COMMUNITY SPORTS: Joining forces: Volleyball rivals team up for Wave's title run

By TOM SHANAHAN - For The North County Times | Wednesday, July 9, 2008 1:15 PM PDT ∞

Encinitas Wave players celebrate after defeating Mizuno Long Beach at the Junior Olympics national championships in Dallas. (Photo courtesy of www.articferret.us)

Imagine the Chargers and Oakland Raiders combining their talent to win a Super Bowl title. Or the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers joining forces to capture a World Series.

In a way, that's what happened last week when players from a pair of North County prep girls volleyball rivals pooled their talent at the Junior Olympics national championships in Dallas.

The Wave, an Encinitas-based club team, won the 16-and-under Junior Olympics Open division national title at the July 1-4 tournament with a roster comprised of players from La Costa Canyon and Torrey Pines ---- longtime adversaries and CIF San Diego Section powers.

"It was strange to see them as teammates," Torrey Pines junior Jenny Woolway said of her teammates from La Costa Canyon. "We've only known them as enemies until now. But it was a lot of fun playing with them. It was nice to see them on our side of the court instead of through the net."

The Wave's 10-player roster featured four players from La Costa Canyon, three from Torrey Pines, two from Cathedral Catholic and one from Carlsbad.

"It was definitely strange playing with girls you spend all year trying to beat in the high school season," said Kendall Polan, a La Costa Canyon junior. "There were some awkward situations at tryouts, but in the end we had a lot of team chemistry. We even hang out together now."

A win over Long Beach Mizuno in the championship match allowed the Wave to complete the national tournament undefeated.

The Wave is coached by Jeannie Reeves, a UCLA alumnus and 1984 U.S. Olympian who also played professionally in Europe and on the pro beach tour.

"They're high school rivals, but our focus was on teamwork," Reeves said. "I stressed this is Wave volleyball, and they can worry about high school in the fall. They really bought into it. We weren't a big team, and we had to rely on teamwork to keep the pressure on the other team.

"I've been coaching a long time, and it was really special to see the way they played as a team."

The Wave used a 6-2 offense that utilized Torrey Pines' Woolway and LCC's Polan, who are setters for their respective schools. Polan was the only one of the two named to the all-tournament team.

"That's OK," Woolway said. "She deserved it, and so did the other girls."

Joining Polan on the all-tournament team were outside hitters Kelly Reeves, a junior at Cathedral Catholic, and Natalie Hagglund, a junior at LCC. Reeves, the daughter of Jeannie Reeves, was also named the tournament MVP; she is competing this week for the U.S. Under-16 national team in Puerto Rico.

Jeannie Reeves said she became involved with the Wave when she took her daughter to tryouts. That's when she met Ed Machado, the club's long-time director.

A former UCLA volleyball player, Machado has two daughters, Jade and Jazmin, currently playing for the Bruins after he coached them at La Costa Canyon. Reeves said Machado convinced her to take over as coach of the Wave.

After the Wave suffered a disappointing club season in 2007, roster changes made by Reeves led to three Torrey Pines players ---- Woolway, senior libero Whitney Wilkerson and junior middle blocker Katie Dutchman ---- joining the Wave's 2008 roster.

Now, instead of Torrey Pines and La Costa Canyon girls keeping their distance during summer volleyball matches at Moonlight Beach, they actually play together.

"People will say, 'Oh, look at the Torrey and La Costa girls hanging out,'" Polan said with a laugh.

But don't think it will change the competitiveness of the Falcons-Mavericks rivalry this fall.

"I think the matches will be more competitive," Woolway said. "We'll play hard, and then we'll hug each other after the match."

Added Polan: "We know each other better as far as what we can do, and that will make the matches more mental. The matches will definitely be harder."