A change of scenery

Bryce Alderton

Ruth Laneman didn’t have much time from August 28, when she took

the head coaching job for Estancia’s girls volleyball team, and

Tuesday when her Eagles are at La Quinta to open the season, but

that’s all right by her.

“We’ll have to hit the floor running, I guess,” Laneman said with

a slight chuckle, referring to Estancia’s first two matches against

La Quinta Tuesday and against visiting Santiago Wednesday at 3:15

p.m. “It’s been challenging and exciting. I enjoy meeting the girls

and keying-in on their personalities. They’re all working hard and

improving every day.”

Every day Laneman, who moved to Irvine in January from Maryville,

Tenn., where she coached at Maryville High for six years, goes to

work as a physical education teacher at Newport Harbor High in the

morning and then hurries over to Estancia in the afternoon to coach

the Eagles.

She got the PE teaching job at Newport a week prior to the school

year, and said the Newport Harbor administration was more than

supportive of her prior commitment to coach the Eagles.

“I appreciated the administration over at Harbor, they were very

generous,” she said. “It’s fun being at both schools.”

Laneman has noticed in the nine months she’s been in California

that more people play year-round than in Tennessee, but also said

players who want to excel and improve will play more, such as on club

teams.

“(Players) putting the time into it and seeking the skills has

been the same no matter where I’ve been,” said Laneman, who has

coached and taught high school volleyball for 10 years in Tennessee,

Missouri and Indiana. “At least half of the team played during the

summer.”

This year’s edition of the Eagles includes three returners off

last year’s unit.

Seniors Laura Morton and Dustine Lau, along with sophomore

Courtney Fletcher will give the Eagles experience.

“We’re in a new league so I don’t know what to expect,” Laneman

said. “What I do see from the girls is a lot of hard work trying to

find them positions.”

Laneman can also look forward to two more seniors in middle

blocker/outside hitter Katherine Nelson and middle blocker Tori

Girod, a transfer from Ohio.

“(Girod) brings quite a bit of skill and enthusiasm to the team,”

Laneman said.

Junior middle blocker Joy Prebyl and sophomores Hilary Ockey,

Hillary Larsen and Bezabeth Vazuaz join with two promising freshmen

on Laneman’s squad.

Cheslea Kaplan and Muriel Mason are also in the mix.

“They’re very coachable and they’re all willing to learn,” Laneman

said. “We’ve got a ways to go yet to find out what works, but I think

we’ll be very competitive. If you work hard in practice, that’s how

you’re going to play in the game. My job as a coach is to see what

their abilities are and make them the best they can be. Once they get

on the court, it’s their match.”