives were cut short as well, were also mentioned in a sequence that had many in attendance wiping away tears from their eyes.

You could hear a pin drop as Palidar read from the heart. By the time she was done the fabulous Bee Hive was left in a state of suspended respectful stillness.

The entire Brocklehurst family, led by mom Connie and dad Jim, was on hand. Former assistant coach Cathy Roderick announced the formation of the Kim Brocklehurst Memorial Scholarship fund.

Current Bee players Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski, Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman and Andie Bonamer (the 2010 team captains) each spoke as well. A team portrait, which included Coach Kim, will forever hang in the Hall of Honor at BBHHS. This season was dedicated to Brocklehurst. The many Copley fans on hand were gracious and respectful throughout the moving ceremony. A pre match social was held in the cafeteria.

And the the Bees went out and kicked butt!

How the Lady Bees gathered themselves and went on to play as well as they did was a pure tribute to Coach Kim.

“Coach Irving told us that it was going to be an emotional ceremony, so he said for us to get ready to come in here and play like we have been practicing and do what we are capable of doing.” Said Chrzanowski. “Winning the first one is going to be a big stepping stone for our upcoming matches.”

Chrzanowski, Brinkman and senior Ashley King dominated up front and the Bees began the Irving era with a solid non-conference win in front of the largest home volleyball crowd in memory.

The lucky 7-11 combination of Chrzanowski and King put up back-to-back tandem blocks to give the Bees an 8-3 lead in the opening game forcing Copley to take an early time out.

When King slammed another kill on an assist from junior Jessica Scott, the Lady Indians had to take another breather. Scott’s pure hustle play to get to a ball enabled Brinkman to hammer another kill and Brecksville was on their way to a, 25-13, win as Chrzanowski’s battle at the twines settled game one.

Copley took their first lead of the day at 5-4 in the middle contest. Junior hitter Sarah Orlandi’s kill gave the hosts a, 15-14, lead that they would not look back on. Bonamer, an athletic senior, had a pair of kills that kept the Indians at bay and Brinkmans slam ended it at 25-21. Bonamers mother was a member of the Bees volleyball alumni.

Copley raced to an 8-2 lead in the third fray. But the Bees, playing with Coach Kim in mind, regrouped and battled back. They just were not going to be outdone on this special day.

“We had to win it for Kim.” Brinkman said.

Chrzanowski killed another to cut the Indians lead to 13-10 forcing the visitors from the Suburban League to take a time out. The Bees went on a, 15-3, run, got into the Indians heads and that was all she wrote. “The Big O” ended-up with nine kills.

Down the stretch Brinkman landed a kill and then served an ace for match point ending the long and emotional afternoon.

“I was nervous coming in because I am playing a new position.” Brinkman, who had 14 kills, said. “But I’m liking it!”

“Our passers and setters have been working hard in practice and they are getting much better.” Said Brinkman. “I’m so happy that we got this first win for Coach Irving. I’m happy for him. This is just the beginning. We’re going to get many, many more wins for him.”

“Copley was a really good opponent. I think that first game we kind of shell-shocked them for a minute, but they came back.” Irving said. “I think that they are going to make a run for it in that Stow-Munroe Falls District. We could see them again in the regional tournament if we make it out of our district.”

“Abbie played extremely well. She and Olivia combined for 23 kills. That’s 23 of the 75 points right there.” Said Irving. “I think that our improved serving was the difference for us. I think that Ashley King kind of set the tone, especially in the third game, when she went up with LaTasha every single time.”

“And Sarah Orlandi is getting it. She is just getting it and it is fun to watch.” Irving said. “She is going to be our sleeper this year come play off time. She is going to be the player that kills teams because they don’t know about her.”

FRESHMEN SWEEP TRIBE:

Head coach Amy Mauceri’s group took care of Copley in short order with a 25-14, 25-21 sweep of the Little Indians. “We started off slow in the first game and we worked together to pull out a win in the second.” Said Mauceri. “We got strong play from Nikki D’Anna and Julia Dean.”

JUNIOR VARSITY PULLS AWAY FOR WIN:

In an extremely close match the jay-vee VolleyBees took an exciting 25-23, 21-25, 27-25 match from Copley. It was the first win at BBHHS for junior varsity head coach Amanda Gordon.  Gordon, a native of Norwalk, just joined the program a month ago.

“I think the girl’s actually surprised themselves in how they came back in that last game to win.” Gordon said. “Victoria Polisena stepped-up and played really well. She put the ball away and got everyone pumped and going. And Sarah Milczarek also had a good game with her passing.”

How did it feel to get that first win under your belt in the Bee Hive?

“It feels good. I’m glad it’s over.” Said Gordon. “Especially if the matches are going to be this close. They will give me a heart attack before the season is over.”

