Photo by James Kimber/Stars and Stripes New Yokota Panthers senior outside hitter Irene Diaz pounds a spike past the defense of Coko Magby of Robert D. Edgren. Diaz, a transfer from Albuquerque, N.M., has averaged 8.7 kills per match for the Panthers, who've gotten off to an 8-1 start. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Photo by James Kimber/Stars and Stripes New Yokota Panthers senior outside hitter Irene Diaz pounds a spike past the defense of Coko Magby of Robert D. Edgren. Diaz, a transfer from Albuquerque, N.M., has averaged 8.7 kills per match for the Panthers, who've gotten off to an 8-1 start. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Junior Ashlyn Yevchak, a transfer from Timberline, Idaho, has averaged 7.1 kills for Yokota in its first nine matches. (Kendall Boone/Special to Stars and Stripes)
Senior Irene Diaz, a transfer from Albuquerque, N.M., has become Yokota's primary scoring weapon, averaging 8.7 kills in the Panthers' first nine matches. (Kendall Boone/Special to Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – It can be something of a nightmare for any coach: bidding farewell to multiple senior leaders and promising underclass stars, and not knowing who might be back on the court the next season.
Dennis McKibben, entering his second season as Yokota volleyball coach, faced just that situation.
Four-year starting middle blocker Caitlyn Rowan and defensive anchor Sarah Cronin graduated and freshman outside hitter Kaliah Henderson left to Florida.
“Total vacuum. You never know who’s going to fill that,” said McKibben, who coached Yokota last season to a .500 regular-season finish. The Panthers did not place in the Far East Division II Tournament. “You hope one of your existing players will step up, or hope and dream that somebody will arrive at school with skill and positive attitude.”
But as common as such situations are within DODEA-Pacific schools, rarely does good fortune bless coaches such as the way it did at Yokota:
The PCS season delivered a bounty of stateside talent in sisters Irene and Adrianna Diaz, an outside hitter and middle blocker late of Sandia, N.M., and outside hitter Ashlyn Yevchak, a junior transfer from Timberline, Idaho.
And another transfer is inbound – Britney Bailey, a junior middle blocker who arrives Monday from Vicenza, Italy by way of Guam High.
“We got totally lucky,” McKibben said. “It was a worry, but we ended up getting doubly blessed. We doubled down on that.”
Doubled down to the tune of eight wins to start the season, until a three-set loss to Division I American School In Japan on Tuesday. One of those wins came in straight sets Sept. 6 at Nile C. Kinnick, the reigning 10-time DODEA-Japan regular-season champion.
The three newcomers have thrived, with Irene Diaz averaging 8.7 kills per match followed by Yevchak (7.1 kills) and Adrianna Diaz (5.8 kills and 2.6 blocks).
The newcomers team with returners Kyra Anderson, Sally Lambie and promoted JV player Jamia Bailey to form a talented core.
“They shared the same idea, what it takes to make the best volleyball experience,” McKibben said. “They just gel, on and off the court. They genuinely like each other, on and off the court, which wasn’t always the case last year.”
The newcomers say they’ve fit in well. “It was really easy transitioning here,” Adrianna Diaz said. “Everyone welcomed my sister and me with open arms. I felt immediately like I was part of the family, which is really important for chemistry.”
Irene Diaz immediately became the focal point of the Panther offense. “Everyone gets along and that’s really important to me – I hate drama – so the chemistry is there, which makes it easier to stay focused and have trust in each other,” Irene said.
Yevchak’s presence creates an “if the right hand don’t get you, the left one will” scenario, McKibben said. “If the defense forgets about Ashlyn, she’ll take over the game with her strikes,” he said. “Irene’s great, but without Ashlyn, the other team’s blockers can all focus on Irene.”
And with the arrival of Bailey, expected at Yokota later this month, what began over the summer as a nightmare could a dream.
“She’s a very athletic player,” Guam High School athletics director Benjamin Leon Guerrero said. “She’s tall, she’s very athletic, she can hit and jump very well, is very vocal on the court and has the ability to be a leader.”
Even with the defeat Tuesday at ASIJ, McKibben said there were important takeaways that can make the newly blended team better as the season goes on. The first two sets, Yokota “didn’t have an answer” for ASIJ, which closed each with a flourish. But in the third, the Panthers “found another gear,” keeping it close, trailing 20-19 before the Mustangs closed it out.
“It would have been great to win, but … we have another gear. We have to find a way to turn it on when we’re not being challenged by somebody of ASIJ’s caliber,” McKibben said. “Now, it’s: how do we bounce back? How do we respond? If we play that way against most of our D-II opponents, we’ll come out on the good side.”
kimber.james@stripes.com
Twitter @james_kimber
