Long Odds Don’t Stop Schirman : Volleyball: Former Poway High player figures she won’t be invited to go to Barcelona, but it hasn’t hurt her work ethic.

SAN DIEGO — Her name is now Ann Schirman, but in the early 1980s, she was Ann Boyer, a naturally gifted volleyball player who didn’t begin playing her sport until she was a sophomore at Poway High School.

Three years and two championships later, she was the San Diego Section player of the year. She earned a scholarship to UCLA, had the distinction of starting as a freshman, reached two NCAA Final Fours, broke all kinds of assist records and twice was named an All-American.

Tonight at Rancho Bernardo High, just a few miles from where she began her Olympic quest, Schirman will set for her teammates in an intrasquad scrimmage that will give the public a chance to see the U.S. Olympic team just a month before it tries to win its first gold medal.

She’s no longer Ann Boyer--she married U.S. men’s national team member Trevor Schirman and they live in Alpine--and the chances are she won’t be accompanying her teammates to Barcelona, Spain. Wednesday, Coach Terry Liskevych will announce the 12 women who will represent the U.S. and Schirman can see the writing on the wall. Barring an injury, she’s the third setter on a team that has room for only two.

“I haven’t had a very good training season the last two or three months,” she said. “Last year, I felt I was the second setter and had my position and, if I kept working hard, I would go. But I was struggling, and it came out in my play. I just didn’t play as well as I should have.

“You just have to focus and not get too frustrated, and I let myself get frustrated. I think every athlete goes through that, and mine just came at a bad time.”

But Schirman now says she’ll be a stronger player because of her struggles. She said her inconsistency was mental.

“I don’t know why, but I lost some confidence in myself,” she said. “I started to let little things bother me. I’m learning how to blow it off and I think that’s why I’m going to be stronger in the long run.”

Liskevych said there’s a reason for Schirman’s consistency.

“She’s only been here a year,” Liskevych said. “She needs to play at this level a little longer to develop consistency. . . . I think you need to play 150 matches a this level to be good, and that’s two to 2 1/2 years.

“She’s a very hard worker who in the future is going to be very important to this program.”

Liskevych says Schirman is the product of hard work on top of her natural talent.

“Her strength is her ability to do three skills well: set, block and defend,” Liskevych said. “She does all three equally well. She just has to get consistent day to day. She’s an extremely had worker. That’s a real plus for Ann.”

Liskevych said there are six volleyball skills: setting, blocking, hitting, passing, serving and defense, “and if you have a player outstanding in two of those skills, they should be starting.”

Only time will tell how important whether Schirman can achieve that. She has already committed to remain through 1996, but so have Lori Endicott and Yoko Zetterlund, the two setters who are in front of Schirman in the U.S. pecking order.

“That gives us a lot of depth at the setting position,” Liskevych said, “but people retire and people beat other people out.”

Schirman has committed herself to the Olympic program through the end of 1993, which will give her three years of service and allow her the opportunity to explore other ventures before returning for the 1996 Olympics. She prefers to remain within the United States, but the lure of the Italian professional leagues makes financial sense. So does the beach tour, which she says is in her future.

This is one of the few times in Schirman’s storybook career that she has failed. She’s not used to it. Not by a long shot.

“I’m disappointed, but I’m also looking ahead to when they get back and training with them till ‘96,” she said. “I’m not going to think much on it, because there’s not much I can do.

“I can already tell I’m going to be a stronger player. It’s very humbling to not produce when you’ve produced in the past. . . . The players have been very patient. It’s just going to take time.”

U.S. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

What--United States national women’s team in an intrasquad scrimmage. They will have only one more competition, another scrimmage July 9 at Southwestern College, before departing for the Olympic Games.

Site--Rancho Bernardo High School.

Time--7:30 p.m.

Cost--Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for students. Some of the proceeds benefit the high school volleyball program.

The U.S. team--There are six former Olympians on the team: middle blockers Paula Weishoff, Tammy Liley, Kim Oden and Deitre Collins, outside hitter Caren Kemner and back row specialist Liane Sato. Ann Schirman from Poway will also see plenty of playing time. This is the last opportunity for Coach Terry Liskevych to watch his team before announcing the 12 players who will go to Barcelona for the Olympic Games.