OFFICIALS:

A veteran group. Ron Shively (floor) and Kevin Virkler (pulpit).

FASHION STATEMENT:

The Lady Bees all wore wide, black headbands. Stay tuned, we’ll get to the bottom of this story.

IRVING ATTIRE:

Are you kidding me? No short pants? No backward ball cap? How about Irving entering the Hive donning a crisp white shirt and new red neck tie?  “I thought that I better get a red tie. It’s only my fourth year here.” He quipped before first serve.

FLOORED!:

The playing surface at the fabulous Bee Hive has been redone. And the month that the gym was closed for repairs was well worth it. The floor was completely sanded down to the nub and refinished. Gone are the wide red sidelines. The lighter surface is a little easier on the eyes and makes for a cleaner, classier look.

ELSEWHERE AROUND THE SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE:

Yesterday was opening day for high school volleyball statewide. Here is how teams from the SWC fared in their lid-lifters.

Perennial league power Amherst Steele knocked off a good North Royalton team in four games. Upstart Berea knocked off both Columbia and North Ridgeville. Olmsted Falls split with Beaumont and Walsh Jesuit at home in a triangular match. And Avon Lake fell  at powerful Wadsworth.

NEXT UP:

The Bees travel to Middleburg Heights on Tuesday night to take on The Lady Meteors at The Galaxy. This will be the Bees Southwestern Conference opener. Brecksville is defending SWC champions and ironically clinched the title last year at Midpark. Varsity tip should be around 7:00 – 7:15pm.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“The site in the cafeteria is like watching the Food Channel.” Said Bees announcer Dan “Hacksaw” Hodous.

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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IRVING and COMPANY READY FOR SATURDAYS OPENER

By Dom DiPasqua

Staff Writer

Thursday night, August 26, 2010

INDEPENDENCE – The Danny Irving era will officially begin Saturday afternoon at the fabulous Bee Hive when Brecksville-Broadview Heights entertains Copley in a non-league volleyball match.

And if the results of this eveniungs scrimmage at Independence High School is an indicator, then the Lady Bees should be ready to go and then some by the time they take to the court for their 2:30 pm matinee with the Indians.

The Bees smashed through four opponents tonight in their final preseason tune-up before the bright lights go on this weekend.

Host Independence, Normandy and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary all fell by the wayside as Brecksville appears to be ready to start the season under their first-year varsity head coach.

The Bees won all seven games at Indy’s Competition Gymnasium. The closest any team got was in the finale when SVSM took a late lead, but Brecksville kept hanging in there until they walked away with a, 25-23, win over the Irish.

Make no bones about it the Lady Bees have come a long way in a short amount of time. The team and their coach appear relaxed and ready to get after it when they start keeping score for real.

“To finish the preseason the way we did, and be able to iron out a few things just two days before we start the season really tells you where our team is at.” Irving said. “And I think right now that we are definitely rolling. I think we have improved every single day.”

Irving and the Bees have high goals this season and the progress that they have made since that opening round of exhibition matches at The Maverick, now nearly two weekends ago, has been eye-opening.

“We set some high goals for ourselves from the beginning and I think that we have a serious possibility of achieving those goals.” Said Irving. “At this pace I think that we are well on our way.”

All that being said the Indians, out of the Suburban League,  will be more than a formidable opening day opponent.

“Copley is a good program and they have a really good team.” Irving said. “I think we have a lot of really good players that are starting to gel together. And people are beginning to step-up.”

And what about those that thought the Lady Bees were just a few talented players along the front line this year?

“We are more than just a two-trick show.” Said Irving in reference to veteran hitters Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski and junior Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman getting the majority of the preseason electronic hype. “And kids are beginning to step-up.”

The Bees are beginning to understand their roles and doing what they have to do to improve. And they are doing it with enthusiasm. Players are beginning to contribute out of the roles that have become apparent to them.

“Ashley King is on fire right now.” Irving said of his 6-1 senior hitter and blocker. “When she wants to be unstoppable she can be.”

“Sarah Orlandi’s serve was incredible tonight. And Jessie Scott and Andie Bonamer are really starting to shore up the right side. That position was a weakness for us, but with those two starting to embrace it and understand what their role is that is going to help. Those two have improved the most since the beginning of camp.” Said Irving. “They are really starting to get it and as of today things are fine, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

Leadership, both vocally and by performance on the court, was evident at Independence. Chrzanowski, Brinkman and King were absolutely pounding the ball. Andrea Green, a senior defensive specialist, was all over the court and sophomore setter Natalie “Scooter” May is settling into her role as a varsity mainstay quite well.

Irving mentioned the fact that he has mixed things up at practice and kept things fresh has had a strong impact on the club the past four days. “We’re making improvements across the board.” Said Irving. “To go undefeated in a four- team scrimmage two days before the opener says a lot about the girl’s and the hard work that they have put in so far.”

Running a 6-2 the way the Bees do it was difficult for Irving to name a starting six for Saturday. The rotation is such that all ten varsity team members will get their fair share of court time mainly on account of the Bees uptempo offense.

“We have a ten person starting rotation, which in this day and age of volleyball isn’t all that unheard of.” Irving said. “It will serve to keep some people rested and to others strengths.”

2010 LADY BEES VARSITY ROSTER:

Andie Bonamer                     SR          RS

Sarah Orlandi                         JR          OH

Abbie Brinkman                   JR         MH

Olivia Chrzanowski             SR          LSH

Ashley King                           SR          H

Natalie May                           SO          S

Andrea Green                       SR         L/DS

Hannah Nowacki                 JR         DS/S

Bridget Odabashian           JR          DS

Jessica Scott                        JR          RS

Beckie Famurewa               SR         OH (Injured – out for season)

HEAD COACH: Danny Irving

“THE BIG O” AND THE MONOLITH:

The areas daily morning monolith (The Plain Dealer) ran its high school volleyball preview this week and the Bees Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski was chosen as one of the area’s notable players.

Chrzanowski, a senior, has already committed to attend Canisius University in Buffalo, NY next year. She averaged four kills and more than three digs per game last season.

The Bees, 22-4 a year ago,  were also chosen as a notable team by the paper.

“COACH KIM” TRIBUTE:

Please plan on arriving early Saturday for the Bees varsity match with Copley. Lady Bee Nation and the BBHHS Athletic Department will pay special tribute to late Lady Bees “Coach Kim” Brocklehurst.

Brocklehurst, 37, was a legend in the Brecksville volleyball program for close to two decades. She passed away after a short illness earlier this month. Alumni, former coaches, family, friends and a good part of Lady Bee Nation are expected to be in attendance Saturday afternoon to honor the memory of the one and only “Coach Kim”.

“It’s tough. It’s one of those things that you really don’t realize how much someone means to, not only the program, but to your personally until they are not around any more.” Irving said. “I remember the day after I got the job, Kim actually wrote in my Facebook log “congratulations”.

“I think that Coach Kim was a bigger part of this program than even she realized. She is going to be missed.” Said Irving. “Me and her talked a lot the last two years. We had a running joke that if I ever got tossed out of a jayvee game that she as going to take over for me. I think she secretly hoped that I would get tossed.”

IRVING ON THE SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE:

“I think that we have a good enough team to win it.” Irving said of his teams chances to repeat as league champs this fall in one of the toughest volleyball conferences in the area. “If you don’t have confidence in your team and think they can win it at the varsity level then you probably shouldn’t be coaching.”

“Every single one of our girl’s believes that we can do it and so do I.” Said Irving. “It’s going to be a tough road, everyone is coming after us, but we’re okay with that.”

FEARLESS SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS:

Contrary to popular belief there is no crystal ball, no witchcraft, magic or unusual knowledge. And often times, when making such predictions, the heart and the brain are not wired together as is the case here. But a journalist has to do what his sources, his experience and his gut (hold the jokes) tell him – no matter how much it hurts (and it does). So without much further ado and or relentless whining here are my fearless predictions for the 2010 SWC volleyball final standings.

1 – Olmsted Falls – Bulldogs have one of the best players in the state in Dayna Roberts and Dawn Moses is back.

2 – Amherst Steele – Comets have an other all-state player in Deme Morales and Coach Cogan is another legend.

3 – BBHHS – The Bees have the next three best players in the league in Chrzanowski, Brinkman and King.

4 – Westlake – Feeder program has Lady Demons hanging around in what is a tough, tough VB league.

5 – Avon Lake – The ShoreGals keep getting better each year, but so do the teams above them.

6 – North Olmsted – Pay-to-play situation is rumored to have hurt the Eagles, but they remain well-coached.

7- Berea – The Braves are a tad better than their sister school rivals.

8- Midpark  – This once talented program, back in the old days of The Pioneer Conference,  is a long way off.

Friendly disclaimer: These selections are in no way those of BBHHS head coach Dan Irving (obviously) or any member of his coaching staff. They are strictly those of the author who would love nothing more than to see the Lady Bees hoist another SWC championship Trophy.

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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ANOTHER SOLID SET OF OPPONENTS TEST BBHHS

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Sunday night, August 22, 2010 at 7:51pm

SOLON – Another solid set of opponents met Brecksville-Broadview Heights Saturday morning here at Solon High School. In order to get better you have to play good teams and that is exactly what the Lady Bees did yesterday for the better part of three hours.

By the time that the last horn sounded the Bees walked away with another dead-center split of matches against five quality teams.

