USA VOLLEYBALL GIRLS’ JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
“I believe that everybody has a particular niche according to what their body is. It doesn’t matter how tall they are. If you’re not tall and you’re not quick, you have to compensate and use your body to the maximum ability.”
— Wayne Teng Starlings-Monrovia Director
nomic diversity. Among the nationalities on the Monrovia roster: Samoan, Filipino, Hispanic, Chinese and African-American. “I always believe in diversity because
diversity provides strong competition within the team,” Monrovia Director Wayne Teng says. Teng, who grew up in Taiwan and observed Chinese National Team train- ing sessions, devised a system for the Monrovia team that combined both Asian and Brazilian volleyball philosophy. The end result: a winning formula for a team with no player taller than 5-7 and a setter (Victo- ria Ashkinos from Pasadena, Calif.) who stands at just 5-0. Teng himself is only 5-7, so the philosophy he coaches by is one he lived as a setter in juniors play and college club ball.
“I believe that everybody has a particu- lar niche according to what their body is,” Teng says. “It doesn’t matter how tall they are. If you’re not tall and you’re not quick, you have to compensate and use your body to the maximum ability. It can always be done. It’s just a matter of the coach fi nd- ing the right niche for that particular player and the player buying into it and then work- ing hard and believing it can be done.” To reinforce the believe-it’s-possible mindset, the Monrovia players visited the championship court at the tournament site (the Georgia World Congress Center) right after they got off the plane in Atlanta. For all their preparation, the size of the tourna- ment and the quality of the competition made for a few early jitters. “We were surrounded by so many amazing teams, and it made us nervous,” Ashkinos said the week of the tournament. “We felt so small, and normally on the court we feel big.” Teng’s system, which he reviews weekly with the team before letting parent coaches
36 | VOLLEYBALLUSA
FANCY FOOTWORK: Lei Lia To’omalatai, left, and Darcee Young helped Starlings- Monrovia 12s win the 12 American Division.
run many of the practice reps, is designed to help the team play big while coaxing well-rounded performances out of every- body, whether they’re small or medium sized. In an era of specialization, Monrovia players are required to develop a broad game by mastering all of the skills. “Everybody on the team can hit out of
the backrow, jump serve, set and pass,” Teng says. “All the skills are covered in every aspect of their repertoire.” Of the 10-player roster, only two of
Monrovia’s players – Leilia Toomalatai and Ashkinos – had club volleyball experience before this season. For Ashkinos, playing for Starlings was an opportunity to do what she really wanted to do – set. Other clubs wanted to use her strictly as a defensive specialist. So she switched, and now she sets and plays defense, the best of both worlds.
Accommodating players who don’t fi t the ideal height and body type doesn’t mean Starlings-Monrovia runs a limited offense. In fact, just the opposite is true. Teng’s system, which emphasizes speed to offset what the players give up in size,
includes a huge variety of offensive plays: tandems, crosses, shoot 31s, bics, back- row 2s, quick 32s out of the backrow, right side back-row hits. The variety of looks that the team shows is yet another testament to what can be accomplished with structured training and hard work.
And the work put in by this team went beyond court training. To earn the $7,000 needed to travel to Atlanta, players and parents fundraised for months, holding poker tournaments, selling candy and run- ning concessions. “Our girls sacrifi ced a lot to get here,”
Teng says. “The journey was tough, but we all just kept believing.” As much as anything, Teng views the
Monrovia team’s emotional gold medal as something that reaches beyond just vol- leyball.
“It sends a message that everyone can work together – Hispanic, African-Ameri- can, Caucasian,” he says. “Every cultural background has fi nancially challenged families. If we can all work together – send that message out – I think Starlings will prevail in this world.”
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