EAGLE TAKING FLIGHT HOPING FOR ANOTHER SWEET FINISH CHAMINADE THINKING PLAYOFFS WITH CAPICOTTO.

Byline: IVAN OROZCO Staff Writer

WEST HILLS - Kim Capicotto's reward was asoda.

After displaying leadership and asolid performance during an eighth- grade club volleyball tournament, the Chaminade High of West Hills junior was given slack to ingest some sugar.

Andrew Vazquez, then the club's coach, encouraged his players to stick to a no-simple-sugars diet to help increase performance during matches.

``That's a moment I'll never forget,'' Capicotto said. ``He didn't want us drinking Coke or eating candy. But we earned it that day.''

Vazquez, now in his fourth season as Chaminade's girls' volleyball coach, still wants Capicotto and her teammates on a similar diet.

Capicotto, 16, eats a protein-rich breakfast with eggs and bacon, fruits for lunch and basic fats before practice with a bean-and-cheese burrito.

But the reward for good play and leadership has changed -- the Eagles' coach now lets the 5-foot-11 outside hitter run the team's offense.

As a junior, Capicotto has become the anchor of a team made of young, inexperienced players. Vazquez has two freshmen in the starting rotation and no seniors on the roster.

``(Capicotto) runs a collegiate type of offense by herself,'' Vazquez said. ``We run eight or nine different sets for her in different tempos.''

Vazquez is incorporating his young players into Capicotto's offense to help create a winning program within the next two seasons. The Eagles' outside hitter, a three-year starter, has committed to help her young teammates improve.

Freshman middle blocker Erin Deutremont has benefited from Capicotto.

``Her balls are hard to dig,'' Deutremont said. ``That's helped me to be able to dig other hitter's balls.''

Chaminade is a program that has struggled to rake in wins in the tough Mission League, which features some of the area's top programs in Flintridge Sacred Heart of La Canada Flintridge, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Harvard-Westlake of Studio City.

With her recent play, Capicotto seems to have given the Eagles hope of reaching the playoffs for the first time in school history.

Capicotto set a school record with 41 kills in a five-game match Sept. 15 against Viewpoint of Calabasas. She continued pounding the ball with her right arm in a win against Hart, with 37 kills in a four-game match Sept. 21.

``When we run Kim's offense, our passing game is good,'' Vazquez said. ``We don't make a lot of passing errors. If we keep that up, she's going to get over 30 kills in every match.''

Capicotto will try to continue her steady attack Saturday at the 28-team Royal tournament featuring five of the Daily News' top 10 teams (No. 3 Flintridge Sacred Heart, No. 4 Thousand Oaks, No. 6 Saugus, No. 7 Moorpark and No. 9 La Reina of Thousand Oaks). In their pool, the Eagles will face Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, Arcadia and Calabasas.

If Capicotto carries a hot streak into league play, Vazquez said he hopes the Eagles (5-6) will find a way to squeeze into the playoffs as a wild-card entry or with a third-place finish.

``We're knocking on the door,'' Vazquez said. ``The first week, I wasn't sure. But the team has shown some maturity with Kim the last two months.''

Another player showing maturity is Emma Watson. The 16-year-old junior setter complements Capicotto's game.

``We've developed a real mesh,'' Watson said. ``If I make a mistake, she'll let me know. She's really picky about her sets, so she critiques me.''

Capicotto's growth has attracted a few college scouts to her club matches, including West Virginia. But for now, the Eagles' anchor will try and focus on earning her team some sugar and respect with more wins.

[e-mail]

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Chaminade's Kim Capicotto set the school record for kills in a single match Sept. 15.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer