GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL NOTEBOOK: REBELS HOPING TOUGHER ROAD WILL PAY OFF.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer

QUARTZ HILL -- Playing against elite competition is the most effective way to develop talent.

The surest way to position for the best possible playoff berth is to pile up victories.

Therein lies the conflict faced by defending Golden League champion Quartz Hill High's girls' volleyball team.

The Rebels were ranked fifth in the first Southern Section Div. III-AA poll and are eager to remain among their division's top-ranked teams for playoff purposes.

But an exceedingly difficult schedule designed to prepare the team for what's expected to be an intensely competitive league won't pad their record.

Quartz Hill (0-1) opened its season Tuesday with a 25-18, 25-17, 25-9 nonleague loss to Foothill League power Hart of Newhall.

More tough competition is ahead for the Rebels. They play host to Canyon of Canyon Country and Serrano on Friday. They'll face more top-notch teams at the prestigious Royal of Simi Valley tournament, which begins Sept. 30.

``We need to have success this week to maintain our ranking; that's why this week is so important to us,'' first-year coach Blake Stanford said. ``If we're fortunate enough to win league, we don't want to play the No. 1 seed in the second round.''

But despite the possible playoff implications, Stanford said he wouldn't have the schedule any other way.

``We definitely want to be playing teams of the caliber of Hart and Canyon,'' Stanford said. ``We're not going to get better by playing weak teams.''

Stanford said the rewards of playing up on Tuesday were nearly instantaneous, with his team showing significant progression within the match.

Development is crucial for a Rebels team that is talented but lacks varsity experience.

Standout middle blocker Stephanie Svieven is among just two returning seniors.

Middle blocker Kahliah Burnley, outside hitter Chelsea Hamilton and setter Michelle Carroll (all juniors) are among the program's key up-and-comers. Burnley, who is 6-foot-3, is among the league's tallest players.

``I watched us grow in the first match alone,'' Stanford said.

All-out effort: Highland is among several teams expected to challenge Quartz Hill for the league volleyball title, and first-year coach Max Bautista liked what he saw in Tuesday's season-opener, albeit in a 25-18, 25-17, 25-9 loss to Canyon.

Bautista pointed out that Highland was without its most highly regarded player, senior outside hitter Rachel Moore, who did not play for personal reasons.

``We played short-handed and girls hustled all day,'' Bautista said. ``It was a great effort.''

Bautista is optimistic about his team's prospects. Highland returns 14 players including seven seniors and boasts the league's best overall height.

Moore, who is 6-3, is a Div. I prospect who's already gotten looks from Stanford and Long Beach State.

Other top players include junior middle blockers Rachel Cole (6-2) and Courtney Byers (6-1), junior outside hitter Katy Allen, junior opposite Jasmine West and senior setter Renee Murguia.

More history?: Earlier this year, Antelope Valley's boys' volleyball team made the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

Third-year girls' volleyball coach Francis Bosque is hoping for a repeat performance.

Bosque, who also coaches the boys' team, cites cohesiveness as his team's greatest overall strength. Junior outside hitter/setter Brittney Vandiver and junior middle blocker Tatiana Wesley are among five second-year varsity players who've all played together since they were freshmen on the junior varsity.

``I don't know the last time the girls' team made the playoffs, but our goal is to make history and bring Antelope Valley volleyball back to where it once was,'' Bosque said.

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