CASEY AT NET BOLLER EVERYWHERE FOR HART VOLLEYBALL.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

If the Hart High girls' volleyball team is having any type of success on the court, Casey Boller doesn't figure to be very far away from the ball.

Boller, a 5-foot-8 senior outside hitter, isn't the Indians' top hitter, blocker or server, but she's strong enough in all of those disciplines to be considered the Foothill League's top all-around player.

Add to that her outstanding defensive play and it's easy to see why the Indians are in first place in league under the leadership of Boller, one of the team's co-captains.

``She's a very smart player,'' said Hart's other captain, setter Tara Coe. ``She can read the play very well and she's always on her toes and ready for the ball.''

Boller's athleticism, her ability to play a ball at the net just as well as she does in the back row, certainly runs in the family. Her older brother, Kyle, is the starting quarterback at Cal, and her older sister, Candace, plays volleyball at Loyola Marymount.

Boller's versatile play was also her ticket to the varsity team last year. At 5-8, she has a size disadvantage against most players who line up on the other side of the net. Two or three inches might not seem like much, but when you're trying to hit over an opponent, size is the great equalizer.

To compensate, Boller has to outsmart her opponents. She has a compact, powerful swing, which by itself makes her tough to defend. But she also plays the angles of the court well, going further outside than most players to try to hit around her opponents.

``If I have a big block up in front of me, I have to do whatever I can to get the hit in,'' Boller said. ``And I try to get an advantage on defense, because a lot of the bigger girls who play outside hitter don't do as well on offense.

``I try to be a good all-around player, because I know I'm not spectacular at any one thing. I might not be the best hitter out there, so I try to make up

for it in other ways.''

Boller puts herself on the line defensively by being the player to receive the opponent's serve and make the crucial pass to Coe. Boller's passing is the first, and perhaps the most important, cog to the Indians' offense.

In turn, Coe consistently looks for Boller when the Indians need an important point. Coe will make high-risk sets to all corners of the court, anything she needs to do to get the ball to Boller.

``Casey is probably our most dedicated player, she's always working hard to get better,'' Coe said. ``Plus, she's very talkative on the court, she doesn't like it to get quiet. She's very vocal, but she's always very calm.''

Such attributes led to Boller's selection as a team captain in just her second year on varsity. The Indians, under first-year coach Shannon Martin, won just two of their five nonleague games but took a 4-0 league record into Tuesday's match against Canyon.

The Indians overcame one of their obstacles to a league title last Tuesday in a four-game victory over Saugus. Boller had just eight kills in the match but played strong defense, earned several crucial service points and kept her teammates composed on the court in an up-and-down match.

Boller even tried a jump serve in the deciding fourth game and flashed an embarrassed smile as the ball hit the net.

``I usually ace those,'' Boller said with a laugh. ``Coach doesn't want me to try them unless we're really in control of the game, but I want to get her to the point where she can trust me to do it any time.''

That point might not be too far away, particularly if Boller and the Indians stay on their current path to success. Boller has decided not to play volleyball in college, and would like to join several of her friends at San Diego State, so this season is a final chance for her to enjoy some glory on the volleyball court.

``I want this to be a very special year,'' Boller said. ``We decided back in the summer that we wanted to dedicate ourselves to winning league, but I'd love to do well in (the Southern Section playoffs) and make it further than any team in Hart history.''

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Hart High's Casey Boller plays well enough in all facets of volleyball to be considered the Foothill League's best all-around player.

Eric Grigorian/Staff Photographer