Pattie Laird

After playing sports with four older brothers, Pattie Laird knows all about the growing pains of teen-age boys. She also knows a thing or two about coaching them. Laird, the boys' volleyball coach at Los Alamitos High School, is one of four women coaching high school boys' volleyball teams in Orange County.

After playing sports with four older brothers, Pattie Laird knows all about the growing pains of teen-age boys. She also knows a thing or two about coaching them. Laird, the boys' volleyball coach at Los Alamitos High School, is one of four women coaching high school boys' volleyball teams in Orange County.

School: Los Alamitos High Sport: Volleyball Position: Middle blocker Class: Senior Los Alamitos Coach Pattie Laird credits an ankle injury as the turning point in the high school volleyball career of Kuebler. A sprained ankle kept Kuebler out of league play about three weeks last season and her second match back was in the first-round playoffs against Fountain Valley. Although Los Alamitos lost in four games to Fountain Valley, Laird noticed a new competitive fire in Kuebler.

Los Alamitos handed Esperanza its first Empire League volleyball loss, 13-15, 15-5, 12-15, 15-2, 15-3, Thursday. Esperanza (6-2, 3-1) took an 11-5 lead in the first game, but Los Alamitos (8-1, 4-0) came back to tie, 13-13. Two hitting errors gave the Aztecs the first game. Esperanza made nine hitting errors in the second game. Game 3 was the turning point. Esperanza took a 12-6 lead, but junior middle blocker Stacey Laitsch served for six consecutive points to tie, 12-12.

Los Alamitos Coach Pattie Laird couldn't stop smiling after her team's three-game victory Saturday night over La Habra in the second round of the Division II girls' volleyball playoffs at Los Alamitos High School. "I'm really proud of this team," Laird said. "In the last two matches we have become more of a team. We are playing together with a lot of confidence." Los Alamitos (15-1) beat the Highlanders, 15-8, 15-2, 15-8. The Griffins have won 13 games in a row. La Habra finishes 14-2.

In the end, Laguna Beach was left standing, but Los Alamitos left with its head held high. Hard as the Los Alamitos girls' volleyball team tried, Laguna Beach fought-off every conceivable Griffin rally to win its opening-round match of the Southern California Division I playoffs, 15-13, 15-6, 13-15, 14-16, 15-8 in a 2-hour 40-minute match Tuesday night at Los Alamitos.