San Diego Union Tribune
Article
on Leanne Stennett
The Union Tribune has a feature article on our own
Leanne Stennett.
SPIKES HIGH: After last season's disappointment, San
Dieguito volleyball program on the rise
By Gigi Alford COMMUNITY SPORTS WRITER
September 21, 2006
ENCINITAS – Tied with defending state champion Santa Fe Christian in
the final game of the match, the San Dieguito Academy volleyball
team won in dramatic fashion, feeling as if it had erased last
year's disappointing season.
The last two points in the Mustangs' 25-23, 14-25, 19-25, 25-17,
15-13 victory came off senior outside hitter Leanne Stennett's
blocks.
“We're mad about last year,” said the 5-foot-10 Stennett, who
tallied 15 kills. “We finished last in league.” This year, San
Dieguito, No. 6 in the San Diego Section and the top team in
Division III, has adopted the motto “from worst to first.” With five
strong seniors, the Mustangs feel this is the year to make their
mark. The team has set its sights on the section final.
Beginning with spring practice, coach Dexter Harvey said he knew the
team was special, but it took the players until after the San Diego
Fall Classic two weeks ago to find out for themselves.
With nothing to lose and low expectations from opponents, San
Dieguito left it all on the court in the tournament. The Mustangs
finished third with close losses to the eventual champion, Division
I power Fallbrook, and runner-up, Santa Fe Christian.
Beating SFC a week later further boosted their confidence.
San Dieguito junior setter MacKenzie Aries said Stennett's clutch
play in the Coastal North League upset is a testament to the
four-year varsity player's leadership and impact on the court.
“In the fifth game,” said Aries, with 35 assists, “she started
pounding balls, so I just kept setting her and setting her.”
It's Stennett's leadership and tenure on the team that made her
Harvey's choice for captain the past two years. With her experience
as a varsity starter since her freshman year, Stennett has earned
the respect of teammates who listen to her on the court. Harvey said
he rarely has to tell his team to start warming up because Stennett
has already taken the lead.
Aries said Stennett is an admirable captain, whose court demeanor is
encouraging to teammates when needed and remains calm in tough
situations.
“The way she holds herself,” Aries said. “She never raises her
voice, never gets too mad.”
Stennett also won her team's respect during her battles with
injuries. She maintained a good attitude her sophomore year, when
she was sidelined five months with torn cartilage in her knee. Her
junior year, she was nagged by a strained back. Stennett took her
exile from playing in stride, showing up for practice to shag balls
and fill in at positions that wouldn't hurt her back.
Dealing with her knee injury, Stennett said she tackled rehab one
week at a time and was cleared to play a month or two earlier than
projected. Her tweaked back tested her patience more. She felt ready
to play, but Harvey and her parents felt she needed more time to
heal completely.
She resolved to come back twice as hard this year.
Staying positive while missing two key years of college recruiting,
Stennett said, is largely thanks to her father, a 6-foot-7 former
college basketball player who tore his ACL.
“There was no excuse with my dad,” Stennett said. “He always asked
me, if I wanted to come back so bad, shouldn't I be in the gym
lifting, and he was right. There was always something more I could
be doing.”
Before letting Stennett attempt a jump serve earlier this season,
Harvey ran over to the stands in the middle of the game to clear it
with her father.
Now Stennett is determined to make up for lost time. She hopes to
play collegiate volleyball in Southern California, and she's had to
do lots of research and e-mailing on her own to find schools to come
watch her play.
Her goal for the season is to take San Dieguito deep into the
playoffs, and, on a personal level, to become the league's Player of
the Year.
Freshman year, her club team won its division in the Junior Olympics
and Stennett was selected tournament MVP. The acknowledgment
convinced her that she could play in college. For Stennett, the most
valuable player award recognizes an athlete's attitude on the court.
“You can be an awesome player, and you have to have the skills,”
Stennett said, “but you've got to have that competitive drive.”
Harvey, who also coached Leanne's older sister, Jenna, said
Stennett's attitude on the court makes her coachable and a quick
learner. He praised her defense and court vision.
“She's one of those rare athletes,” Harvey said. “It's so much fun
watching her play now that she's healthy.”
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