COLLEGE OF CANYONS NOTEBOOK: PREGNANT COACH TO TAKE BREAK.

Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News

When the College of the Canyons women's volleyball team takes the court at 7 p.m. Friday against Moorpark in an important Western State Conference interdivision match, it will be only the second time this season the Cougars have played in front of their home crowd.

But the match almost has become secondary for the COC players because it also could mark the last time during the regular season that coach Lisa Hooper guides her team from the bench.

The eighth-year coach was unable to accompany COC - ranked No. 5 in the state by the California Community College Women's Volleyball Coaches Association - to Santa Maria on Tuesday for the Cougars' interdivision match against Allan Hancock. She has said she will be in attendance for Friday's match against No. 23 Moorpark.

She then will step away for an unspecified amount of time to tend to a more pressing matter - her pregnancy.

Hooper is expecting to give birth to her first child, Kira Grace, sometime between Oct. 23 and 27, leaving assistant Eben Hale in charge of guiding the Cougars through the rest of their WSC schedule.

``It's not going to be easy to not be there,'' Hooper said. ``But we're all talking about getting together again at the end of the season.''

The reunion will not be for a team banquet or awards dinner, but for what COC plans on being a deep run in the Southern California Regional playoffs.

Only time will tell if Hooper can make it back in time for the team's regular-season finale against Glendale on Nov. 19. She said she will do everything in her power to be in attendance for the Cougars' Nov. 23 playoff opener.

``I don't care if they have to bring me in the gym in a wheelchair,'' Hooper said. ``I want to go to the state tournament so bad, and if we're there, I don't care what it takes, I'll be there.''

Hooper's players, especially her nine sophomores, are using their coach's temporary leave as a source of motivation rather than a distraction.

``We're all putting it on ourselves and saying that we need to do it,'' sophomore outside hitter Taryn Maxwell said. ``The (goal) is to take (Moorpark) in three, so even when (Lisa) is gone, she knows that we're going to be OK.''

Maxwell also expects the transition to be a smooth one.

``We have great chemistry with Eben,'' she said. ``(Lisa and Eben) both tell you a lot of the same things and Eben's really easy to listen to.

``We're doing a very good job (of dealing with it), and we're ready for (the challenge). We've worked a lot of things out in practice, and we've stepped up our level of play.''

--Thankful: Although Hooper says the timing of her expected delivery isn't exactly the most opportune, she couldn't be happier about having the child - especially when she reflects on the path she and her husband, Garrett, took to get to this point.

A little more than seven years ago, then 26-year-old Garrett was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin's disease, forcing him to undergo six consecutive months of aggressive chemotherapy.

In September, Garrett celebrated seven years free of cancer, but because of the aggressive chemotherapy, he was rendered sterile. But because of in vitro fertilization - a technique for conception of a human embryo outside the mother's body - he and Lisa were able to successfully conceive a child on their first attempt.

``I couldn't be more thrilled that we're finally having a baby,'' Lisa said. ``There are some things that are fascinating about the way this season has lined up. But I'm so thankful it's happened. It's an inspiration and it matters that people hear stories like that.''

--Big test: Through the first month of the season, the COC women's soccer team rarely was tested on its way to a 7-0-1 record.

But the Cougars (3-0 in WSC play) will find out exactly how good they are this week when they play host to Glendale (7-2, 1-1) at 4 p.m. Friday in a battle of two of the top 10 teams in the state.