ALIVE AT FIVE: OTAHKS ADD TO OVC TITLE STREAK

To all those other Ohio Valley Conference volleyball teams who were just waiting for Southeast Missouri State University's Otahkians to finally take a tumble this year, well, they're simply going to have to keep on waiting.

The Otahkians lost four standout starters from last year's team that rolled through the OVC with an 18-0 record and captured the school's fourth straight regular-season conference championship.

So this year figured to be something of a rebuilding season for the Otahkians, right?

Not on your life. The Otahkians are the classic example of the team that doesn't rebuild -- it simply reloads.

Despite having four new starters, the Otahkians are back at their familiar perch of OVC champions. Two victories on the road last weekend gave Southeast a final league record of 15-3 and secured a fifth consecutive regular-season title.

"I'm just so proud of my team for what they accomplished," said Southeast coach Cindy Gannon. "They showed so much character, to continue the Southeast volleyball tradition.

"But I told the girls after we won the (regular-season) title that we accomplished the first part. Now we go after the second part."

The second part is the OVC Tournament that will be held in Cape Girardeau Friday through Sunday. The winner of the event gains an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Southeast, which won last year's OVC tourney title and made the NCAA Division I field for the first time ever, figures to have quite a few challenges this weekend, because the league was extremely balanced this year.

But no matter what happens in the conference tournament, this group of Otahkians has certainly been able to continue Southeast's volleyball tradition.

"I think that's a big part of it," Gannon said prior to leading her team's Tuesday afternoon practice session at Houck Field House. "Nobody wants to be the first Southeast team to have the streak broken."

Over the past five seasons, the Otahkians are 78-8 in OVC regular-season play. They also tied for first in 1991, their initial season in the OVC, giving them six league championships in seven years.

But going into this season there were a lot of skeptics. First off, the Otahkians were not picked to win the OVC in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches, although they were selected a close second in the 10-team field.

"We've used that every day in practice, whether it was a good practice or a bad practice," said a smiling Gannon, who has an overall record of 233-121 in her ninth season as the Otahkians' coach. "It was definitely motivation for us. And the kids really used it."

As expected, the Otahkians' leader has been senior setter Tuba Meto, last year's OVC Player of the Year who has been a major part of the last four championships.

Meto, who has a good chance to win a second straight OVC Player of the Year honor when the award is announced later this week, has an astounding 1,459 assists to go along with 249 kills, 382 digs and 31 service aces.

"Tuba is just like a coach on the floor," Gannon said. "She assured me at the beginning of the season that we were going to win (the OVC) again."

Meto, a native of Istanbul, Turkey who is one of only two seniors on the team, laughed about what Gannon said.

"I've always had the confidence we would win, even though other people didn't," she said. "I am satisfied with the championship, but I hope we can also win the tournament."

Southeast's only other really experienced player returning from last year was sophomore middle blocker Angie Aschoff, who played well as a freshman but was overshadowed by Meto and the four seniors starters who were on hand.

Aschoff has responded with a strong season. She's third on the team in kills (325), third in digs (307), first in block solos (22) and second in block assists (56).

"Not being picked to win (the OVC) this year was definitely an incentive," she said. "Nobody expected anything but we had the tradition going.

"Every year there's pressure for us to win because of the tradition. But we like the pressure."

One of the biggest surprises for the Otahkians has been the play of sophomore hitter Jackie Derwort, who saw only limited action last year. She leads the squad in kills (489) and digs (410) and is second in assists (119) and aces (29).

"Jackie stepped up late last year but she had an unfortunate injury at the conference tournament and didn't even travel with us to the NCAAs," said Gannon. "She's played so well this year."

Said Derwort, "I was looking forward to the day I could step in. I didn't know if it would be this year, but I'm really happy."

A host of other players have also contributed to the Otahkians' success this season.

Freshman Krista Haukap is second in kills (390), fifth in digs (210) and fifth in block assists (27).

Junior Cathy Prichard, a returning player who saw limited action last season, is sixth in kills (142), fourth in digs (288) and fifth in aces (19).

Junior Kim Aggert, a junior-college transfer, leads the Otahkians in block assists (70) and is second in block solos (21). She's also fifth in kills (146).

Mandy Edgington, a junior who saw limited action last year, has contributed 180 digs and she is third on the squad in aces (27).

Nicole Gonzalez, the team's only other senior, and freshman Rachelle Knapp20and Kandi Candelarie have all been solid role players while sophomore Donya Hill and freshman Erin Holt have also had their moments off the bench.

"They've all contributed. It's really been a team effort," Gannon said. "Eunice Thomas, my assistant coach who has been with me the last three years, has done a great job. And Tami Vaillancourt, my student assistant coach who played with us last year, has really helped."

While the Otahkians used the OVC's preseason poll as motivation all year, even Gannon said she at one time had her doubts.

"I really wondered about us going into the season and early when we struggled some," she said with a sly grin. "That's what makes this championship maybe the sweetest yet."

`RULING THE OVC'

SEMO's volleyball team has won five consecutive OVC regular-season championships. Here is how the Otahkians have fared in regular-season league play during that time:

1993 -- 15-1

1994 -- 15-1

1995 -- 15-3

1996 -- 18-0

1997 -- 15-3

Total -- 78-8