Kay says 2009 Lady Monsters best team she's ever coached

By Brian Wright
Sports Editor
Published on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 9:19 AM MST

Shari Kay has coached good teams before but never one like this.

The Monsters volleyball team has been sizzling hot all year long, and no one has been able to cool them down.

The recipe for success has included a healthy dose of ultra-talented new players in addition to much-improved returning players from last season.

First-year Monsters Dreanne Shaw (from Hawaii) and Ami Baldwin have added a new dimension for Eastern Arizona College with their considerable talents.

Baldwin, an outside hitter from Gilbert High School, was named NJCAA National Player of the Week on Oct. 8. She is the first Monster to receive that honor in four years.

“Offensively, not only do they provide lots of kills per game, but their hitting percentage is so high — they make very few mistakes,” Kay said of Shaw and Baldwin.

“Defensively, they’re both primary passers for me.”

Second-year player Kalia Yasak is one of the country’s top setters and is fifth in the NJCAA in assists per game (10.5).

EAC is 18-1 overall and 11-0 in conference play. There is a lot to like about the team.

Kay appreciates the fact that the players are extremely coachable and all get along well.

“We don’t have drama. I have nothing to complain about,” she said.

One thing EAC hasn’t had much this year is home cooking. It has played at home only five times.

Tonight is the last regular season home match for the Monsters. They play South Mountain at 7 p.m.

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1 comment(s)

Gila Fan wrote on Oct 26, 2009 8:54 AM:

" Shari great job!!!!!
Good luck with the playoffs. "

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