August 23, 2007

Cal Poly's Kathol has Broncos looking up
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer

Antoinette Kathol can recall an elementary school class photo in which she towered over her peers by at least a head. She often was called names but quickly learned to ignore the taunts.

Several years later, Kathol is putting that physical attribute to good use by excelling against athletes her own size. The 6-foot-2 senior middle blocker is the marquee player for the Cal Poly Pomona women's volleyball team which starts the 2007 season today.

"I got called Giraffe a lot. But I love being tall," Kathol said after a morning practice in Darlene May Gymnasium. "I don't have a problem wearing heels, either. I was almost 6-foot tall in the eighth grade, so it is something I have always had to deal with. I use it to my advantage."

Kathol and the Broncos (10-15, 7-13 in 2006) take the court for the first time at 7 tonight against California University of Pennsylvania in an invitational they will be hosting. They also will play Central Washington on Friday and No. 19 Brigham Young-Hawaii on Saturday.

Two years ago, the Broncos started the season 19-0 and tied Cal State Los Angeles for the CCAA title, but instability at the setter position last season resulted in a seventh-place finish.

Kathol is confident the Broncos will challenge reigning champion Cal State San Bernardino and traditional contenders UC San Diego and Cal State Los Angeles for conference supremacy this season.

"We're going to be much better," she said. "We have almost everyone back, and the new players have really worked in well. There is no reason we can't play with those teams this season."

Kathol, 22, has been a dominant force since arriving as a freshman, even through the team's sub-par 2006. As a junior she earned second-team All-Conference and first-team Pacific Region honors, with 163 total blocks, which led the conference and was second best nationally among Division II players. She also totaled 230 kills, 67 digs and 36 service aces.

If that wasn't enough, she also earned All-CCAA academic honors.

Kathol, who attended LaSalle High School, also excelled in track and made the CIF-Southern Section finals in the shot put. But volleyball was the sport she competed in year-round, and she honed her skills with the San Gabriel Volleyball Club.

She was recruited by a handful of Division I schools, including UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton, as well as the Broncos' top rivals in the CCAA. But Kathol chose Cal Poly Pomona, as much for its academic program as its success on the court. She is majoring in psychology and plans to pursue a graduate degree, most likely at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.

"I liked the professors and what they had to offer academically," she said. "And when I came to visit it felt like home. It felt like the right place for me."

She burst on to the scene starting opposite Allison Anderson as a freshman and managed 133 kills and 104 blocks, including a nine-block performance in her collegiate debut at Alaska-Fairbanks.

She had 210 kills and 84 blocks as a sophomore. None of those lofty numbers surprised veteran coach Rosie Wegrich.

"She is a dominant blocker and really has been since she got here. She forces opposing hitters to alter their shot," said Wegrich, in her 16th year directing the program. "Many of the shots she isn't blocking or deflecting are going out because they have to try and go through her."

Kathol isn't content with past success, either. Cal Poly Pomona always has been one of the top serving teams in the conference and Kathol has been working on a jump serve which she hopes to add to her repertoire. She also has become a more versatile player offensively.

"When she got here she pretty much hit one type of set," Wegrich said. "Now she is hitting three or four different sets with the same efficiency. She is a much more well-rounded player and that shows in our offense."