1991_10 The Daily Collegian October 1991

              Daily Collegian Sp
Viewpoint
October
at last!
By Chris Cocoles
Today just happens to-^c the
f.rst day of October, and when I
thinkaboutit,Octoberisa pretty
cool month.
To me.x^verything happens in
tne tenth nitanth of the year.
_jjThe weathter finally starts to
cool off in the blast furnace
known as the Central Valley.
That is big news^to folks like
myself who are aqfcstbmed to-
the Arctic-like conditions that
exist in the San Francisco area.
•Collcgeand Pro Football are
at full Strength. I can't believe
'theexcitement that my gridiron
teams are providing me with.
Florida State and Washington
rest oh top of the college football
polls (more on the Semindles
and Huskies anotherday).
Professionally, never in my
wildest dreams did 1 think my
New Orleans Saints would be 5*
0 a nd leading thedreaded Lambs
and Niners by three games.
Pinch me, 1 could be dreaming.
The Seahawks though are off to
their customary dreadful start,
but you can't have everything,
especially .with Jeff Kemp play¬
ing quarterback.
•Hockey season is just around
the corner. The long awaited
return of an NHL team to the
Bay Are! GO SHARKS!!!
•College hoops practice bV
gins Oct. 15: Need I say more.
•Finally^ what makes this
month so complete. Baseball's.
.post-season.'
About this time, I ask myself
when baseball season is going to
end. Twenty-six teams play 162
times from April to October.
That's a hell of a long time But
the League Championship Se¬
ries and World Series xis only
rivaled by the excitement of the
NCAA Basketball Tournament
in March, another of my favorite
months.
No matter how long and bor¬
ing the baseball season is, the
playoffs make up for it„ And
from 1988-90,1 had something
to look for. But because my
; Oakland Athletics Were partici¬
pants in the Fall Classic. But the
reign ended in 1991.
I have been a diehard A's fan
since the endof the Charley Fin¬
ley Era. I was too young ta re¬
member but'Firile/s' team Was
- basebatf'slast true dynasty, whi¬
ning three consecutive world
titles in the early seventies': But
Fintey destroyed that team.
It took years of usual medioc¬
rity "and losing but Oakland re¬
turned to the limelght when an
attorney named Tony LaRussa
took over the team as manager
halfway through* theJ1986 sea-?
son. -
Ayear-ami^-half JatertheA's
were not only runaway winnets
jUt the American League West
but swept the Red Sox in the
Time out
.      W- %,'■_■   —— Hector Ameicua/ DC Photographer
t* ••••■.     w.        . . -
FSU mascot Time-out warms up during half time of. Sunday's FSU/ UCIrvine socc6r game at Bulldog Stadium.
See VIEWPOINT page7
no stranger to winning
By David Donnelly
DC Sports writer
New Fresno State women's
volleyball coach Lindy Vivas is
no stranger to winning volley¬
ball teams.
Everywhere Vivas has gene,
as*a player and as a coach, her
teams have won.
Firs^as a player, Vivas led her
1976 USC volleyball team to an
NCAA national volleyball title.
•* "At the time, it was the best
thing io the world. 19-years-old
and that, was all I was working
for," Vivas said.
- Then, in 1980, after spending a
year at UCLA as an assistant
coach, Vivas moved on to Texas
A&M, where she served as an as¬
sociate head coach until 1983. It
was during her tenure, that the
Aggies achieved a top 20 rank¬
ing for the first time in the school's
history.
From Texas A&M, Vivas
moved on- to the University of
Washington, where* she stayed
from 1984 to 1988as head coach.
At Washington, Vivas compiled'
a 72-60 record and led the Hus¬
kies into the NCAA tournament
for the first time in the school's
history.
' After the first 16 matches of
the 1991 season, there are no signs
of the trend changing at FSU.
The Bulldogs arfe off to a 13-3
start overall, their best start since
the 1976 season. It is also not to
far fetched to say that the Bull¬
dogs could achieve FSU's first
NCAA tournament appearance
since the 1984 season. assistant joey Vrazel said. "She
Vivas has led this team to where pushes that a lot, a lot, a lot About
they     are    through ■" hard the togetherness, if you're not
work,motivation, a team concept happy, you're not going to win, 1
and supporting her players on or don't care where you go."-
off the court.                           • ■   '-   Vivas wasn't happy at USC even
"On the court she makes you after winning a national title so she
work and its for your advantage, transferred'to UCLA.
off the court she supports you in
everything you do, in your courses
and your personal life," freshman
Paola Paz-Soldan said.
"She was a player,too and she*
knows what stress is like and she
knows how much the stress is and
she knows what an athlete is caf-
"I didn't like the way the volley¬
ball coach was directing the pro¬
gram, basically," Vivas said. "I was
very highly motivated and.I did
not need the type of coaching he
was presenting, so I left."
. "1 liked it Tat UCLA]/the whole
program is great,! like the school, it
pable of doing. I believe she is a. was probably a much better place
coach who's looking for our team   for me," she said.
to get better
everyday."
"I believe
she is doing
a great job.
We work
very*^ hard
here and
after prac¬
tice we
knoW' she's
a friend but
in practice
"On the court she
makes ^ou work and
its for your advan¬
tage. OffthecQurt
she supports you In
everything you do.H
Paola Paz Soldan .
As a coach,
the top prior¬
ity for Vivas'
players is that
everyone
graduates. She
doesn't care
how long it'
takes as long
as her players
get their de-
; gr'ees. " She
added that if a
we' have to do whatever she says playerneedshelpacademicallyshe
and whatever she says we know is is always there to help.
right.^- After a three year head coach-
"She's -awesome," senior .Tina ing hiatus, Vivascame to FSU. She
McKernan said. "She's a great spent a year as Commissioner of
coach. She has brought in ideas Major League Volleyball, a year
and skills and has pulled the team working in real estate and in 1990
together. Her coaching techniques . was an assistant coach for San Jose
have made the team better. State
"Shepromotes that it is going to Vivas was hired orj to replace
take every single person on ^mir retired volleyball coach Leilani
bench to win; we are not just Paoia, Overstreet, who had been the head
we are not just Suzie, we're no*, coach of the Bulldogs Since 1971.
going to win with just one player," When she first met the team,
Vivas set two goals. They were to
become a top five team in confer¬
ence and to'win all the matches
they are supposed to win.
She is from Hawaii and is the
middle of three sisters.Both her
sisters live in San Mateo,Ca. Vivas
said that as far as supporting each
other they havealways been a close
family. Although from Hawaii, she
was no stranger to the mainland
because herJamily dida lot of trav¬
elling around the United States.
"When I came out of high school
I was ready to go a way from home
and in my situation it just hap
pened that the nearest land was
2,500 miles away from home so
thafs where I ended up," she said
about Why she came out to U$C
and the west coast." '
Vrvas first got involved wiih
volleyball because her older sister
played,
"drowing'up I was actually
involved with gymnastics and tne
coach I had was excellent but she
moved to Dallas and there really
wasn't 'that good ofncoachlngin
Hawaii" at the time so it. was the,
perfect timing for. me to Change ,
sports and my older sister was
playing volleyball* so that seemed
like a fun thing to .do," Vivas said.
Vivas said that she has attach¬
ing style that will educateherplay-
ers about volleybaH. "I coach them
specifically-to be smart players, to
know why we're doing what we're
doing, what to anticipate, things
that can happen and to have a real
strong mental side of the game,"
she said.
See VIVAS page 7