Small school notebook: Cal State East Bay's K.C. Walsh continues the family volleyball tradition
- September 18, 2010
The Cal State East Bay women's volleyball team has some game and a familiar volleyball name.
Ranked No. 24 in Division II, the Pioneers boast a deep and talented roster.
As for the name, newcomer K.C. Walsh -- the sister of two-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh-Jennings -- brings a little more street cred to coach Jim Spagel's program.
"She's a good kid," Spagle said of K.C. Walsh, a 5-foot-11 senior setter and transfer from Oregon State. "She works hard. She brings a real calm presence to the court. She's got some great knowledge. We're very fortunate to have three excellent setters."
Cal State East Bay marks the third stop for the 23-year-old Walsh, who also played at Loyola Marymount for two years.
Spagle believes Walsh, who led Archbishop Mitty to three CIF state volleyball championships, came to Division II Hayward to have some fun and finish her career on a "high note."
The early returns are good. Walsh had 42 assists and 15 digs in the Pioneers huge win last week over No. 11 UC San Diego 3-2 (27-25, 25-22, 19-25, 22-25, 15-13) in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
On Friday, the Pioneers suffered their first loss of the season to San Francisco State 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23). They were 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the CCAA going into Saturday's match against Cal State Monterey Bay.
Walsh's parents, Margery and Tim, were college athletes; her sisters Kerri (Stanford) and Kelli (Santa Clara) played college volleyball; and her brother, Marte, played basketball at Cal Poly.
Kerri Walsh, the one you've seen on TV, is a member of the Stanford volleyball Hall of Fame.
Last year Spagle endured his first losing season in 29 years of volleyball coaching. He gives much credit for the turnaround to his team's three senior mainstays -- libero Lauren Massa, setter/outside hitter Roxanne Neely and middle blocker Ariel Ajagu. Other keys are the addition of talented young front-row players and transfers Katie Glomb (Loyola Marymount), Jade Stanford (South Carolina State) and Walsh.
Neely, the CCAA Player of the Week for Sept. 6-12, had 11 kills and 19 assists against San Diego.
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