New teacher joins winning students

LAKE OF THE PINES - Just a week away from beginning defense of its Central Valley Christian League championship, the Forest Lake Christian volleyball team was suddenly without a coach.A week later, Laura Alred made her coaching debut in the Falcons' CVCL opener after Susan Carlsen was forced to leave the team because of a debilitating back injury. "This is my first coaching job - ever," Alred said after Forest Lake swept Sacramento Waldorf 25-9, 25-13, 25-10 Tuesday night. "It's a huge commitment. I'm amazed. But the girls have been great."While Forest Lake (5-2 CVCL, 11-8 overall) trails Woodland Christian and Vacaville Christian in the standings, hopes are high for the season's home stretch."The toughest part of this season was losing our coach - that was hard for every one of us," sophomore setter Jen Menary said. "We didn't have a coach for a week. But I also think that made everyone on the team stronger."The Falcons cruised past the winless Waves Tuesday as senior Teresa Reed's 10 kills led the way. Caitlin Hanson and Tasha Haddad served up seven aces each while Bethany Huusfeldt tossed in nine kills.As a showdown with Woodland Christian looms Friday, Forest Lake is hoping to cash in on its recent improvements by avenging a sweep at the Wolves' place last month."I think we've progressively gotten better," Reed said. "The chemistry gets better every game. The new coach thing - that took awhile to adjust to, but now that we've gotten into the flow of things, it's been really great."Menary's development as a playmaker has fueled the Falcons' improvement. She dished out 22 helpers on Tuesday, consistently setting up the Falcons' big hitters at the net with pinpoint accuracy."She's definitely brought a lot of energy and she always knows what to do with the ball. It's like she reads you," Reed said. "She's really quick and she's got a lot of spunk. It's awesome."At just 5-4, Menary zips around the court looking for Forest Lake's finishers. She's helped stabilize a team that returned just two players from last year's team that made the section final."At the beginning I was really nervous," Menary said. "But when (Huusfeldt) or (Reed) goes up and puts it away, the best feeling just overcomes all of us. When we're in the front row together it just feels like we can dominate. I like being the quarterback of the team in a sense."Hanson and Haddad add great versatility, playing all over the court as Alred tries to meld the team she took over just three weeks ago. The mother of former Forest Lake standout Leyna Alred, Laura is still adjusting to the hectic coaching schedule and like any good coach she sees room for improvement."We're playing well," Alred said. "But we can still improve."