Post by Surfin D Beach on Oct 10, 2004 1:20:07 GMT -5
Nice article on Ali Daley...
It mentions Debbie's daughter too...
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Daley dominates for NU
After averaging 16.1 kills and 16.8 digs last season, she's headed for perpetual power Long Beach State.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, October 7, 2004
It's not too late to get into a Fantasy Sports League. Sign up here.
With a statistic called kills, there's a reason outside hitter Ali Daley strikes fear in the eyes of her volleyball opponents.
As a senior on Nevada Union's 19-2 squad, Daley not only has made a name for herself in the Metro Conference but nationwide.
Then again, it would be hard to keep the nearly 6-foot brunette a secret after she had a season-high 37 kills against 2003 state Division IV finalist Golden Sierra in a 3-2 victory Sept. 7.
"I think she's the most dominant player to come out of this area," Golden Sierra coach Jeff Deter said. "When we play (Nevada Union), we try to keep the ball away from Ali. That's how we prepare to play them."
But Daley's domination on the court is nothing new. She was first spotted for her potential in seventh grade by Nevada Union coach Bob Rogers, and two years later Daley became the first freshman to start on the Miners' varsity.
This year The Bee's 2003 Most Valuable Player was recognized as one of the top 15 college recruits in the country by PrepVolleyball.com, which also ranks Daley's team No. 11 in the United States.
"College recruiters had her number on speed dial," Rogers said. "A really great player can do just as much damage from the back row as the front row. That's Ali."
That's the 17-year-old who led the area in kills and digs after averaging 16.1 kills, 16.8 digs, 3.3 blocks and 1.9 aces per match last season. She also led Nevada Union to last year's Division I state championship finals, losing to Los Alamitos at Cypress College.
"She's always smiling when she plays," NU athletic director Steve Pilcher said. "She really believes in her team and doesn't come off as a superstar. You don't see that a lot in boys and girls her age."
Daley has verbally committed to five-time NCAA champion Long Beach State, where she will play with good friend Nicole Vargas of Lakewood. They teamed to win the under-19 Hermosa Beach Open this summer, in Daley's first beach tournament.
"It was the first time we had ever met each other," Vargas said of the beach tournament. "She came down the day before and we connected, we bonded."
Vargas is the daughter of Long Beach State assistant coach Debbie Green-Vargas, a two-time Olympian who is still considered the best setter in the history of women's volleyball.
"She's great to play with, and I'm glad I have the chance to play four years with her," said Vargas, a senior at St. Joseph High in Lakewood. "She's an awesome player who can do anything on the court."
Daley said she picked Long Beach over Arizona because she was impressed with the coaches and the program, ranked 18th in the Division I poll conducted by USA Today and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"It really fits me," Daley said. "I knew in my heart I wanted to go there."
Another upside to Long Beach is that the 49ers compete in the Big West Conference against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, where Daley's brother Gary is a baseball player. Gary Daley said there is no doubt in his mind where he will be when Long Beach plays at Cal Poly.
"I will definitely be there to watch her play," Gary said. "It will be exciting."
Just wearing the 49ers' jersey and playing for "The Beach" isn't Daley's only goal. She wants to earn a spot in the starting rotation, which she acknowledges as a lofty goal.
"I want to go in there ready to play," she said. "I still have a long way to go."
So, she's prepared for the intensity of collegiate volleyball. On top of her practices and games with Nevada Union, she plays beach volleyball in Folsom three days a week, where the sand helps her work on her vertical jump, which already is 23 inches.
"College volleyball is played much higher over the net," Rogers said. "You add a couple inches, and it makes all the difference."
Rogers said it helps that Daley surrounds herself with some of the best players available. After years with a local club team, Daley switched last summer to San Jose-based City Beach, one of the nation's top club teams.
City Beach placed second in the under-17 Open division at the Junior Olympics in July. Daley was named to the all-tournament team, an honor she also earned at the high school state championships last fall and at the Archbishop Mitty National Invitational in San Jose on Oct 2.
She's accustomed to standing out at well-known tournaments, and most recently was named MVP for her 118 kills at the High Sierra Invitational in Reno on Sept. 10.
Daley also is a talented basketball player, competing on Nevada Union's varsity since she was a sophomore. Last season, the post player led the Miners in blocked shots and averaged 7.2 points per game.
She has decided, against the advice of some, to play basketball again this season, despite increasing her chances of an injury.
She knows what it's like to suffer a season-ending injury. In 2001, Daley came down from a spike and broke her left fibula and tibia. She spent three months in a cast that covered her left leg, and six months away from volleyball.
"You can't really think about that in life," Daley said. "If it's supposed to happen, it will. I'll be more cautious when playing (basketball)."
But for now, Daley's world revolves around volleyball and the opportunity for the Miners to contend for another state championship.
She's taking it one step at a time, though, focusing on winning the Metro Conference, Sac-Joaquin Section and NorCal titles again.
