Bev Oden Discovers Her Own Path Following in Her Family’s Footsteps

Bev Oden is the best high school girls’ volleyball player in Orange County, but she would be the last to tell you.

She’s probably the nation’s No. 1 college recruit, another fact she would be more than happy not to share with you.

Bev Oden doesn’t talk a lot about herself. She has people to do that for her--a county full of coaches.

“There is no one remotely close to her,” said Steve Stratos, Woodbridge coach.

“Whichever college gets her becomes an instant contender for the national championship,” said Dan Glenn, Newport Harbor coach.

She also comes from a household that reads like a volleyball roll of honor, a condition that can teach a kid temperance.

“If you want Bev to talk about herself, you practically have to beat it out of her,” said Mark McKenzie, Irvine coach.

Kim, the oldest Oden sister, played at Stanford and is a member of the U.S. national team.

Elaina, the next in line, played at the University of the Pacific, which she helped lead to two National Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships.

Both older sisters played at Irvine and led their high school teams to Southern Section championships. This is called tradition, which breeds expectations, which leads to pressure, which Bev Oden got a megadose of the first day she stepped onto the Irvine campus.

“I could tell when I first got here that people knew who I was and that they expected me to do the same things my sisters did,” she said.

Kim is an extremely agile and quick player; Elaina relies on power. News that Bev’s talent seemed to combine both those ingredients only shot expectations higher.

The year before Bev got to Irvine, 1984, Elaina led Irvine to a Southern Section championship.

“I felt a little pressure right away,” Bev said. “Like, Oh, another Oden, we’ll win another championship.”

Said McKenzie: “I guess I was as guilty as anyone about having high expectations. It’s just such an exceptional family, it’s hard not to.”

But, with Irvine starting 3 freshman (Oden, Melinda Norton and Jennifer Fu), championships didn’t come that season. Nor did they her sophomore year, though Oden helped Irvine reach the 4-A final, where it lost to Gahr. Last year, Irvine won the 4-A championship, and, to the surprise of many, including Oden, the state championship, defeating No. 1-ranked Newport Harbor in the final.

So, Oden has won her Southern Section championship and her state championship, which means certain expectations have been filled and certain others created.

When the Southern Section 5-A playoff draw is announced today, Irvine, which has moved up, will no doubt be the top-seeded team. With Oden on its side of the net, as well as the nucleus of the state championship team that includes Norton and Fu, Irvine (14-0) is expected to win.

“We’ve had a super year, but I can see where if we don’t win this, people will look upon this season as a disappointment,” McKenzie said.

And the reason for this is Oden, a 6-foot 2-inch senior who can dominate a match in so many ways.

Playing against Glendale in the Marlborough tournament this season, Oden crushed a spike straight down that bounced and nearly reached the gymnasium ceiling.

“The next time she went up for a spike, the Glendale blocker, instead of going up with Bev, stayed on the ground and covered her head,” McKenzie said. “I think that’s a good example of what Bev can do to another team.”

Said Glenn: “She’s the type of player who can cancel out everything your team has done right with one swing of her arm. She can just have a devastating effect on a team’s mental outlook.”

All of which may give the impression that Bev Oden is this crazed monster on the court. Yet, her on- and off-court demeanors are indistinguishable.

High school volleyball matches tend to contain the same frenetic energy as the California Lottery’s Big Spin.

Yet, after Oden makes a big play, she never seems really certain how to accept the screams and hugs.

“It’s not that I’m not happy,” she said. “It’s just that I guess I’m kind of shy.”

McKenzie concurs. He makes no secret of the fact that he wishes Oden would be a bit more aggressive on the court. That she would ask for the pass at the net every time. She averages about 17 kills a game, but, as McKenzie points out, a player of Oden’s talent could be getting a lot more.

Once the ball is passed to her, it’s usually going down. Consider that a good kill percentage is 40% and that Oden is at a 60% pace so far.

“She’s only going to ask for the ball when she thinks it’s the right time,” McKenzie said. “She wants to spread the wealth around. Of course, I must admit, when a game is close, I sit there on the bench and just say to myself, ‘Get it to Bev, get it to Bev.’ ”

But it doesn’t seem part of Oden’s makeup to always draw the spotlight. As McKenzie admits, “If Bev were more aggressive, she wouldn’t be Bev.”

She says it bugs her that she gets much of the credit for a team laden with stars. Indeed, last year’s team was as much a testament to Cari Delson, now at Pepperdine, as Oden. This year, Norton and Fu have been exceptional. Oden has just been Oden.

“I think her personality protects her from being fazed by all the expectations of her,” Glenn said. “Her sisters, being defending state champion, but she never gets too high or too low. That’s pretty hard to do with all the pressure put on her.”