Spikers Shift to Defense Mode

Pali Volleyball Nets City’s No. 1 Seed; Hosts West Adams in Playoff Opener

The latest edition of the Palisades High girls volleyball team looks much different from the one that steamrolled through the City Section playoffs on its way to the championship last fall. The bad news for would-be opponents is that the present Dolphins are gelling at just the right time. Is there no team capable of thwarting Palisades’ bid for a repeat? The answer lies ahead. Palisades was awarded the top seed in the City playoff draw and begins defense of its title Thursday at 7 p.m. when it hosts #32 West Adams Prep in the first round. If the Dolphins win, they will entertain either #16 South East or #17 Eagle Rock next Monday night. If they lose they will drop to the Invitational bracket and host the South East-Eagle Rock loser in the second round. Despite playing sluggishly in their final nonleague tune-up the Dolphins swept Sylmar off its home court, 25-20, 25-23, 27-25, Monday night for their 11th consecutive victory since their lone defeat to Santa Monica back in September. It was the Dolphins’ showing last weekend at the Redondo Tournament, however, that convinced Coach Chris Forrest that Palisades is poised for another championship run. “We really came together and played our best volleyball,” said Forrest, whose team finished seventh in the White Division. “On Friday we beat Oxnard and lost 3-1 to North Torrance. We came back early the next morning and barely lost in five to [Burbank] Burroughs, then we beat [Long Beach] Millikan. Those were all quality Southern Section programs much stronger than anyone we played in league.” One reason the Dolphins got better and better as the season progressed is the maturity of junior setter Lauren Gustafson, who switched from outside hitter to fill the shoes of three-year starter and City MVP Jenna McCallister. Over the last two months, Palisades’ floor leader has come to embrace her new role. “Jenna’s an amazing setter but when she graduated someone had to step in,” said Gustafson, who tallied 32 assists, four digs and three aces against Sylmar. “It’s different but I love the pressure. You expect to touch the ball on every play so you have to concentrate at all times.” Not only has Gustafson stepped up her game, she has learned to trust her teammates and earn their trust in return. She has her choice of weapons to pass to in seniors Laura Goldsmith and Chelsea Scharf and juniors Emily Cristiano, Tait Johnson, Hannah Fagerbakke, Bonnie Wirth and Christine Frapech. Anchoring the defense are senior middle blockers Kelly Yazdi and Kelsey Keil, defensive specialists Sam Jaffe and Danielle Wolff and freshman middle blocker Meghan Middleton. “Our team chemistry has grown so much since the beginning,” Gustafson said. “We’re feeding off the energy of each other. It’s always harder to defend a championship but that just motivates us to work hard every day at practice.” Goldsmith was unstoppable in the playoffs a year ago and has been a stabilizing force all season, providing most of the kills early on while Forrest experimented with different lineups. “Last year we didn’t have to get used to each other,” she said. “We’d been playing together for three years. This is a different team with different strengths. I think our biggest strength is our offense. We can hit from anywhere on the court.” Gustafson said neither fatigue nor the long bus ride were factors against Valley Mission League champion Sylmar, which is seeded #4 and could meet the Dolphins again in the semifinals. Both coaches knew a victory would strengthen their position heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting. “It was important to get this win because we didn’t play in any City tournaments and I thought that might penalize us,” Forrest said. “They’re one of the best teams in the Valley so to come all the way out here and beat them gave us a strong case for the top seed.” Longtime Spartans Coach Bob Thomson said he wouldn’t be shocked to see Palisades raising the trophy again in a few weeks: “Pali has the experience. They know how to win. Our match is a good example. We couldn’t win the big points.” Home court advantage is something Forrest stressed from the start to guard against complacency. “We talked about seeding a lot, actually,” Gustafson said. “We really want to play at home because we play our best there.” “We like having the crowd on our side,” Goldsmith agreed. “Playing in front of our fans give us a little extra push.” Goldsmith is eager to find out how much the competition in Redondo has prepared the Dolphins to face the City’s best. “This tournament got us playing at a higher level,” she said. “Hopefully we can maintain it all the way to the end.” Palisades’ junior varsity squad is seeded #2 and plays #15 Manual Arts at 10:30 a.m. in the first round of Saturday’s City playoff tournament. If the Dolphins win they will play either Carson or Van Nuys in the quarterfinals at noon. Semifinals are at 2 p.m. and the final is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.