The Southern Section released its preseason volleyball rankings last week and, not surprisingly,
Redlands East Valley (Redlands, Calif.) earned the top spot in the 1A division. But REV standout
Krista Vansant doesn't want to hear about it.
While the Wildcats have won a CIF title in each of her previous three seasons on the varsity team, Vansant would prefer not to think about the future, only the present.
Krista Vansant, Redlands East Valley
Photo by Jann Hendry
"I hope that we will be able to perform this postseason, but I am not focused on that right now," said Vansant. "I am focused on getting better every day and helping my teammates to get better every day. We are tough to beat because we have a lot of talent on our team and once we start to mesh better we will be hard to beat."
Vansant and the Wildcats have been tough to beat ever since she first joined the varsity as a freshman. She led her team to the section championship, hitting the game-tying point and then serving up two aces for the match.
"We really had no business being in that game with the talent we had, but the heart of that team was incredible," said Redlands East Valley coach Trish Vansant, Krista's mother. "For a freshman to accomplish that in such a big game, I knew she had something special."
Colleges have had their eyes on Vansant for some time. She says she received her first letter from a university when she was in just seventh grade.
"At first it was pretty cool knowing that all these colleges wanted me to play for them, but then it got really stressful," she said. "I wanted to pick the right college and I didn't know if I would know which one was right and I didn't want to get criticized by my peers for the one I chose."
She recently committed to play at the University of Washington and she is looking forward to the college experience.
"When I visited UW, I just knew that it was the right place for me and I knew I would fit in there," she said. "The coaching style, the fast game they play, the girls and the overall atmosphere is great. I am very excited to get to play ball at the collegiate level. This is what I have been dreaming about for a long time. I cannot wait to get up there to play and do my best."
While Vansant is considered one of the top hitters in the nation, the secret to her success might lie in her other skills.
"In my opinion my passing is my biggest strength," she said. "No one would expect a 6-2 girl to be able to have ball control. I take pride in being good defensively and in serve receive."
Vansant's mother concurs, noting that Krista often volunteers to play other positions.
"Most kids with her age and ability to hit rely on just that and don't put importance on passing. I think that's what makes her special," she said. "She works very hard in receive and takes pride in 'passing nails' on a consistent basis. Her favorite aspect of the game is defense. She loves the challenge and thrives on making spectacular digs to keep her team in the rally. She's been known to say, 'Let me play libero!'"
Vansant had 565 kills last season, but also finished with 233 digs, 72 aces and 30 blocks. She earned Citrus Belt League MVP honors and was also the Southern Section MVP as well as an all-state pick by MaxPreps.
Vansant gets much of her talent from her parents. Her mother played basketball at Loyola Marymount and her father was a baseball and basketball player in college. She also says she learned a great deal about the game from her club coach, Danny Scott.
"He has taught me so much," Vansant said. "He is a good coach, but also a good friend. He has taught me that serve receive is important to be a good outside hitter. He taught me that playing defense is essential to being good in college. He is just a great all-around person."
Vansant said her most memorable moment on the court is winning three straight CIF titles and scoring the game-winning point in each of those matches. While Redlands East Valley has come up short in the state finals the past two seasons to Archbishop Mitty, Vansant is working toward changing that as well.
"Archbishop Mitty is a very good, consistent team that has been very tough to beat in the past, so I anticipate that it will be the same this year," she said. "My goals for this season are to do anything in my power to win CIF again, but I am going to take it one day at a time."
