UCSD Setting Up for Shot at Another National Title

Every year before the UC San Diego women’s volleyball season, Coach Doug Dannevik does his best imitation of Carnac The Magnificent. Dannevik writes down the results of his team’s matches, puts them in an envelope--not necessarily hermetically sealed--and places it in his desk.

Dannevik has been a little off, predicting nine or 10 losses each of the past two years. Instead, the Tritons have gone 72-10 overall.

And the past two seasons, the big question has been: Who will win the NCAA Division III national championship.

The envelope, please. Answer: UC San Diego.

And for 1988?

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Dannevik said, with good reason.

Last year UCSD became the first team to win back-to-back Division III titles, and the Tritons have won four in the past seven years. But for the first time since 1981, UCSD will not have a returning All-American. Twelve players are back, but four starters are not.

UCSD opens its season with the All Cal Tournament today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Triton Pavilion. UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and UC Riverside will compete.

The tournament will be UCSD’s first without two dominant players--middle blocker Janet Hughes, the Division III player of the year last season, and setter Carol Lipson, the only player to be named an All-American at two different positions: setter last season and at outside hitter her junior year.

Laurie Bertanyi, a fifth-year senior, will move into a spot that has been reserved for All-Americans--No. 1 setter. Bertanyi was a member of the 1984 national championship team and then took two years off to concentrate on her biochemistry studies. She returned last year and this year is expected to be the team’s leader.

“Finally,” Bertanyi said. “It’s been a long wait. I’m glad I waited. I feel I’m ready now.”

Still, Bertanyi feels some pressure.

“Sometimes I feel there is a little Carol Lipson sitting on my shoulder,” Bertanyi said. “But we have five other players starting, and I don’t need to pull people together. There are a lot of good players who watched the team win national titles.

“It’s going to be our first, and we want to have an actual part in winning three in a row. This is our part.”

The two returning starters are outside hitters Ellen Chi and Diana Klintworth, who was second on last year’s team with 221 kills.

“Teams are going to look at our past teams, and that is going to be one of our advantages,” said Klintworth, a junior. “We’re going to be more of an all-around team.”

Bertanyi also thinks the unknown quantity will be an advantage.

“A lot of teams think UCSD is starting over, especially in the East,” Bertanyi said. “I think they’ll be surprised. They think it will be a young team. We don’t feel like a young team. Instead, were a bunch of old bench-warmers.”

Dannevik has put together a much tougher schedule this year, which could include as few as 10 Division III opponents. UCSD was 31-4 last season, including 23-0 against Division III teams, increasing its division winning streak to 31. Dannevik said he hopes the tough competition will bring the team together.

“We play the top Division III teams in the West at the beginning of the season and again at the end,” Dannevik said. “How we do between those two periods will make us tougher. This team has to get beat on a couple times.

“This year’s team is going to have to be more structured. Hopefully as successful, but we’ll take a different road.”

To another national title?

“Some of the freshmen got to play at last year’s nationals, so they know what it’s like,” Klintworth said. “They’ll want to feel that again. I know I want it again.”