SOLON:

After dropping the first game, 25-14, and trailing early in the second game Brecksville answered the snooze button to claim a, 17-14, time-allotted win to split with the host Comets.

This will be a much improved Solon team this year with the re-emergence of former head coach Missy FitzGerald. And, once again, the Comets will likely be one of the teams to beat if the Bees are to capture their third  straight district championship which will be contested on the Comets home court.

OLMSTED FALLS:

Dawn Moses is back and so are the Lady Bulldogs. Moses, who coached Olmsted Falls to the state Division I championship in 2008 and then took a year off, is back as head coach at Falls. She replaces Dino Pietromica who lasted one season on West Bagley Road.

Not only is Moses back calling the shots, so is senior setter Dana Roberts. Roberts is one of the best players in the state and she has already accepted a full-ride athletic/academic scholarship to Cleveland State University.

Although the Bulldogs did not look as physically intimidating as they have in past years they can play the game and Moses has them playing it well already.

Falls topped the Bees, 25-15, in the first game. Then the Bees wasted a 12-7 lead in falling, 17-14, in the second set.

GILMOUR ACADEMY:

Gilmour was not happy as Brecksville took care of the Lancers in handy fashion with a pair of wins. Senior Andrea Green connected on six straight service points to give the black-clad Bees an early lead and they coasted to a 25-16 victory.

The second game was more of the same as the Bees upped their record on the day to 1-1-1 with an 18-10 triumph.

TOLEDO ST. URSULA:

“This is the toughest team that we will face all day so we’ll have to bring it!” Bees head coach Danny Irving told his troops before first-serve with the Arrows out of the Toledo City League.

Much like the Bees, St. Ursula had all the high hopes in the world last season before getting upset in the regional semi-final level of play.

The Arrows were both tall and big. They played like a well-oiled machine. “They are getting to every ball.” A Bee fan said at one point.

And that is what St. Ursula did, as well as find the open spots on the Brecksville side of the court en route to a 25-11, 17-14 win. The Bees played valiantly in the second game and had the score tied at 13-all at one point. Junior Hannah Nowacki’s running left-handed jump serve was a positive factor in game two.

WOOSTER:

Another tall and talented team squared of with the Bees in the days finale. In a very competitive match Brecksville played their best volleyball of the day in topping the Lady Generals out of the Federal League, 25-19, 25-21.

When the Generals got close, the Bees would kick it into another gear and hold down the fort. It was a gut-check performance by BBHHS that left them with a good taste in there mouths as the left the gym prior to their cross-town bus ride home.

Down the stretch in game two the Bees showed their true meddle. And it seemed like everyone got involved. Just when Wooster was making a run the Bees had answers for every rally.

Sarah Orlandi’s tip made it 17-15, Bees. Natalie “Scooter” May’s ace made it 20-19. Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski blasted a statement kill to make it 21-19. Chrzanowski was on fire in pouding another death dart and junior Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman made sure that it was all over when she landed back-to-back slams for the, 25-21, win.

“No that’s more like it!” Irving told his team in the post-scrimmage huddle. “We had 13 kills and four errors.”

POST-MATCH IRVING:

“Overall offensively we were one hundred percent better than last week.” Said Irving.”I was happy with the hustle on defense toward the end of the day. That will go a long way.”

“Overall I’m happy. I think some people are starting to step-up.” Irving said. “But we have to get tougher because next week is when it counts.”

MOVIE CRITIC:

“Me and Emily Harwood went to see the movie Inception last night in Valley View. It was pretty good and it had Leonardo DeCaprio in it.” Junior hitter Jessica Scott said. “And, yes we had popcorn. Don’t you always have to have popcorn when you go to the movies?”

TEAM SLEEP OVER:

Poor Dave May.

When the Lady Bees were looking for a place to have a sleepover last night it was May and his wife Debbie who opened up their Brecksville home for the squad to slumber.

A good time was had by all May noted on Sunday morning at the Lady Bees Basketball Car Wash. “All I know is that they were up late watching a movie because the basement tv is right under our bedroom and I could hear it.” May said. “I have to get back home to clean up.”

Senior hitter Ashley King eventually made it to the car wash after enjoying a nice breakfast at the May’s. “I’m too old to stay up all night, that’s for the younger players.” King said with a straight face. “I’m ready to go to Taco Bell now.”

“This team is really close. They all get along and do a lot of things together.” May, a former high school head basketball coach had said earlier in the weekend. “They are at our house swimming and doing stuff together all the time.”

REMMY UPDATE:

One of the Lady Bees most popular and talented players in recent years, Lindsey “Remmy” Remington, is attempting to go big time on the volleyball court time and why not?

