THE MASTER'S COLLEGE NOTEBOOK: SENIORS FIND PEACE AND QUIET KERN, SANSONI HOME AT MASTER'S.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Some of The Master's College women's volleyball players are politely objecting to the school cracking down on its dress code. Not seniors Kat Kern and Erika Sansoni.

``Both Erika and Kat are so passionate, they said, `You guys have no idea how fortunate we are to be here,' '' Mustangs coach Karen Peterson said.

Sansoni and Kern didn't start their collegiate experience at The Master's. But the Mustangs' middle-blocking tandem couldn't think of a better place to finish.

They come from small towns in neighboring states; Kern from Wamego, Kan., and Sansoni from Durango, Colo. Kern played at Kansas' Baker University, like The Master's an NAIA school but lacking its spiritual values. The small, Christian campus also intrigued Sansoni, who spent two years at Division I New Mexico and its 25,000-student urban sprawl in Albuquerque.

``L.A. might as well as be a different country coming from Kansas. The school size and things (for me) is not that big of a change,'' said Kern, who called her previous school only an ``affiliated'' Christian college. ``But the atmosphere, the environment, the people, a lot of things are different.

``They had optional chapel once a week. They carried the (Christian) title, but the feeling on campus was there were no requirements to get into. There was no testimony of faith to get in. It was not spiritual.''

Which is more than Sansoni could say about attending New Mexico, a school with top-notch facilities, a major Division I conference (the Mountain West) and a larger student body that was bigger than her 14,000-resident hometown in southern Colorado.

``Going to Albuquerque is going to this huge city,'' Sansoni said. ``I'd walk on campus and see somebody new everyday. I really missed that small-town feeling, and here I know everyone on campus and off campus. My professors know me. At UNM, I had 550 in one of my psychology classes.''

But it was more than just the cozy surroundings and the Christian atmosphere. Sansoni, a regular contributor for the Lobos her two seasons there, lived off campus with some friends. The area wasn't the safest.

``Some of my teammates lived closer to school right off the main street. And one night we came home from a tournament and they were getting ready to go to bed. Somebody shot five bullet holes into their apartment,'' Sansoni recalled. ``One of the girls walked past there and two minutes later the bullets came through. It was really scary, and that was the icing on the cake. You are glad that you are out of this town.''

And though she's now in an even larger population area, Santa Clarita is paradise for Sansoni and Kern. Both arriving last year as juniors, they have helped the Mustangs become the best blocking team in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Kern's impressive numbers - leading the GSAC in total blocks (106) and blocks per game (1.51) - are even more remarkable considering she's played with an aching back that at first was feared to be a herniated disc that would force her to redshirt.

She sat out two weeks in September and spends six hours in physical therapy each week. But unlike last season, when Kern only stayed on the floor on the front row, Peterson keeps her on the court through the full rotation. But she's hung tough despite the pain.

Entering Tuesday's match at Cal Baptist, Sansoni was leading the team with 254 kills (Kern was next at 235). They've led the Mustangs within a possible berth in the NAIA Region II playoffs and will compete next weekend for the National Christian College Athletic Association championships in Indiana.

But volleyball is only part of this success story.

``Seeing how bad it is at other schools, there's not the growth and the fellowship that you can have. The five bullet holes in the wall, that's never going to happen here,'' Sansoni said. ``You come here and you have minor things like the dress code. It's really not a big deal. It's just kind of frustrating. It shouldn't be a problem.''

--Short-handed: The Mustangs hope to get sophomore outside hitter Natalia Durso back late in the season. Durso, a sophomore and one of the team's best hitters, suffered a severe ankle injury in a five-game loss at Christian Heritage on Oct. 2.

In Durso's absence, Lisa Lucas, a senior who joined the team after the start of the season, has played well. Lucas played two years for the Mustangs but sat out in 2001 after knee surgery.

--A fine showing: If the softball team's performance against defending NCAA Division I champion Cal at the UOP fall tournament means anything, the Mustangs could be dangerous this season.

The Master's lost to the Golden Bears, hardly a shock. But Cal had to rally with two runs and erase a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1.

``It was a really positive tournament for us,'' assistant coach Julie Coert said. ``We were really excited. We pitched very well.''

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(color) Volleyball players Kat Kern, left, and Erika Sansoni are grateful to be at The Master's College after unsatisfactory experiences led them to transfer from other schools.