The Timing Is Right for Heitmann

Oliver Heitmann went on the attack last week, and as a result the Cal State Northridge men’s volleyball team is beginning to resemble a final four contender.

The Matadors (13-8, 9-6 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play) have won five of their last six matches and three in a row.

Coach John Price said Northridge’s consecutive victories over Cal State Long Beach, Pepperdine and San Diego State are “as good a week as we’ve had since the (conference) tournament last year.”

“That’s a pretty tough couple of nights, beating Long Beach at Long Beach and the Waves at Pepperdine (in back-to-back matches), then coming back two days later and beating San Diego State at home,” he said.

Long Beach was ranked 13th, but No. 6 Pepperdine and No. 7 San Diego State were rated ahead of ninth-ranked Northridge.

But none of the three could handle Heitmann.

Heitmann, a junior from Hamburg, Germany, had 88 kills in the three matches, including a personal-best 40 against Long Beach.

Price attributed Heitmann’s success to improved communication between the 6-foot-7 middle blocker and Gary Reznick, the Matadors’ setter.

“It’s a combination of (Heitmann) getting in a groove and making adjustments and Gary starting to set him better,” Price said. “They’ve been struggling a little all year, but they seem to be getting better.

“The timing between the setter and the quick hitter is so important. The more they work together, the better they’ll get.”

If so, here’s some bad news for Northridge opponents: Heitmann and Reznick are roommates.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

CSUN’S POLLYANNA

Good recruiters are eternal optimists and have the ability to turn almost any negative into a positive.

So score a point for Tom McCollum, the right-hand man of Pete Cassidy, Northridge’s basketball coach.

McCollum has managed to find a silver lining in the fact that budget-strapped Northridge can’t afford to recruit prospects from outside the state.

“Kids from California don’t get spooked by the earthquake damage,” McCollum said. “A kid from almost anywhere in California has lived through an earthquake at one time or another. There’s no fear. If there is, it’s suppressed.

“They see the damage of course, but we tell them it’s all being fixed and as far as a conversation about it, that’s pretty much the end of it.”

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Although Marshall Evans appears to have hit his stride after two injury-hampered seasons, track Coach Don Strametz admits he and assistant Tony Veney were considering redshirting the junior sprinter as recently as five weeks ago.

They’re glad they didn’t.

Evans has recorded personal bests in the 200 (21.50 seconds) and 400 meters (47.55) in the last two meets.

The 47.55 clocking came in Sunday’s Northridge Invitational and moved Evans to sixth on the all-time Northridge list. If he can stay healthy, he appears to have a good chance at becoming the second Matador sprinter to run the 400 in under 47 seconds.

“Tony has altered (Marshall’s) training this season and it seems to be working,” Strametz said. “He’s doing more high-quality speed work and less strength work. He’s also taught him to slow down more gradually at the end of intervals and races.”

In automobile parlance, Evans had a habit of applying the brakes as quickly as possible after crossing the finish line--which led to pulled muscles--instead of easing off the accelerator and coasting to a stop.

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The Matadors have played 10 men’s volleyball matches in the last three weeks, but they have only one--a makeup contest against UC San Diego Friday night at Northridge--until April 8 when they meet top-ranked UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

“When you’re on a little bit of a roll like we are, you can’t play fast enough,” Price said. “I was hoping we’d get going a little sooner. Physically we could use the rest, but mentally I hope we don’t shut down.”

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Northridge senior right-hander Amy Windmiller doesn’t like to draw attention to herself. She is quiet, shy, perhaps the most humble player among the cocky Matador softball bunch.

But Windmiller cannot elude the spotlight. She has thrown five no-hitters, including two perfect games, in her last seven starts. She threw 27 consecutive hitless innings during one stretch.

Still, Windmiller would rather divert attention to someone else.

“To me a no-hitter is for the whole team,” Windmiller said. “It shows how good the defense is.”

Windmiller (12-1), the WAC player of the week who has lowered her earned-run average to 0.15, may have a point. Northridge committed only four errors in her seven victories. The Matadors were errorless in five games, helping Windmiller notch perfect games against Kansas and Minnesota last week.

“Her goal is to win,” teammate Tamara Ivie said. “The no-hitter is just an extra for her.”

Five no-hitters are the most in a season by a Matador since Kathy Slaten posted 11 at the Division II level in 1984. Windmiller, who has 117 strikeouts in 91 innings, has thrown 60 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.

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Third baseman Shannon Jones, Windmiller’s roommate, continues to lead the Matador offense, batting .456 with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

The sixth-ranked Matadors (23-4) are dominating their opponents. Northridge is batting .306 to its opponents’ .117, while outscoring them, 136-12.

But statistics don’t tell the entire story, Coach Gary Torgeson says.

“We’ve got some people right now that are just going through the motions,” Torgeson said. After going 3-0 through pool play of the Cal State Fullerton tournament last week, Northridge lost, 2-1, in the first round of bracket play Saturday to Georgia State, an unranked team that was 0-3 in pool play.

“Something is missing,” Ivie said. “I don’t know what it is. Hopefully we’ll find it this weekend.”

Northridge embarks on its toughest trip of WAC play this weekend. The Matadors travel to face conference rivals Cal State Sacramento (17-11, 4-0) today and Fresno State (23-8, 2-0) Saturday.

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Catcher-designated hitter Eric Gillespie continues to make a bid for freshman All-American honors. The Millikan High graduate has hit safely in 28 of the Matadors’ first 33 games and is hitting a team-high .362.

Gillespie leads the team in RBIs (35), doubles (11) and hits (51). He has 15 multiple-hit games and has hit safely in each of Northridge’s nine WAC games.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Mike Hiserman, Paige A. Leech and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.