Remington, a 2010 BBHHS grad and outstanding outside hitter, is in Winston-Salem, NC where she has enrolled at Wake Forest University. Not only is Remington going to school at the prestigious Atlantic Ten Conference institution, she has walked on to volleyball tryouts in an attempt to make the Demon Deacons team this fall.

So how is life in big time Division I college athletics? Big time indeed. Remmy was issued the full regalia of team attire; a travel outfit, tee-shirts, team bag and five pairs of tennis shoes. Five pairs? One is for walking, one is for running, one is for playing, one is for …  you get the idea.

Remington, who etched a solid spot into the annals of BBHHS volleyball after transferring from Strongsville prior to her sophomore season, is giving it her best shot at Wake. She is enjoying life on campus and being with the team. And she might even be a part of the squad, but for now it’s all volleyball because classes haven’t started just yet.

Stay tuned for another Remmy update to see how she has fared in her challenging task of making the WFU volleyball team.

Best wishes Remmy!

THOUGHTS ON THE UPCOMING SEASON:

On the road, in spare time and even while performing household chores, I think of the Lady Bees. Here (two cents worth) is what I have been thinking:

1 – The team is going through a transitional period. It has been one heck of a ride the past month. With Rob Cline resigning on July 16 to take an assistant coaching position at Kent State University, then assistant coach Danny Irving being promoted to serve as Cline’s replacement and, not in the least, the untimely passing of longtime assistant coach Kim Brocklehurst, these young ladies have endured quite a bit of “real life experiences”  these past 30 days.

2 – The team does need leadership. That one person or persons who can take charge when things get tough both on and off the court. This is a wonderful group of young ladies with a good amount of volleyball talent. Coach Danny Irving has been looking for leadership from the first day of tryouts. I don’t know the answer to this challenge, but it is my firm belief that the team members and Irving will figure it out. Will it happen prior to Saturdays season-opening match against Copley? I doubt it because these things have to evolve and mature at their own pace, but it will happen. And, when it does, this team is going to be all the better.

3- The team is a collection of classy young ladies. They are good kids, good students and have a passion for the game of volleyball – much like their coach. They want to do well. You can see it on their faces during competition. This group listens well and will compete. They have become accustomed to winning and don’t want to let anyone  mostly themselves down. The chemistry is there. There is a bond. That’s why the role of a leader or leaders isn’t a must on August 22.

NEXT UP:

Danny Irving was hoping to line-up another preseason scrimmage for this week. He was attempting to get together with either Beaumont or Padua Franciscan for a scrimmage on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Beaumont is the likely candidate given the long-standing volleyball relationship between the two schools and the fact the the Bees just faced Padua last Saturday at The Maverick.

COMING UP:

Please stay tuned to the Lady Bees website this week for the 2010 season preview and a look at Brecksville’s schedule plus our fearless preseason Southwestern Conference predictions.

OPENING MATCH:

Will be this Saturday afternoon at the fabulous Bee Hive. Copley, out of the Suburban League, will give BBHHS a solid opening day non-league test.

The match will be a triple-header. Unofficial start times are the freshmen at 11:00am, followed by the junior varsity and varsity. First serve varsity time is estimated to be between 2:00 and 3:00 pm.

SEE YOU AT THE BEE HIVE!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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LADY BEES GO 5-5 AGAINST TOUGH SLATE

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Sunday morning, August 15, 2010 at 07:43

PARMA - With their varsity roster chosen and in-tact, Brecksville-Broadview Heights opened up their pre-season schedule here yesterday morning at the Maverick Volleyball Facility.

After taking on a tough field of opponents the Lady Bees stood at 5-5 after all was said and done in the three-hour scrimmage.

PADUA FRANCISCAN:

The Bees and Lady Bruins started things off. Padua took the regulation game, 25-16. The Bees bounced back to snare a, 20-18, victory in the time-regulated second affair.

Padua is Padua. The Bruins are two time defending state champions in Division II. Last year the Bruins finished with a, 28-2, overall record and toppled league foe Lake Catholic in the state championship match in Dayton.

GILMOUR ACADEMY:

The Lady Lancers, like Brecksville, made it to the states final four in their division in 2008. Gilmour has a solid program in place and they are well coached.

The Bees came out smoking and bested Gilmour by the scores of 25-21 and 21-15. Left-handed junior Hannah Nowacki was solid from the service line.

STRONGSVILLE:

The Lady Mustangs, who are always tough opponent out of the Northeast Ohio Conference, are tall and can hit the ball. Strongsville bettered Brecksville in just about every department in coming away with a 25-16, 19-11 sweep.

The Bees and Mustangs will likely see each again in a little over a month as both schools are mainstays at the annual Renee Roche Tournament at Independence.

