SPORT OF CHOICE; CLUB PLAY ALLOWED MOJAVE'S VENSKI TO REALIZE VOLLEYBALL IS HER TRUE CALLING.Byline: Heather Gripp Gripp talking raven, beloved pet of half-wit Barnaby Rudge. [Br. Lit.: Dickens Barnaby Rudge] See : Birds Staff Writer The sport Staci Venski had played for three years suddenly seemed like a whole new game, one that she loved much more than anything else she had ever played. Playing club volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. changed Venski's attitude toward the sport so much that the Mojave Mojave (mōhä`vē), river, c.100 mi (160 km) long, rising in the San Bernardino Mts., S Calif., and flowing generally north to disappear in the Mojave Desert. High sophomore recently decided to give up basketball even though her skills are more developed in that sport. ``After my club experience - it was so much fun - I wanted to go all the way in it,'' Venski said of volleyball. ``Before, I didn't did·n't Contraction of did not. didn't did not didn't do even think of it as a sport, it was just something to do. ``It doesn't does·n't Contraction of does not. compare at all (to high school volleyball). The intensity level, it's so much more intense. Everybody that's there is there because they want to be and they want to play at a high level.'' While Mojave's girls' basketball team tries to figure out how to replace the player who earned High Desert League MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. honors last season as a freshman, the Mustangs volleyball team is reaping the benefits of Venski's rapid improvement since she made volleyball a year-round commitment and something she wants to play in college. Mojave is in contention for the High Desert title, with Venski contributing a team-high average of 15 kills a match, more than double her output of a year ago. She had a season-high 19 kills Tuesday as Mojave improved to 8-1 and 5-0 in league. ``She's one of those athletes that just has a natural ability,'' Mustangs coach Sheri Dees said. ``I can definitely say she's one of the best players in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley ,'' Dees said, ``and within the next couple years it'll probably be the state.'' Venski, 15, took up basketball and volleyball in the seventh grade. She also used to play soccer and compete in the high jump. Her 6-foot-1 height when she entered high school - she's 6-foot-3 now - immediately caught the attention of coaches and helped her earn a starting middle blocker job on varsity. She was named first-team all-league. Venski's opportunity to blossom came when Mojave played in the Highland tournament last year and a club coach recognized her potential. Venski started playing with the Reseda-based Thunder thunder, sound produced along a path of a lightning flash, caused by the rapid heating and expansion of the adjacent air. Rolling thunder occurs either as a result of the time difference between sounds from the far and near end of a flash, or when mountains, layers last November and soaked soak v. soaked, soak·ing, soaks v.tr. 1. a. To make thoroughly wet or saturated by or as if by placing in liquid. b. To immerse in liquid for a period of time. 2. up enough knowledge to elevate el·e·vate tr.v. ele·vat·ed, ele·vat·ing, ele·vates 1. To move (something) to a higher place or position from a lower one; lift. 2. To increase the amplitude, intensity, or volume of. 3. her to a level where she is confident in her ability to try out for the junior national team this year. ``I improved tremendously,'' Venski said. ``I didn't even know how to hit, I'd just tap it over the net last year. I've learned so much.'' She balanced club volleyball and basketball during the same season last year but decided she couldn't continue the routine that left little time for studying. The long drives home from volleyball practice in Reseda usually kept her out until at least 10:30 p.m. and basketball games made for late nights the rest of the week. The desire to maintain her 4.0 grade-point average and start studying for the SATs left Venski with a decision she called ``extremely tough.'' ``I did better in basketball than I did in volleyball,'' she said, ``But I had so much fun in volleyball, I wanted to go all the way in it. I didn't care what the odds are. I didn't like basketball as much as I liked volleyball. I like basketball, but after realizing how much I liked volleyball, it'd be hard to feel content doing that.'' VENSKI FILE Name: Staci Venski Team: Mojave volleyball Position: Middle blocker Year: Sophomore Age: 15 Notable: The second-year varsity starter, who earned all-league honors as a freshman, doubled her production from a year ago and averages 15 kills a match for one of the High Desert League's top teams. . . . Was the High Desert League MVP in basketball last season. . . . Has a 4.O GPA GPA abbr. grade point average Noun 1. GPA - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted and was the valedictorian of her eighth-grade class. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1) Mojave's Staci Venski is contributing a team-high average of 15 kills a match as the Mustangs vie for the High Desert championship. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer (2) no caption (Staci Venski) Box: Venski file (see text) |
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