At first, there was frustration this season for the Laguna Beach Volleyball Club 15-and-under team.
The team had all the talent in the world, Coach Chris Whiting said, but chemistry issues made it tough. Whiting’s squad failed to qualify for the Open division at the recently concluded USA Volleyball Junior Olympics, competing instead in the National division.
Coaches talk all the time about a team peaking at the right time, or coming together.
Laguna Beach did both, and as a result Breakers sophomores-to-be Avery Bush, Rachele Killian and Caroline Holte walked away with gold medals and an experience they’ll never forget.
The 15-and-under team, featuring the three Laguna Beach residents, took first place in the National division in Miami on July 3. They beat a team from Cleveland, 25-20, 25-16, in the championship match.
“I was sort of overwhelmed with all of the joy,” said Holte, a middle blocker who was named to the all-tournament team. It was a joyous tournament for the whole family; Holte’s younger sister, Francie, won a bronze in the 12 Open division.
“It was definitely a peak at the right time,” Caroline Holte said. “We were just all really sick of losing, in a way. We were ready to start winning and we came together and became a team.”
Bush, an outside hitter, was also a key. Whiting, who also played at Laguna Beach High (class of ’85), said she was a bit of a stabilizer for the team. Bush said in some ways the win was “life-changing.” The Laguna Beach squad finished up 9-2 in the tournament.
“We know we can keep fighting and we know we’re good players,” Bush said. “It was just like our work paid off so much. It changed my life. Just to win a gold medal is so amazing and hard to do.”
Killian is a setter for the team, and her chemistry with the other two Laguna Beach players was another key to the team’s success. Killian said the team wasn’t down at all, even after dropping its second match of the tournament to Rocket City, of Huntsville, Ala.
“We had to pull it together,” she said. “Losing that [match], we wanted to keep on winning and get first in that pool. We weren’t nearly that down about it. We knew we still had a chance.”