NORTH ROYALTON:

Another NOC stalwart, the Lady Bears, took advantage of the new Brecksville offense that was not excatly in sync. A 7-0 run gave Royalton a, 14-11, lead in the first game. The Bees mustered a comeback only to fall short by the final score of, 25-21.

Veteran junior hitter Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman served the Bees to a, 5-0, lead in the second game and the Bees held serve for a, 17-12, victory.

PAINESVILLE RIVERSIDE:

After falling behind early Brecksville managed an 18-all tie with the Beavers, but Riverside somehow escaped for a narrow, 25-23, triumph. The Bees came back to snare a, 18-12, win in the days final match.

COACHES CORNER:

“We finished 5-5, which wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad.” Brecksville head coach Danny Irving said at the conclusion of his first scrimmage as head coach of the Lady Bees program. “When we want to play to win not a lot of teams can stop us.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“When we play together we have fun.” – Bees head coach Danny Irving.

BECKIE IN THE HOUSE:

It was great to see Bees senior Beckie “The Nigerian Nightmare” Famurewa with the team at Maverick yesterday. Famurewa, a three-sport star, will be an official member of the team despite having to sit out the entire season following surgery to repair an ACL injury to her left knee. The surgery took place on July 21.

Beckie-Fam was injured when she landed awkwardly on her knee following a layup in a summer shootout basketball game at Barberton in late June.

“Beckie’s attitude is great and we look forward to having her help us in any way she can this year.” Said Irving. “It’s good to have her around, although it is a real bummer that she can’t play.”

OHSAA UPDATE:

In recently checking the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) volleyball home page, the state has asked its game officials to police the wearing of any sort of jewelry in matches this year. That includes, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, piercings and the like. Diligent pre-match inspections will take place.

FIVE SENIORS ON THE SQUAD:

Brecksville-Broadview Heights will list five seniors on its roster when they open up their season in less than two weeks with a Saturday afternoon matinee match against Copley. The upper class-men are; Andrea Green, Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski, Ashley King, Andi Bonamer and of course Famurewa.

NEXT UP:

After another solid week of practice Brecksville will travel to Solon High School next Saturday morning for a 10:00 am scrimmage with the host Comets and roughly four other teams.

Solon is now coached by Missy FitzGerald. FitzGerald had been the Comets coach for years before deciding to step down. Liz Sellers coached Solon the past two years.

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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TEAM TIME LINE TO SEASON OPENER

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Thursday night, August 12, 2010 at 10:11 pm

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS – Below is a time line of key dates that leads up to the Lady Bees season opening non-conference match with Copley.

AUGUST 13          Ads due for publication in BBHHS Band Boosters Fall Sports Program.

AUGUST 14          Scrimmage # 1 at The Maverick Facility in Parma 10:00 am.

AUGUST 16          Cookie Dough Fundraiser Kick-Off Rally at high school.

AUGUST 17          Varsity Team Poster Picture, meet at high school at 4:30 pm.

AUGUST 20          Team Pictures. Time TBA.

AUGUST 21          Scrimmage # 2 at Solon High School 10:00 am.

AUGUST 26          Cookie Dough Fundraiser money due.

AUGUST 28          Season Opener vs Copley at Bee Hive. Go Bees!

OCTOBER 2          Sarah Nelson (Junior Varsity) Tournament.

OCTOBER 7          Can Food Drive Begins to Support Lend-A-Hand Food Pantry.

LADY BEES NICKNAMES:

Olivia “The Big O” Chrzanowski    … Senior  … Outside Hitter

Abbie “Gail The Whale” Brinkman   … Junior … Middle Hitter

Natalie “Scooter” May   … Sophomore … Setter

SATURDAY’S SCRIMMAGE:

Brecksville-Broadview Heights will travel to The Maverick Volleyball Facility on Tiedeman Road (just south of Brookpark Rd.) in Parma to scrimmage with Strongsville, North Royalton, Gilmour Academy, Padua Franciscan and Painesville Riverside. The varsity scrimmage begins at 10:00 am.

The junior varsity will scrimmage at North Royalton High School beginning at 10:00 am.

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com

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PROMOTED BEES HEAD COACH TALKS SOME VB

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Wednesday night, August 11, 2010 at 7:49pm

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS – It was Danny Irvings’ first day as head varsity volleyball coach at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School. Excitement was in the air. A new season, with a new voice at the top rung of the ladder was about to take over as tryouts began on Monday at 5:30pm in the Auxilliary Gym.

There was only one problem. No nets.

Because the floor in the fabulous Bee Hive was in the final days of its month-long refinishing project, the volleyball storage room was unable to be opened. But Irving, a man who can adapt, improvise and overcome, simply made do.

He brought in the boys net for the varsity group to use and the junior varsity and freshmen made do as well, thank you very much, without the benefit of a net on the opposite court.

