Braves Girls Arrive as Contenders on V-Ball Court

While the Indian Hills volleyball program has progressed light years under sixth-year head coach Karen Klingner, she still finds herself in a different situation than most varsity coaches each fall.

"Most of the kids who come out for the team as freshmen have never even touched a volleyball before," Klingner said. "That's been changing more each year. I have some talented underclassmen this year, including three freshmen, who have been playing since middle school, play on club teams and are committed to the sport all year around."

The results of that have been evident across the board. Indian Hills posted a 14-12 overall mark last year, were third in their league and advanced to the round of 16 in the county tournament. The Lady Braves also made it to the quarterfinals of the Group 2 state tournament.

Indeed, volleyball at Indian Hills has arrived and now stands to attract some of the school's better athletes.

Further proof came late last month when no less than 80 girls showed up to the tryouts for the three teams. Additional good news was that Klingner and assistants Maria LaBarbeira and Ken MacIver were already familiar with many of them.

"It's taken a while, but we've finally earned some respect in the area," Klingner said. "Teams know that when they face Indian Hills they better bring their 'A' game. We've been under the radar, but we'll have more of a target on our backs than we've ever had before."

Although Indian Hills lost seven seniors from last year's team, only two of them were starters. This year's impact players will be seniors Kerianne Pacheco, a right side hitter, setter Amanda Parks, middle hitter Lindsey Rock, outside hitter Liz MacNeil and junior Taylor Grbelja, an outside hitter.

Parks collected 366 assists last year, while Rock contributed 32 blocks. MacNeil chipped in with 178 digs and led the team with 30 aces, and Grbelja had 78 kills.
Newcomers to the varsity this year will be junior Ashley De Young, a middle hitter, and the freshmen trio of Marina Di Tommaso (outside hitter) 5' 11" Kayla Dowling (right side hitter) and 5' 10" Jewel Smolenski (a setter).

With the realignment of leagues, IH makes the move to the Division 6 of the Big North, where they'll face the likes of Mahwah, Ramsey, River Dell, Pascack Valley and Dumont, and be spared the burden of regularly facing perennial powerhouses such as Ramapo and Old Tappan.

"We've been building on each year trying to compete with the top teams in the state, and it is gratifying to see the fruits of our labor," said Klingner, while readying for the season opener Sept. 13 at home versus River Dell. "Playing in the Garden State Challenge last season against the top teams in the tri-state was a turning point for us as it gave us the confidence to head into the second half of the season."

In the county tournament Indian Hills even extended Old Tappan to three games, which boosted their confidence heading into the state tournament. This year, Indian Hills has been invited to participate in the New Jersey Classic for the first time.

The highlights keep coming and should continue for years to come as interest in the sport continues to grow. The banners in the Indian Hills' gym tell the story: the volleyball team won league titles in 1997 and '98, with little to boast about since.

"Prior to Karen's arrival, the program wasn't moving forward," athletic director Bob Van Saders said. "She's improved the program in leaps and bounds. The amount of kids at this year's tryout is a credit to her and her coaching staff. We've seen steady improvement each year, and girls want to be part of the program now."