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Sports Notebook: New coach hopes to keep good times rolling
8/27/2015 11:54:40 AM

By Mike Vlahovich
Splash Contributor

Laurie Quigley has a tough act to follow. 

She replaces Central Valley High School volleyball coach Amanda Bailey, who guided the Bears to successive state trips and a seventh-place finish before resigning for family reasons.

But CV's new coach is no stranger to the sport. Quigley was a standout at Lewis and Clark, playing for her mother and current West Valley coach Julie Yearout, and at Western Washington University.

After college, she spent two years as head coach at 2A Squalicum, where she had a state seventh place finisher.

"We want to use the experience of our returners to help teach our newcomers what it takes to be competitive in this league," Quigley said via email. "CV has had a lot of success under Amanda, and we are hoping to build on that success."

The team graduated power-hitter and GSL MVP Kazlynn Roullier which leaves CV with a hole to fill. 

But third-year varsity players and All-GSL selections last year, Keann White and Jade Rockwood, plus eight other seniors return. Quigley anticipates that the experience will help fill in for the loss. 

Others from last year's roster are Meghan Rockwood, Hannah Reiman, Shelby Frank, Taryn Ungaro, Morgan Ness, Emma Smith and track state placer Sydney Johnson.

Turnbow's loss a blow
When the best player in the state and among the best in her age group nationally moves away, it has to be unnerving.

Such is the case for Central Valley's two-time state champion girls soccer team.

Kelsey Turnbow, a junior-to-be, has departed for Arizona due to family obligations, leaving a huge hole to fill.

"It's a tough loss," coach Andres Monrroy agreed. "Not just from a soccer perspective. She was a great person and a great teammate."

It also doesn't help that seven seniors graduated, three of them all-league performers.

Likely cushioning the blow for the Bears is the knowledge that Monrroy has a knack for melding players together and that 13 varsity players were likely to return, Erica Casey, Katie VanEtten and Natalie Cabiad among them.

"It's a team sport after all," Monrroy said. "When you have to replace someone like that, it's difficult. You have to have the girls continue."

Tryouts, he said, will tell the tale. First match is Sept. 4 at Southridge.

Girls reload, boys rebuild
Like the U.S. Postal Service, neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night can keep Bears girls cross country from its annual state appearance.

Since 2002, they've made 10 trips to Pasco in November, and little is likely to change.

The girls placed sixth last year, return intact and would like to be in the trophy hunt this season.

Remarkably, less than a minute separated the seven runners at state last season, led by Briegan Bester. Ashley Beard, Kayla Boyer, Kearan Nelson, Brielle Crump, Anna Fomin and Gabrielle Ford completed the lineup. 

"We have everyone back and it looks like the young kids will be pretty good," coach Dennis McGuire said. "No matter what, we're going to be really solid."

Rather than lust after a state berth, CV's theme, he said, is to let goals come to them.

"By that I mean we're going to work on being the best team we can be and what comes out of that comes out," McGuire explained.

Bester returns as the No. 1 runner and placed high nationally in track. She placed in the 800 and 1,600 at state. Fomin is unique in that although running 5,000 meters on the cross country team, she was a sprint placer in two events at state.

"We want to get into that top three and get a trophy," McGuire said.

The boys are starting over. Gone is third-place state standout Briton Demars and most of last year's state fifth-placing team. Isaac Nichols and Gabe Romney return for the Bears.

So coach Kieran Mahoney must find replacements from the army of runners who dominated Greater Spokane League junior varsity races through sheer numbers.


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