Despite the inauspicious start, Irvings enthusiasm was not dampened as he greeted roughly 40 hopefuls that will eventually make-up the varsity, junior varsity and freshman Lady Bee teams this season.

“Whatever could have gone wrong at the beginning did.” Irving said, laughing it off. “But we made do and had a good first day of tryouts.”

After listening to Irving speak for 45-minutes it soon became apparent that going by Murphy’s Law is not the way that he intends on operating the Brecksville program.

Irving had been the head boy’s volleyball coach at BBHHS and has now taken over the reins of the girl’s team, a group that has a load of talent on hand and high aspirations for this coming season.

Here is how the conversation went with the Bees new head coach while we were seated in the high school cafeteria.

Q -What is the difference between the boy’s and girl’s programs?

DI – “There is more to the girl’s program than there is the boys. The boys are still a club sport but it gave  me a good foundation as to what all is involved. I’m trying to learn and make the right decisions. I have a lot of good people in my corner to help me make the best decisions for the program.”

Q – What about inheriting a program that has had a lot of success. Do you feel any pressure?

DI – “I always put a lot of pressure on myself. But to not have any more pressure we just have to go out and win the state championship this year. I really think that the program is in good shape. I think that  we are extremely talented and there is no reason not to continue the success that Rob (Cline) has had here. The kids have a winning mentality. The kids now have to go to work toward not only meeting, but exceeding the goals that Rob had.”

Q – So the Lady Bees won’t miss a beat?

DI – “No. If there ever was a situation for me to get a head coaching job it was right here. It was extremely short notice. I have been a coach for less than a month and I have had some challenges already, but when you get into the gym with the kids it just works. There is a respect between the coaches and the players. The players know that we are here for business and that’s how it’s going to be. If I had taken over another program I don’t know if that would have been the case.  Here at Brecksville the kids are great and we have great facilities.”

Q – How have the girl’s adapted to you so far as head coach?

DI – “Everyone seems very comfortable. I think that everyone is on the same page as a program and that will help us accomplish what we want. I think that is something that makes it easier. Even after a drastic change we still have two-thirds of our coaching staff back.  With such short notice it could have been chaos, but we come in and everyone knows what to expect and we just go from there.”

Q – How about the first match?

DI – “Well it’s only 19 days away and I know the Copley coach and her family very well. She is a Stow alum just like me. It will be a clash of Stow alums, so it should be interesting.”

Q – So you have a lot of work to do in a short period of time?

DI – “Yes, we definitely have a lot of work to do and Copley is not going to be a pushover. They are a very good program. I see them as a dark horse out of the Stow District this year. I saw them play last year and they were very young. Now with a year of experience they are going to be very good. They have a kid who can do it all. She is very, very good. Hopefully we’ll be that much better.”

Q – Have you named team captains yet?

DI – “No I have not. One of the things, other than skills and conditioning, that I’m looking for is leaders. I made a couple of comments tonight to a couple of the seniors. I think that is something we have to have this year. I want strong leaders and certainly don’t want a lack of leadership to be a possible downfall this year.”

Q – What are your expectations?

DI – “A conference championship. A district championship. A regional championship. And a state championship.”

Q – Really? It looks like your goal then is on the big enchilada and you are not mincing any words?

DI – “No. I firmly believe that if you are coaching and are passionate about it and you want the kids to believe what you are asking of them, you have to. If you are practicing just to practice then there’s no point. You should always be practicing to win the state championship. That’s why we have a playoff isn’t it?”

Q – Beckie Famurewa’s season-ending knee injury was a tough break. How big of a factor is that?

DI – “That hurts. It really does hurt. Beckie and Ashley King together was a great combination last year. It’s something that makes it tough to try and put together a cohesive unit. When you lose somebody that was a starter for the entire year on the right side it’s tough. Beckie definitely was an imposing presence defensively. And when she got a hold of the ball there was no one that could stop here. She was really coming into her own on the right side. It (stinks) not having her here.”

Q – The Bees schedule looks strong again, your thoughts?

DI – “In looking at the schedule it’s not an easy row to hoe. It’s really not, but that’s the way it should be. We don’t want to have a cupcake schedule where we don’t get challenged. We’re going to be challenged from day one and every night. I think what the players don’t understand is that we have a bulls eye on our back now. We are the defending conference champs, both varsity and jayvees from last year. We have established ourselves as a force in the conference and that opens us up to be targets for a lot more teams. The Magnificat Showcase is going to be a big test and so is the Independence Tournament. Then we close our season at North Royalton.”

Q – What about the team rising up?

DI – I think we are up to the challenge. I think we have a very good team. We just have to make sure that we are focused and determined to meet our goals this year. Once our teams are picked, I’ll have the girl’s state their goals. I want to know what theirs are and match them up with mine. ”

Q – How about sizing up the Southwestern Conference?

