Mt. Baldy League honors: Girls volleyball

MVP: Victoria Duarte, Sr., Alta Loma

First team
Aly Currie, Jr., Alta Loma
Tylia Dixon, Sr., Don Lugo
Daisy Duke, Soph., Alta Loma
Caitlin Foster, Sr., Colony
Avery Quarrels, Jr., Colony
Leslie Perez, Sr., Ontario
Jordana Ramirez, Sr., Don Lugo
Leslie Ramirez, Sr., Chaffey
Jada Sharpe, Sr., Alta Loma
Cecelia White, Jr., Alta Loma

Second team
Carla Armendariz, Sr., Colony
Sara Crespo, Sr., Ontario
Bea Estacio, Sr., Alta Loma
Hailey Farley, Sr., Alta Loma
Cassidy Gallahan, Soph., Alta Loma
Myrah Galvan, Sr., Don Lugo
Amara Hill, Jr., Colony
Alyssa Imes, Sr., Alta Loma
Ashley Lin, Sr., Ontario
Faith Lopez, Sr., Don Lugo
Emily Silva, Sr., Don Lugo
Maddie Valdez, Sr., Colony

Honorable mention: Breann Alvarado, Don Lugo; Allison Ault, Alta Loma; Ally Conrady, Don Lugo; Angelica Perez, Ontario.

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All-CIF selections are out in girls volleyball

Here are the All-CIF selections in girls volleyball for each division released on Monday. Players from teams in the Bulletin/Sun coverage area are denoted in bold:

DIVISION 1AA
Player of Year – Norene Iosia, Sr., S, Redondo Union
Coach of Year – Tommy Chaffins, Redondo Union

Jessie Harris, Sr., Corona del Mar; Megan Rice, Sr., Redondo Union; Rachel Ritchie, Jr., Mater Dei; Rachel Hall, Sr., Huntington Beach; Bailee Huzinega, Sr., Great Oak; Milan Stokes, Sr., Long Beach Wilson; Makena Martin, Sr., Mater Dei; Meghan McClure, Jr., Santa Margarita; Devon Chang, Soph., Santa Margarita; Camryn Sanchez, Jr., Huntingon Beach; Kaylie Milton, Jr., Orange Lutheran.

DIVISION 1-AA
Player of Year –
Allison Kautor, Sr., Opp, Trabuco Hills
Coach of Year – Craig Moothart, Trabuco Hills

Katherine Plummer, Sr., Aliso Niguel; Kenzie Koerber, Jr., Chino Hills; Kylie Miller, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga; Jessie Prichard, Sr., Corona Santiago; Chloe Allen, Sr., San Marcos; Antoinette Rolda, Sr., Trabuco Hills; Emily Burns, Sr., Valencia; Lauren Russ, Soph., Valencia; Sammy Slater, Jr., Ventura; Janell Walley, Sr., Yucaipa; Kaytlin Yost, Sr., El Dorado.

DIVISION 2-AA
Player of Year –
Kyra Banko, Sr., OH, Village Christian
Coach of Year – Brent Asuka, Village Christian

Selby Schnobrich, Sr.,; Meghan Lacey, Sr., Village Chr.; Clare Lenihan, Jr., Chadwick; Courtney Bond, Sr., Chadwick; Cmaeron Dorn, Sr., Laguna Beach; Katelyn Carballo, Sr., Laguna Beach; Karly Eastley, Sr., South Torrance; Yagoda Jedrzejczak, Sr., Esperanza; Sarah Johnson, Sr., Mayfield; Allison Martinez, Soph., Westridge; Emily Sonny, Sr., Arroyo Grande.

DIVISION 2A
Player of Year –
Kaitlin Morely, Sr., OH, Louisville
Coach of Year – Dhiraj Coats, Louisville

Zoe Fleck, Soph., Sierra Canyon; Katelyn David, Sr., Louisville; Natalie Aston, Jr., Louisville;
May Pertofsky, Fr., Sierra Canyon; Stephanie Umeh, Sr., Notre Dame; Jenai King, Jr., Notre Dame; Sedona Hansen, Sr., Serrano; Jordan Holman, Soph., Serrano; Simone Bliss, Jr., Claremont; Riley Jacobs, Sr., Glendora; Danielle Ryan, Sr., Burbank Burroughs; Chantal Zahrndt, Sr., Troy.

DIVISION 3-AA
Player of Year –
Camryn Purdom, Sr., Valley View
Coach of Year – Jennifer Barlage, Valley View

Michelle Mendizabel, Sr., Valley View; Martha Epenesa, Jr., Valley View; Brooke Earkman, Sr., Santa Monica; Allie Barrett, Sr., Santa Monica; Gabby Benck, Sr., St. Margaret’s; Megan Taflinger, Jr., Quartz Hill; Alex Morones, Sr., Elsinore; Maddy Newcombe, Sr., Rim of the World; Katelyn Evans, Sr., Highland; Laura Butler, Sr., La Serna; Monique Awanyai, Sr., Mayfair; Kirsta Hernandez, Jr., Culver City.

DIVISION 3A
Player of Year –
Shannon Geraty, Sr., MB, Saddleback Valley Chr.
Coach of Year – Carmen Stratton, Saddleback Valley Chr.

