Setting the pace

Should anyone question Kirsten Duren's commitment to volleyball, they need only look back to her freshman season -- when she took the court with stitches in her stomach.

"I've got this great passion to play, and it's what gets me on the court every day," Ripon High's junior outside hitter said. "I missed a day my freshman year after getting stitches in my stomach, and it drove me crazy standing on the side. It was so frustrating."

Duren was back on the court the following day for a match against Sonora and has rarely left it since. She just completed her third varsity season, was named Trans-Valley League MVP and led the Indians to the Northern California Division IV playoffs.

Now Duren, whose high-altitude attacks make her the Stanislaus District's most feared hitter, has been selected The Bee's Volleyball Player of the Year.

Though only 5 feet 3 inches, Duren has earned a reputation for rising above the net and using her powerful right arm to drive the ball downward. Her peripheral vision allows her to spot seams in the defense, and her quickness enables her to exploit the opportunity.

"It surprises people when they see me jump the first time, because I look like a setter," said Duren, who jumps rope at a feverish pitch and does standing jumps onto boxes to strengthen her thighs. "I have boxes at three heights, and by the time I do the third one, the pain really builds up."

The payoff comes when Duren soars above the net, striking the ball downward past a taller foe. She's no one-trick pony, though, as she also studies an opponent's hands.

"If their hands are flat, I hit off their outside edge so it deflects out of bounds for a point," said Duren, who averaged 4.1 kills and a block per game. "When I'm on the other side, trying to block, I think of how I would attack, and that makes me a better defender."

She had a season-high 30 kills in a 3-2 win over Ripon Christian -- a victory that established the Indians as the district's top small school -- and she had 19 kills, 13 assists and 12 digs in a NorCal quarterfinal loss to St. Mary's of Berkeley. The Indians were 34-9 this season and are 91-25 in Duren's three varsity seasons.

Duren also uses her jumping ability when she sets, elevating herself to get a better look at the other side of the court.

"When I jump set, it's easier to see the defense, and I get a better feel for where I should place the ball," said Duren, who averaged 3.7 assists. "I want to set the ball where there's no blocker, or at least in a position where our hitter has the advantage."

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at restrada@modbee.com or 578-2300.