CLUB EXPERIENCE HELPS HIGHLAND'S WILSON.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Daily News Staff Writer

Her tumultuous but valuable club volleyball experience is behind Josie Wilson, and because of it, she hopes history will repeat itself.

That includes Wilson defending her Golden League Most Valuable Player award and Highland High matching its perfect 1996 league record.

Everyone is back for the Bulldogs in their quest to repeat, but no one on coach Mike Bird's team, or in the entire Golden League, has as much seasoning as Wilson, a 6-foot-1 senior middle blocker.

Bird said Wilson was the Golden League's only club participant in the offseason.

``She's competed against other girls from Orange County and the (San Fernando) Valley who are equal to or better than she is,'' Bird said. ``I think now she's very confident when she takes the court.''

It wasn't so easy when Wilson joined the Santa Clarita Athletic Club. In the ensuing six months, Wilson went through four head coaches and was disappointed when nearly half of the team quit during the season.

Club play includes paying for tournaments and equipment. The depleted roster meant the remaining players had to cough up more money individually. Wilson's final bill was $1,500.

``It was a letdown when somebody would quit every other week. I wish I could have gained more out of it. I admire the girls that I played with that stuck with the team,'' said Wilson, who hopes to play club again after this season. ``It helped in my team leadership and it's made me focus more mentally.''

Both Wilson and Bird admit there is room for improvement.

``As a hitter, sometimes she'll make unforced errors that she should put away, either hitting the ball too hard or not hard enough,'' Bird said. ``But Josie's a good leader who makes everyone around her a better player.''

Wilson cites her lack of focus when she plays in the back row.

``I know I don't pass well when I'm back there and I tend to let myself down,'' she said. ``I would like to see the court a little better.''

Those deficiencies are rather slight when considering her ability to dominate a game at the net with superior blocking skills. Standing at 6-1 doesn't hurt.

``Height is good. Look at the college ranks. In the Fab 50 (a list of the top incoming collegiate freshmen) most of the girls are 5-11 and above,'' Bird said. ``Every Division I school can use a 6-1 middle blocker.''

Wilson's dream is to attend Brigham Young, where her brother Mac, 21, is a sophomore on the men's team. The BYU women, a Division I power, have finished recruiting for next season.

``I always wanted to play Division I and compete at the top. If I had to go to a (junior college) and go to BYU later I would, but right now I'm still wide open,'' Wilson said. ``It would be nice to go to BYU and be with my brother.''

That wasn't always the case when Josie was a kid. Mac and another brother, Seth, now playing volleyball at Pierce College, used to practice in their backyard. Young Josie would shag balls but wasn't allowed to participate.

``When they tried to coach me they were pretty mean to me,'' Wilson said with a grin. ``But I learned a lot watching them play.''

Josie tried out for seventh-grade volleyball only after being cut from the cheerleading squad at Juniper Junior High.

``I tried out for cheerleader again in eighth grade and didn't make it then either,'' Josie Wilson said. ``I figured then I was more of the athletics type.''

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Photo: Highland's Josie Wilson is out to repeat as the Golden League Most Valuable Player.

John Lazar / Special to the Daily News