DI – “Olmsted Falls and Amherst Steele are not real happy that we took the crown last year. They are going to be gunning for us. We have to play those two teams twice. It doesn’t really get easy.”

Q – What about Dawn Moses’ return to coach at Olmsted Falls?

DI – “She’s is a legend and I’m looking forward to coaching against her this year. She is a great coach and she has probably one of the best players that I have seen at the high school level in Dana Roberts. Dana is a machine and is a great kid too. She is going to Cleveland State to play volleyball and she deserves it. She works extremely hard.”

Q – How does the fact that the pay-to-play situation at BBHHS has, for now at least, eliminated the assistant varsity coaching position effect the program?

DI – “It stretches us all a little thin. With Amy Miller and Craig Peterson on board the last two years it was nice to have that extra person to pick things up for the head coach. I think we are all up for the challenge. All three of us coaches have a passion for the game and want to do things the right way.”

Q – What about preseason scrimmages?

DI – “I know that Rob had a few planned. We are going to the Maverick facility and to Solon on the Saturdays leading up to the start of the season. They will both be good tests for us.”

Q – What about the immediate future of the program?

DI – “I look at it like a passport. Rob put his stamp on the program. And the people before him put their stamp on it. Now it’s time to put my stamp on it.”

Q – Lastly Danny. How has Coach Cline influenced you?

DI – “I took so much from him. I can’t thank him enough for all that he has given to me. I don’t think that he understands how much his mentoring of me really meant. I’ve matured so much, both as a coach and as an individual, and it’s all because of him. The way that I have run the boy’s program is a direct reflection on how he ran the girl’s program. And the way that I am going to run this program will be very similar to how he ran it. Hopefully we can have that kind of success. But, as far as learning from him, I’ll never be able to thank him for everything that he did for me.”

IRVING IN THE LIGHT:

Irvings career coaching record at BBHHS (girl’s jayvee and freshman, three seasons): 50-14.

Residence: North Olmsted.

Age: 25.

IRVING ON AMANDA GORDON:

“I was really impressed with her resume. She is exactly what we need here. Amanda  has a lot of setting experience and I have no doubt that she will do a fantastic job.”

IRVING ON AMY MAUCERI:

“It’s great that Amy is back because of the familiarity factor. She is perfect for the freshman job. She does a great job at that level in teaching kids the basics. There is a reason why our sophomore group has 12 kids in. That says a lot about Amy’s ability as a coach.”

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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IMPORTANT MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK

By Dom DiPasqua / Staff Writer

Monday, August 9, 2010

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS - As the start of the volleyball season draws near there are a pair of important meetings set for this week. Please note:

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010

MEET THE BEES NIGHT (Make-up Date):

For those that missed the August 1 meeting there will be another “Meet The Bees” night this Wednesday at 7:oo pm in the LGI Room at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School.

It is mandatory that the volleyball player and at least ONE parent attend. Attendance will be taken and signatures are required. This mandate comes from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). No athlete can participate this season without having attended this meeting. The sign-in lists are checked by the OHSAA.

If you and or your student-athlete did not attend the meeting on August 1 please be sure to attend this make-up session.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010

LADY BEES PARENT MEETING

A meeting of BBHHS volleyball parents is slated for Thursday night at 7:00pm in the high school cafeteria. At least ONE parent of each player is asked to attend. It has been requested that parents please bring their checkbooks.

NEW BEES  JUNIOR VARSITY COACH ANNOUNCED:

Amanda Gordon has been named as the new head junior varsity volleyball coach at Brecksville. Gordon, a full-time physical therapist at The Cleveland Clinic-Strongsville, is the all-time assist leader at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Gordon, a resident of West Park, has coaching experience at the club level and was on the staff at John Carroll University. She attended Norwalk High School.

Welcome and best wishes to Coach Gordon.

FROSH WON’T MISS A BEAT:

Amy Mauceri returns to coach the freshman volleyball team. Mauceri, a former teacher at the BBHHS Middle School, has landed a position within the athletic department at John Carroll University. This will be Mauceri’s third season with the Lady Bees volleyball program. Congratulations Coach Mauceri.

The assistant varsity coaching position has been eliminated due to the pay-to-play situation which caused budgetary cutbacks across the entire athletic department.

BEE YARD SIGNS:

New, white, GO BEES! yard signs are now available at Star Sports at Mill Road next to Fussy Cleaners. The cost is $10.00. This is a fashionable and inexpensive way to show BBHHS spirit in your front yard. The proceeds have already been ear-marked to support the Bee Athletic Booster Club.

MIGUEL IS THE MAN:

Brecksville resident and former Bee athlete Miguel Ramirez has been named as the new head volleyball coach at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. Congratulations Miguel!

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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