Little Fish - Big Pond

For those who simply can't put the urge to compete out of their minds, most are overwhelmed by college athletics. "You go from being a big fish in a little pond to being a very small fish in a gigantic sea," said David Berney, who finally earned the starting setting position on the USC volleyball team this season after struggling for two years.

Berney, 6 feet, was a Southern Section first-team selection as a senior at Laguna Beach in 1993. He also was selected to Volleyball Monthly magazine's Fabulous 50 prep list, and was the Pacific Coast League's most valuable player. He was offered scholarships to several schools but chose to walk on at USC. "Knowing my height and knowing that volleyball wasn't going to be my life, I picked the school that I thought would give me the best education," he said.

Because of that decision, Berney had to fight hard for a starting spot, enduring last-minute switches that pulled him out of the starting lineup just when he thought he earned it. Through all the frustration, he never quit. "I have been playing for so long, I didn't want to quit, and second, I know that nothing in life is going to be easy, and the sooner you start quitting on things, the harder your life is going to be in the long run," he said. "I knew that, even as hard as it was, if I stuck with it, I would learn something."

Berney, who has completed the requirements for his business degree but will continue in school in order to play volleyball next spring, knows the end is near. "It's hard not to have [sports]," he said. "I haven't [been out of sports] yet, but I can see it coming."

Ali Zamora saw the end of her career coming but dodged it. After graduating from Santa Margarita in 1992, Zamora attended Chico State to play volleyball. After two years at Chico State, Zamora was dissatisfied with the school. "I think my sophomore year I stepped back and said, 'How important is volleyball?' I just want to be at a good place that I will enjoy."

Zamora gave up volleyball, moved home and took a heavy load for one semester at Saddleback College in order to make the difficult transfer to UCLA. The move was a risk because there was no guarantee she would get in to UCLA.

"Toward the end of the semester I started getting really discouraged and my dad [Capistrano Valley baseball Coach Bob Zamora] said, 'What about volleyball? Why don't you give the coach a call?' I did and it just so happened that [UCLA Coach] Andy Banachowski needed people. They just needed little back row specialists. Faster than I knew it could happen, he had me in the school."

Zamora initially was overwhelmed by the size of the Bruin women and their power. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh. What have I gotten myself into?' " she said. But her confidence and skills soon returned and Zamora got plenty of playing time in the back row last season. "It was really exciting for me. I had to take a different role than I was used to. At Chico and in high school I was always the leader. Now I had to take this back seat, kind of cheerleading role, but I love it."