Ross-led Trojans sweep UCI

Richard Dunn

IRVINE - It was a Newport Harbor High volleyball reunion Tuesday

night at UCI.

And, as billed, USC freshman sensation April Ross was the main

attraction as the Trojans’ red-hot women’s volleyball team swept Coach

Charlie Brande’s Anteaters, 15-10, 15-5, 15-4, in a nonconference match

in front of 482 fans.

Ross, the 1999 Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Paul

Mitchell prep All-American for Newport Harbor, was everywhere on the

floor -- digging, passing, spiking, blocking, serving and setting.

“That’s why I’ve always said, she’s the best complete volleyball

player ever,” said Brande, also UCI’s Director of Volleyball and founder

of the Orange County Volleyball Club.

“But the most important thing is that she loves to compete. I mean,

you play cards with her on the road and she’s competitive.”

Ross, a 6-foot-1 outside hitter, is the prize recruit and one of six

freshmen on interim head coach Jerritt Elliott’s much-ballyhooed squad

(12-0), which extended its school-record winning streak to 36 games and

is the only team in the nation yet to lose a game this year.

“We still have a lot to work on, and we have a lot more talent than we

show. We can get better,” said Ross, who entered the match leading USC in

kills per game (3.11).

Ross, who guided Newport Harbor to CIF Southern Section and state

Division I championships in 1998 and ‘99, recorded nine kills, two blocks

and a team-high 12 digs in the Trojans’ win over UCI (6-6).

About the only positive thing that Brande, a former Newport Harbor and

Corona del Mar coach, could take from the match was the fact his team

scored in double figures in the first game, becoming only the fourth team

this season to do so.

When asked if USC will win the NCAA championship this year, Brande

nodded yes without a doubt. “That was April’s goal going there, to win a

national championship,” said Brande, whose team is led by another former

Newport Harbor standout, freshman Brenda Waterman, an All-CIF choice last

year.

“She’s our best player -- she plays all the way around,” Brande said

of his 5-7 outside hitter. “She’s a tremendous role model for all the

little people around.”

Waterman added a match-high 15 digs and seven kills, but the

Anteaters, playing without their starting setter (Jamie Pilbeam) because

of a broken left hand, were no match for the Trojans, ranked No. 1 in the

country by Volleyball magazine and given the No. 1 position by Brande in

the recent NCAA voting.

“They’re very, very good,” Brande said. “They’re deep and have a lot

of good players, and April plays so many positions, whatever the other

team is doing, she moves around and takes them out of their game.”

UCI, playing USC for the first time since Sept. 7, 1984, has never

defeated the Trojans in seven matches, while USC has won 21 of 22 games.

Ross made sure the record stayed intact.

“(Ross) is the most versatile recruit in the nation. She’s able to do

so much,” said Elliott, filling in for Mick Haley, who coached the

women’s U.S. Olympic volleyball team.

“It has worked out really well with the (three) seniors and (six

freshmen and three sophomores). It’s not a typical program in that the

freshmen are doing all the dirty deeds, like carrying bags.”

No, instead, players like Ross, 6-3 Kelli Lantz, 6-3 Katie Olsovsky

and 5-10 setter Toni Anderson are carrying the Trojans to a possible

national championship.

“The seniors just brought us into their team and it’s been working

well,” Ross said. “It’s still a lot to handle, and at times has been

overwhelming with school and volleyball. It takes up my entire day and

it’s been hard to get used to. But I’m slowly getting into the rhythm of

the school day.”

In front of family and friends, including Dan Glenn, her coach at

Newport Harbor, Ross never came off the floor.

She had six digs and four kills in the first game, including an

impressive kill from the back row to put the Trojans ahead, 8-6. On the

play, Ross dug a UCI spike and passed to senior teammate Antoinette Polk,

who set Ross for the kill. Waterman had three kills and seven digs to

lead UCI in the first game.

Ross added three kills in the second game, one of which was a bullet

from the back row to give USC a 7-2 lead. The Trojans had leads of 6-1,

9-2 and 12-4, before winning by 10.

In the third game, Ross chipped in with three digs, two kills and a

blocking assist. To give USC its first match point, Ross made a huge dig

to keep a rally alive as Polk finished it with a kill.

“It was just awesome,” Ross said of her return to the area. “Everyone

I knew was here, and I got to see them all after the (match). It was a

real neat feeling.”

Earlier this month, Ross was named MVP of the Met-Rx Invitational.