JEFF SUTTON

	Jeff Sutton, Ambridge's outside hitter and spike specialist.(John Heller, Post-Gazette)

SCHOOL: Ambridge.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior and one of the top volleyball players in the WPIAL.

THE PAST WEEK: Sutton made the all-tournament team at the Lake-Lehman Invitational near Wilkes-Barre. The tournament included some of the top teams in the state, and Ambridge lost in the title match to three-time defending PIAA champion Landisville Hempfield. On Tuesday, Sutton had 17 kills as Ambridge, the No. 4-ranked WPIAL team, defeated No. 5 Norwin, 3-1.

ACES ARE WILD: Sutton is an outside hitter and his speciality is spiking the ball. He had 59 kills in the Lake-Lehman tournament.

"He has one of the most powerful swings out there," said Ambridge coach Dennis Damp.

Sutton is perfecting a new talent this season -- the jump serve. Not many high school players use the jump serve, and Sutton had 10 aces with it in the Lake-Lehman tourney. "More people are starting to do it because it's big in college," Damp said. "We have rally scoring now, so if you miss a serve, it's a point for the other team. The jump serve is hard to do, but Jeff is getting pretty consistent with it."

TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT: Sutton played football, basketball and baseball in his preteen years. Then in eighth grade, Ambridge volleyball assistant Glenn Freed persuaded him to try volleyball. After eighth grade, Sutton gave up all other sports to concentrate on volleyball. "The summer after my eighth-grade year, I went to Reno, Nev., for Junior Olympics," he said. "I couldn't stop playing the game after that."

Sutton said he wasn't a volleyball star when he first started. "I was hitting every single ball off the back wall. It was tough to learn something new." But by the time he was a junior, he was a second-team all-WPIAL selection.

WHAT'S COOKIN'? On Sundays, Sutton works as a cook at Eat'n Park in Wexford. "But I'm not the main cook," he said. "I just do my part."

THE FUTURE: Sutton hopes to play volleyball in college and some small colleges are showing interest. Foremost on his mind is helping the Bridgers to a WPIAL title. Ambridge won the championship in Sutton's sophomore year. "We're not quite to the level of that team yet," he said. "But we have a lot of potential. If certain things fall into place, good things are going to happen."

-- By Mike White

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LINDSAY VEVERS

SCHOOL: Sto-Rox.

WHO IS SHE? A right-handed pitcher and leadoff batter for the Vikings' softball team, which is seeking a fifth consecutive WPIAL Class A championship.

THE PAST WEEK: A junior, Vevers registered 15 strikeouts April 7 in a 2-1, 10-inning victory against South Park. She played shortstop Monday in an 11-0 defeat of Blackhawk.

CAREER: Vevers started at shortstop the past two seasons. Last year, she batted .421 and had a .577 on-base percentage.

TRANSITION GAME: Sto-Rox has one of the most successful softball programs in Western Pennsylvania, and pitching is the foundation. Megan Stone was the No. 1 starter in 2002, Stephanie Elk last season. Both were seniors. Now Vevers is the Vikings' ace.

"We knew she would be No. 1 either last year or this year," said Sto-Rox coach Bill Palermo.

Vevers did have a 3-2 record last year, including two no-hitters. She started this season with a no-hitter, in a 3-0 victory March 26 at Franklin Regional. Sto-Rox was, 3-0, heading into its scheduled Section 3 opener yesterday at Vincentian.

TOUGH FINISH: Sto-Rox was upset by Southern Huntingdon, 6-3, in the first round of the PIAA playoffs last season. Vevers was a pivotal figure as a reliever that day. Elk was pitching a no-hitter and leading, 3-0, through five innings, but asked to come out because of a lower back problem.

Vevers was called for 16 illegal pitches, all by the third-base umpire, who said she was leaving her feet on a number of deliveries. On every illegal pitch, a ball is added to the batter's count and the runners move up a base. The Vikings lost, but at the time, Palermo blamed the umpire.

Vevers acknowledged that "it was upsetting at first. I thought it was my fault that we lost. Then I thought about it and used it as motivation for this season."

WEIGHTY MATTERS: Though only 5 feet 5, Vevers is a hard thrower with a much better fastball than she had a year ago. Palermo attributes that to weightlifting.

"Lindsay has a lot of strength in her legs and hips," he said. "She worked a lot in the weightroom. She has much better control, too."

FUTURE: Vevers also is a reserve on the girls' basketball team but likely will pursue softball in college. She will play for the Pittsburgh Patriots, a high-profile amateur team, this summer.

Her goal, in the short term, is to "make it five [WPIAL titles] in a row. This time, I want to win one as a pitcher."

-- By Rick Shrum