___________________________________________
GO BEACH!!!
It mentions Debbie's daughter too...
___________________________________
Daley dominates for NU
After averaging 16.1 kills and 16.8 digs last season, she's headed for perpetual power Long Beach State.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, October 7, 2004
It's not too late to get into a Fantasy Sports League. Sign up here.
With a statistic called kills, there's a reason outside hitter Ali Daley strikes fear in the eyes of her volleyball opponents.
As a senior on Nevada Union's 19-2 squad, Daley not only has made a name for herself in the Metro Conference but nationwide.
Then again, it would be hard to keep the nearly 6-foot brunette a secret after she had a season-high 37 kills against 2003 state Division IV finalist Golden Sierra in a 3-2 victory Sept. 7.
"I think she's the most dominant player to come out of this area," Golden Sierra coach Jeff Deter said. "When we play (Nevada Union), we try to keep the ball away from Ali. That's how we prepare to play them."
But Daley's domination on the court is nothing new. She was first spotted for her potential in seventh grade by Nevada Union coach Bob Rogers, and two years later Daley became the first freshman to start on the Miners' varsity.
This year The Bee's 2003 Most Valuable Player was recognized as one of the top 15 college recruits in the country by PrepVolleyball.com, which also ranks Daley's team No. 11 in the United States.
"College recruiters had her number on speed dial," Rogers said. "A really great player can do just as much damage from the back row as the front row. That's Ali."
That's the 17-year-old who led the area in kills and digs after averaging 16.1 kills, 16.8 digs, 3.3 blocks and 1.9 aces per match last season. She also led Nevada Union to last year's Division I state championship finals, losing to Los Alamitos at Cypress College.
"She's always smiling when she plays," NU athletic director Steve Pilcher said. "She really believes in her team and doesn't come off as a superstar. You don't see that a lot in boys and girls her age."
Daley has verbally committed to five-time NCAA champion Long Beach State, where she will play with good friend Nicole Vargas of Lakewood. They teamed to win the under-19 Hermosa Beach Open this summer, in Daley's first beach tournament.
"It was the first time we had ever met each other," Vargas said of the beach tournament. "She came down the day before and we connected, we bonded."
Vargas is the daughter of Long Beach State assistant coach Debbie Green-Vargas, a two-time Olympian who is still considered the best setter in the history of women's volleyball.
"She's great to play with, and I'm glad I have the chance to play four years with her," said Vargas, a senior at St. Joseph High in Lakewood. "She's an awesome player who can do anything on the court."
Daley said she picked Long Beach over Arizona because she was impressed with the coaches and the program, ranked 18th in the Division I poll conducted by USA Today and the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
"It really fits me," Daley said. "I knew in my heart I wanted to go there."
Another upside to Long Beach is that the 49ers compete in the Big West Conference against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, where Daley's brother Gary is a baseball player. Gary Daley said there is no doubt in his mind where he will be when Long Beach plays at Cal Poly.
"I will definitely be there to watch her play," Gary said. "It will be exciting."
Just wearing the 49ers' jersey and playing for "The Beach" isn't Daley's only goal. She wants to earn a spot in the starting rotation, which she acknowledges as a lofty goal.
"I want to go in there ready to play," she said. "I still have a long way to go."
So, she's prepared for the intensity of collegiate volleyball. On top of her practices and games with Nevada Union, she plays beach volleyball in Folsom three days a week, where the sand helps her work on her vertical jump, which already is 23 inches.
"College volleyball is played much higher over the net," Rogers said. "You add a couple inches, and it makes all the difference."
Rogers said it helps that Daley surrounds herself with some of the best players available. After years with a local club team, Daley switched last summer to San Jose-based City Beach, one of the nation's top club teams.
City Beach placed second in the under-17 Open division at the Junior Olympics in July. Daley was named to the all-tournament team, an honor she also earned at the high school state championships last fall and at the Archbishop Mitty National Invitational in San Jose on Oct 2.
She's accustomed to standing out at well-known tournaments, and most recently was named MVP for her 118 kills at the High Sierra Invitational in Reno on Sept. 10.
Daley also is a talented basketball player, competing on Nevada Union's varsity since she was a sophomore. Last season, the post player led the Miners in blocked shots and averaged 7.2 points per game.
She has decided, against the advice of some, to play basketball again this season, despite increasing her chances of an injury.
She knows what it's like to suffer a season-ending injury. In 2001, Daley came down from a spike and broke her left fibula and tibia. She spent three months in a cast that covered her left leg, and six months away from volleyball.
"You can't really think about that in life," Daley said. "If it's supposed to happen, it will. I'll be more cautious when playing (basketball)."
But for now, Daley's world revolves around volleyball and the opportunity for the Miners to contend for another state championship.
She's taking it one step at a time, though, focusing on winning the Metro Conference, Sac-Joaquin Section and NorCal titles again.
___________________________________________
GO BEACH!!!
