front page 09 25.qxp - Clayton Pioneer

Page 10 Clayton Pioneer • www.claytonpioneer.com September 25, 2009
Clayton Valley High School
girls volleyball coach Lisa
Hobson enters her third season
as head coach of the Eagles
with confidence that her alma
mater can challenge for the
Diablo Valley Athletic League
championship. And she’s counting
on a quartet of Clayton players
to help them achieve that
goal.
Hobson (nee Lisa Barbieri)
graduated from Clayton Valley
in 1989 after excelling in volleyball,
basketball and track and
accepted a full scholarship to
volleyball power University of
the Pacific in Stockton. The
Tigers made it to the NCAA
championship game in
Maryland in 1990, losing to
UCLA.
She hopes her experience
and love of the game – she still
plays occasionally at the Clayton
YMCA – transfers to the players
as they battle Northgate,
Concord and defending champion
Berean Christian for
DVAL honors this season.
Senior Kelsey Rudd of
Clayton is the team’s only
fourth-year varsity player. The
coach counts on the team captain
and 5-9 middle blocker for
strong net play, both blocking
and hitting, as well as for providing
leadership for the young
team that has just four seniors.
Rudd is also a CV basketball
player.
Her fellow seniors include
Celeste Piper, who moved from
opposite to outside hitter and
has earned a starting spot.
Hobson says she’s a “powerful
server who will get a lot of
aces.” Michelle Stiller is a setter
and team captain who provides
“great defense” as a returning
starting setter. Lizzie Cotterell,
at 5-10 one of the team’s tallest
players, switched from outside
hitter to opposite and “she has
really shined. Lots of blocks and
smart hitting,” Hobson adds.
Junior Camille Condit is a
returning first team all-DVAL
outside hitter, a team captain
and third-year varsity performer
who played on the USA High
Performance club team this
summer. “She’s our best passer
and go-to hitter, who also has a
good serve and can really pound
the ball,” the coach says.
“Club is much stronger now
than when I played in high
school. I had two clubs to
choose from, while we now
have players on four different
clubs,” Hobson notes. “It is
almost impossible to have a
strong high school team if you
don’t have club players.
“Playing almost year-round
and at a higher level of competition
really allows the girls to
improve in the off season and
work on their individual skills.
Then we can focus more on
team drills once high school
practice starts in the fall.”
Eagles’ varsity girls who play
club include Rudd (Precision),
Condit (Xceleration) and
Clayton’s Garrett Biel didn’t
take long to make an impression
as the placekicker for Trinity
University.
In his second college game,
the freshman booted a 34-yard
field goal on the last play to give
the Trinity Tigers a 22-21 win
over Texas Lutheran University
in Seguin, Texas.
For his heroics, Biel was
named Southern Collegiate
Athletic Conference Football
Special Teams Player of the
Week. Last fall, the 5-foot-8,
164-pound Biel was kicking
footballs for De La Salle High
School and soccer balls for his
Diablo FC 90 club team.
As Trinity played its second
of four consecutive road games
to open the season, Biel kicked a
school-record-tying three field
goals (on three attempts). That
included a 25-yarder for the
opening score and, with no time
left at halftime, a 28-yard field
goal. They were the only points
Clayton Sports
League title within reach for CVHS volleyball
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
Mike Dunn/Clayton Pioneer
CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM IS LOOKING FOR SUCCESS IN DVAL THIS SEASON. Clayton residents, from left, Sierra
Andrus, Taylor Boneberg, Kristina Duncan and Kelsey Rudd are filling key roles for coach Lisa Hobson’s Eagles.
Allison Palmer (Odyssey).
Stiller, Cotterell, Piper, Sierra
Andrus, Marissa Hobson and
sophomore transfer Andi
Lineweaver are all on Diablo
Valley Volleyball Club teams.
The Clayton contingent on
for Trinity, as they trailed 14-6
before rallying in the second
half. Four other Trinity players
have kicked three field goals in a
game.
In the second half, Trinity
was down 21-12 before they
scored a touchdown, tacked on
Biel’s extra point (the team went
for two points on its previous
TD to try to tie the game at 14)
and then drove 49 yards on 14
plays to set up Biel’s last-second
effort. The team ran off most
of the time remaining to set up
the ball in the middle of the
field on the next-to-last play of
the game.
The TV announcer said,
“It’s all down to the foot of
Garrett Biel, the freshman from
Clayton, California.” The color
commentator added, “Oh my
God!” Texas Lutheran called a
timeout trying to freeze Biel.
After the game-winning boot
went through the uprights, Biel
was mobbed by his teammates.
He played in the last two
California state high school
football championship games
for De La Salle as well as three
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the Eagles includes three juniors.
Andrus is a 6-0 middle
blocker in her first year on varsity,
sharing a starting position.
Her coach likes “her good serving
and defense and smart front
row play.”
consecutive State Cup championship
matches for Diablo FC.
Biel scored the winning goal in
the North Coast Section soccer
championship game last
February in overtime for De La
Salle.
In his opening game for
Trinity, Biel converted a 43-yard
field goal and four extra points
(he missed one FG attempt) as
the team won its season opener
with a 31-26 victory over
McMurry University in Abilene.
Although he’s 1,700 miles
from home, Biel is enjoying
Trinity University in San
Antonio. “The football team is
very close. There is no separation
between seniors and freshmen,
so that makes the experience
more fun and enjoyable. It
is a lot like De La Salle football
in the sense of brotherhood and
being tight-knit.”
He adds, “For example, I
had a game-winning kick last
weekend and before I kicked it
some teammates gave me confidence
and assured me that no
matter miss or make ‘we still
have your back.’”
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Taylor Boneberg returns to
varsity as an opposite who has
been “improving her hitting and
passing and fighting for court
time.”
Kristina Duncan is a varsity
newcomer as a setter who will
play some back row defense.
“Kristina stepped up against
Freedom when the starting setter
was out and played well.
Look for her to share setting
duties in a 6-2 offense next
year,” Hobson adds.
The coach is a civil engineer
with Engineered Soil Repairs, a
construction company in
Walnut Creek. “Fortunately,
they let me work a more flexible
schedule and bring work home
during the season,” she says.
She began at Clayton Valley
in the 2006-’07 school year as
volleyball coach for the freshman
girls and varsity boys. She is
married to another CVHS alumnus,
Dave Hobson, a PE teacher
at the school and the junior varsity
girls volleyball coach. Lisa’s
stepdaughter, Marissa, is the
libero on the varsity.
“We also have a 4-year-old
daughter, Mia, who will be in
the CVHS class of 2023,” the
coach says with a smile.
The Eagles opened the nonleague
portion of their schedule
with three straight wins before
dropping a tight five-set match
to Heritage last week. They
begin DVAL play this week,
aiming to finish at or near the
top of the league and earn a
berth in the North Coast
Section playoffs in November.
The Eagles last took part in
NCS in the 2006 season. Last
season, the team was 5-7 in
league and 9-20 overall.
Biel takes college team to victory on final play
JAY BEDECARRÉ
Clayton Pioneer
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David Smith Photography/Trinity University
GARRETT BIEL (49) BOOTS THE GAME-WINNING 34-YARD FIELD GOAL
as time expires for Trinity University in their 22-21 victory over
homestanding Texas Lutheran University. The Clayton native
was named Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Special
Teams Player of the Week for his clutch effort. William Matevia
(85) was the holder.