Hannah Clancy can't help but be forward-minded.

The 2007 season for the Thousand Oaks High girls' volleyball team went triumphantly, but ended — at least in Clancy's mind — prematurely.

After racking up 27 victories in 29 matches, including a 14-0 roll through the super-competitive Marmonte League, the Lancers were stopped, barely, by one of the top teams in the state and nation.

Thousand Oaks took Redondo Union to the precipice in the CIF-Southern Section I-AA playoffs before losing in five games, 25-20, 25-23, 25-27, 21-25, 15-7.

"Redondo is a great team, but we definitely showed what kind of team we have," said Clancy, a 6-foot junior setter. "I think what it does is prove to ourselves what we can do next season. With a little more hard work, with a little more focus, we have the ability to go a long way in the playoffs."

With Clancy at the forefront next year, who can doubt the potential of the Lancers?

"I think we have a chance to be a very good team," she said. "We need to work harder and push ourselves to the next level. We need to be committed to taking that next step."

Where Thousand Oaks finishes next year is yet to be decided, but Clancy has already established herself among the region's top talents.

The versatile setter was a consistent impact performer last season, including a combined 51 assists in a pair of sweeps over rival Westlake.

She notched 45 assists in a four-game victory over Moorpark and had 24 assists in a three-game win over Long Beach Jordan in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs.

Clancy earns postseason laurels as the Marmonte League's Most Valuable Player and, now, The Star's Girls' Volleyball Player of the Year.

Senior outside hitter Maile Hetherington said Clancy has added leadership to her game.

"She's very good at staying focused and knowing exactly what she needs to do on each point," said Hetherington. "We always knew we could count on her every night."

Clancy concedes that mental and emotional skills on the volleyball court is as important as physical ability.

"There's a lot to playing setter, which is why I like playing the position," she said. "You have to stay focused, on every point, and you have to stay calm. In volleyball, that's so important.

"Otherwise, you can give up three or four points and you're out of the game."

As the setter, Clancy has accepted the team role as leader.

"That's something I've worked at, becoming a better leader," she said. "I know I need to talk on the court. I know I should set the tone for the rest of the team."

Clancy virtually inherited her love of volleyball from her parents. Her father, Kevin, is an avid beach volleyball player and her mother, Jane, played at Southwest Texas State.

Armed with passion, Clancy doesn't back off the work.

She plays club volleyball and also has a zest for beach volleyball. Clancy has teamed up with Hetherington for a number of beach events in the past.

When she's not playing, she's practicing.

"It's my favorite thing to do," she said. "I spend a lot of time playing volleyball. That's the only way to get better."

Clancy has been part of a higher standard at Thousand Oaks, with the program notching back-to-back undefeated league championships.

Consistency does it, she said.

"I think we're able to play pretty much the same every match, and that gives us an edge," she said. "We don't go through many highs and lows. We have the confidence, no matter what the situation, that we're going to play well every night."