Title IX paved way for local teams

As we marvel at the success of the talented local high school girls’ volleyball teams, it is interesting to analyze the sport from the first days of high school girls’ sports.

Before the early 70’s, girls’ sports were only in physical education classes and competition between schools was organized by the P.E. teachers (known as GAA) with masses of girls playing, visiting and enjoying the interactions with no scoreboards. With the development of Title IX which had a trial period form 1972-1975 before President Ford signed the final on May 27, 1975, schools were required to provide equal opportunities for girls’ and boys’ sports which include playing dates, equipment, number of participants and, at the collegiate level, equal scholarship opportunities. This basically expanded the need for success in the arena of girls’ interscholastic sports.

High school girls’ P.E. teachers began a transition into their school teams just like the boys had done for years. The first CIF volleyball girls’ volleyball championships were started with Mira Costa winning the first two (some things haven’t changed) in 1972 and 1973 while Louisville of Los Angeles won in ’74 and ’75. The next four years were dominated by our area teams. It happened in conjunction with the start of a girls’ volleyball club that was organized and coached by Dale Flickinger. The Orange County Volleyball Club teams which had started as junior high teams in 1972 were forming the majority of the rosters on the local high school teams.

In 1976, Laguna Beach defeated Corona del Mar in the CIF Final. Laguna was coached by George Carey whose daughters, Jennifer and Bryanna, were stars at Newport Harbor, and featured a crafty setter named Karen Lane whose daughter, Nikki, is a setter at CdM and whose son, Michael Borchard, is the quarterback for CdM’s football team.

Corona del Mar, in its first of many finals appearances, was coached by Kathy Bulmer. The CdM team featured sophomores Cheryl Johnston, Aileen Semonson, Monica Park, Susanne Askew, and Lori Webb as well as freshmen Sue Corea, Suzie Crone, and Marcie Wurts (these three would play in four straight CIF finals). This core of young players had all been trained by Flickinger in his OCVB.

The play of juniors Dale Keough, Kathy Tyler, Liz Ogden and Claudia Jeffs was also a key to the development of the CdM program. Dale Keough’s daughter, Kiley Hall, played at Newport and just graduated from the University of Texas after a successful four-year volleyball career. Claudia, who passed away last year after an extensive battle with cancer, is the mother of Allyson Jennings who played at Newport and the University of Texas and Hunter who is a freshman phenom at Calvary Chapel High.

Newport’s team was very talented and young also. Setter Marie Lundie along with fellow juniors, Karen Olson, Mary Platfoot, Wendy Lewis and Lynn Droke, were the cornerstones of the team who along with freshmen Kari Rush, and athletic twins, Kori and Kris Pulaski, had all trained with the Orange County team. Senior Becky Daniel was the Sunset League MVP and she could attack the ball with the best. Sam Stoneman, Barb Benish, Kathy Caricof and Rose Greyshock were seniors that contributed to the early success. Coach Judy Fogt directed the team.

The 1977 final was the first of many classic Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar volleyball battles. These teams would meet again in 1979, 1987 and 1993 which is unbelievable for two teams from the same city. CdM’s team, coached by Bulmer again, was intact from the previous season and prevailed in the final. Newport, with Lundie and her fellow seniors, made a great run at the title. This team, coached by Judy Fogt and Leslie Alward, had added juniors Liz Echternach, Anne Yardley and Marilyn Horn, who gave the Sailors tall players who also had the OCVBC experience which allowed to play at this level.

The distinct advantage that the club players exhibited besides more exact ball control skills and greater shot power and selection, was the speed of their game. With the flow of the game that Flickinger emphasized, it appeared that the opponents were a step behind. Another interesting situation occurred because of the CIF rules. Volleyball players with remaining eligibility at their high school, needed to comply with the “two player” rule during their off-season club tournament. The rule states that no more than two players could play on the same team during the off-season and have eligibility to play the following year for their high school team. CdM was faced with the dilemma of having three players who all played on the top OCVBC team, Aileen Semonson, Cheryl Johnston and Susanne Askew. To conform to the rule, Susanne Askew opted to not play her junior season for CdM so that she could play on the club team (top junior team in the nation) and still play her senior season for CdM. We are so thankful that this rule is no longer in the CIF rulebook.

Newport’s Marie Lundie and CdM’s Cheryl Johnston, were voted CIF Co-Players of the year. They were so advanced in their understanding and consequently were role models for younger players as they watched and learned. The power of the CIF had established itself in the Orange County area.