Sports Wrap Sports Wrap (October 01, 2004)

Eagles go undefeated in Harbor tourney

The Los Altos girls volleyball team extended its record to 16-1 overall and 2-0 in league after defeating both Saratoga and Homestead and winning the Harbor Tournament on Sept. 25.

"If it were not for the hitting and blocking of Lauren Schaefer and some timely kills from Emily Saliba and Christan Schaefer, we would certainly have gone to a fifth game," said coach David Winn of the close game against Homestead. "One thing's for sure -- Homestead players are not going to be intimidated by Los Altos High School when they come to our place for our next matchup."

On the verge of losing game four to Homestead, the Eagles maintained composure, serving and receiving with consistency. Setter Michelle Nelson tipped the ball over the net to win it.

Lauren Schaefer led the week in kills, with 14 against Saratoga, 18 against Homestead and 49 during the Harbor Tournament.

At Harbor, Los Altos went undefeated in a tournament for the first time in over four years. Lauren Schaefer earned Tournament MVP honors. Nelson and Saliba were selected for the All-Tournament Team.

The Eagles defeated Menlo-Atherton, Carmel, Analy, Branham, Harbor and Notre Dame-Salinas to win.

Los Altos will face Milpitas on Oct. 4 at Milpitas.

Sitler sets the pace

Nine seconds behind the leader and with a time of 16:05 minutes, St. Francis senior Ben Sitler finished third in the Division II 5k race at the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 25. Ryan Lewis of Ygnacio Valley won the race in 15:56.

Sitler opened the season setting two course records. At the 3-mile Chieftain Classic on Sept. 18, Sitler beat the 2002 course record of 15:52 by 21 seconds with a time of 15:31.4. And on Sept. 14, he broke a 20-year-old record of 10:37 at the 2.18-mile Gunn High School course with a time of 10:35. He ran the first mile in 5:05 and the second in 4:43.

Next up for the Lancer boys cross-country team is the Artichoke Invitational on Oct. 2 at Half Moon Bay.

Spartans bear down, take Gunn tourney

"This past week was a very good learning week for our team," said Mountain View volleyball coach Gerrie Phillips. "The girls are understanding how to be mentally prepared for matches."

The team began the week with a loss to Valley Christian on Sept. 20. Determined to prove themselves, they returned the next day to beat Gunn in three games in the first league match of the season. As a team, the Spartans missed only four serves.

Mountain View had a hard time running its offense against Saratoga on Sept. 23 and lost.

"It was like a different team stepped out on the court," Phillips said of the game. "We just could never get into a rhythm."

Deciding that the missing element was mental, the Spartans returned to the Gunn Tournament last Saturday mentally prepared and ready to win. They went undefeated and beat Sacred Heart Prep in the championship match.

On Oct. 6, the Spartans face Milpitas at home.

-- Colleen Corcoran

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