By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com 

A girls volleyball team doesn't rise to No. 1 in the nation with just one player, and that certainly is the case with La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad, who have assumed the top spot in the newest ESPN RISE FAB 50 national volleyball rankings.

The Mavericks, who return 10 from a team that has won four straight San Diego Section Division I titles, and last year lost in the Division I Southern Regionals to eventual state champion Lakewood, have five legitimate D1 college level players.

In the Durango Fall Classic held last weekend in Las Vegas, all five shined but only one could win the Most Valuable Player award after the Mavericks blitzed the field, winning seven matches, and beating many of the nation's top teams en route to the tournament championship.

The girl that won the MVP was the team's quarterback, junior 5-10 setter Kendall Polan, who also possesses a rocket topspin jump serve. Her spectacular serve on the tournament's match point, aced Assumption of Louisville, Kentucky in a 25-18, 25-21 title match victory.

"The MVP at Durango could have gone to the 6-foot-2 senior opposite hitter Katie Fuller, whose blocking carried the day for the Mavericks, or their explosive outside hitter 5-8 Natalie Hagglund, who brings it on the outside and keeps the team, and the crowd fired up, said ESPN RISE High School Volleyball Editor Christine Jinbo, who attended last weekend's event. "It went to a very deserving Polan, the quarterback of the No. 1 FAB 50 team. She consistently delivered a hittable ball throughout the tournament.

So consistently that after a 9-0 start on the season in which the Mavericks are 21-2 in game competition, and the 7-0 (14-2 in games) record at Durango, Polan has a reported state best 245 assists for a 10.7 per game average.
    
Her blazing, spinning serve has garnered seven aces on the season so far, and on broken plays where she has not been the setter, Polan has registered 11 kills. She doesn't have a lot of digs, but on defense Polan has 15 blocks.

"Kendall is our team quarterback, said Coach Pat McDougall, a retired executive of Cobra/Acushnet golf, who has coached at La Costa Canyon for nine years, the last two as varsity head coach.

"We have such a balanced team because everyone can do the job, but Kendall makes us go, continued McDougal, who arrived in San Diego County in 1970 to play volleyball at San Diego State. "She's very strong, very smart, and makes good decisions in all aspects of the game, including designing the plays.

Mighty high words of praise for a junior, who obviously takes on a leadership role well, especially on a team with two D1-bound senior stars, and another junior being heavily recruited by every Pac-10 school plus others.

When Polan called ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com at 6 a.m. on Wednesday for the arranged early morning interview, she shook off a couple of yawns and started talking about the team right away.

"This year we have confidence in ourselves as a team, said Polan, who knows a little about leadership after a term as sophomore class president, participation in Associated Student Body at school, and community volunteer work, something she said she's had to give up to concentrate on volleyball and schoolwork. "We thought we were really good, but being No. 1 is another thing. There are so many expectations. We're very proud of what we've accomplished so far but there's a long way to go before we reach our goal of a state championship.

Polan may deliver a nice set, but without hitters she wouldn't have the numbers she does, and the Mavericks wouldn't be sitting in the catbird seat of the nation's high school girls volleyball scene.

Polan's favorite sets are to USC-bound Fuller, who has 81 kills on the season and a 36-percent hitting ratio. The short but explosive junior Hagglund, who has every Pac-10 school looking at her, plus Nebraska and Texas amongst others, has 56 kills and 68 digs.

Senior outside hitter Lydia Rudnick, who has verbally committed to Princeton, has 45 kills and 76 digs. Junior middle blocker Natalie Loos has 68 kills and the highest hitting ration on the team at 47-percent.

Not only are Polan and her teammates leaders on the court, but in the classroom as well. Last year the team was honored by the San Diego Section for the highest GPA as a team in the section.

Kendall did her part with a 3.8 GPA but lamented she "didn't do well enough and could have done better.

With several Ivy League schools including Dartmouth interested in her playing and studying there when she graduates high school, grades are very important. "It stresses me out some thinking about the possibility of going east, said Polan, who lives in picturesque Cardiff by the Sea, and enjoys the beach. "I can surf but I'm not very good. Beach volleyball is more my game.

It's a game Polan learned from her older brother Kellen, who recently graduated from UC San Diego. "I always wanted to do what my older brother did, so I learned volleyball from him. Both he and my family have always been there to help me out.

Her father, Michael, an attorney, played several sports in high school. Mom Gerry is a registered dietician. "She keeps the family healthy. Everyone says we're a healthy family, said Polan with a giggle. Little sister Annie, a sophomore at La Costa Canyon who plays on the JV volleyball team, comes to all of Kendall's game to support her and the team.

"It's really exciting to be named the state athlete of the week, but with everything that's just happened it's a little overwhelming, Polan said. "We don't want to get too sure of ourselves because it matters what we do in the end and we want a state championship.

With Polan setting up La Costa Canyon's offensive firepower, and unleashing her ferocious serve, somehow we see an appearance Dec. 6 at the UC Irvine Bren Events Center by the Mavericks and their junior star.  

Send state girls athlete of the week nominations to mark@studentsports.com. We are aiming this year to choose our two weekly honorees on Sunday nights.