Lily Dyer, Soph., Saddleback Valley Chr.; Kaitlyn O’Brien, Sr., Saddleback Valley Chr.; Lauren Ralston, Sr., Templeton; Emily Burns, Sr., Templeton; Kayla Redfield, Sr., Loma Linda; Madison Field, Sr., Loma Linda; Tesa Oaks, Jr., Woodcrest Chr.; Anna Stevenson, Sr., Woodcrest Chr.; Grace Johnson, Jr., Hemet; Julia Vuong, Sr., San Gabriel; Kassidy Hamer, Sr., Santa Ynez; Kayla Dickerson, Sr., Bell Gardens.

DIVISION 4AA
Player of Year –
Phoebe Madsen, Sr., Opp, Laguna Blanca
Coach of Year – Jason Donnelly, Laguna Blanca

Katie Engle, Sr., St. Paul; Dani Abrams, Sr., Laguna Blanca; Emily Lafitte, Sr., Laguna Blanca; Gabrielle Oddo, Sr., Alta Loma; Kylie Szczepanski, Sr., Alta Loma; Christian Luhnow, Sr., Archer; Haven Hill, Sr., St. Bonaventure; Ryan D’Angelo, Jr., Vistamar; Isabelle Simqu, Sr., La Reina; Katie Byrne, Sr., La Reina; Anissa Hernandez, Jr., Shadow Hills; Montez Ulgaese, Sr., St. Anthony.

DIVISION 4A
Player of Year
– Devyn Cross, Sr., MB, Desert
Coach of Year – Debbie Lewis, Desert

Jaslin Mani, Sr., Summit; Elizabeth Shelton, Sr., Desert; Tesheara Nelson, Sr., Desert; Jordon Wilson, Sr., Summit; Maritz Santiago, Jr., Gladstone; Peyton Shelburne, Sr., Cate; Delany Mayfield, Jr., Cate; Daisy Portillo, Sr., Duarte; Taylor Sanders, Sr., Mammoth; Emily Faburrieta, Sr., Fontana; Jennifer Juarez, Soph., Century; Melissa Martinez, Sr., Katella.

DIVISION 5AA
Player of Year – Rachel Holmes, Sr., OH, Upland Christian
Coach of Year – Micah Langston, Upland Christian

Brooke Madkin, Soph., Upland Chr.; Jordyn Pugh, Sr., Upland Chr.; Kylie Brown, Sr., Santa Clarita Chr.; Kiana Krumm, Sr., La Sierra; Tiana Whittington, Jr.,San Gabriel Aca.; Kati Aguilar, Jr., California Lutheran; Taylor Webster, Jr., Faith Baptist; Paige Singleton, Soph., Glendale Adv.; Xue DiMaggio, Sr., Coast Union; Cami Frahmann. Jr., Desert Chr. Aca.; Gracie Gwinn, Sr., Santa Clarita Chr.

DIVISION 5A
Player of Year –
Therese Boles, Sr., OH, St. Monica
Coach of Year – Darren Bradley, St. Monica

Molly Hagen, Jr., St. Monica; Rose Goodwin, Sr., St. Monica; Lauren Cohen, Jr., Tarbut V’Torah; Kyra Wyman, Jr., Tarbut V’Torah; Selina Morones, Jr., Avalon; Kiya Hernandez, Sr., Avalon; Kirsten Mueller, Jr., Hillcrest; Carolina Phillips, Sr., AAE; Dajia Padilla, Jr., University Prep; Brianna Sanford, Jr., Einstein Aca.; JJ Flitsch, Fr., Lake Arrowhead. Chr.

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Two local volleyball teams still battling for state honors

The state playoffs continue on Saturday. We have two local left. Here is more on them.

DIVISION 4
Alta Loma (30-8) vs. Laguna Blanca (18-8), at Dos Pueblos HS, 7 p.m.: Who doesn’t want a shot at redemption and the Braves will get just that. This is a rematch of the CIF Division 4AA Southern Sectional a week ago won by Laguna 3-2 after Alta Loma squandered a 2-1 lead. The Braves were the state runner-up a year ago but only have two players back form that team which had been though all the pressure packed matches imagineable, Senior outside hitter Gabrielle Oddo, one of the two holdovers from that team, has been the marquee player for the Braves. The other is senior MB Kylie Szczepanski. Junior Jada Sharpe is second on the team in kills. Laguna Blanca boasts a young team as well with just three seniors. Phoebe Madsen, one of the seniors, is the Owls top player,

DIVISION 5
at Upland Christian (25-7) vs. Pasadena St. Monica (25-4-2), at Rancho Cucamonga, 7 p.m.: The Eagles are the top seed after winning the Division 5AA Southern Section championship by outlasting Santa Clarita Christian a week ago. Upland Christian, which has won nine of its last 10 matches, is led by the duo of senior hitter-blocker Rachel Holmes and sophomore hitter-setter Brooke Madkin. St. Monica was the Division 5A champion, winning 3-2 over Tarbut V’Torah in the title match and comes in riding a 12-match win streak.

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Three local volleyball teams moving on to state

The CIF Southern Section volleyball championships are complete. But three teams have earned the right to advance to the state portion of the competition.

Alta Loma and Summit will compete in Division IV. The Braves (29-8), who lost the Division 4AA title match to Santa Barbara Laguna Blanca, have earned the 4 seed and will be at home on Tuesday against N. 5 Sierra (32-3), the Central Section champion.

Summit (22-4), which lost the Division 4A final to Desert, will be on the road to play at No. 1 Laguna Blanca, to whom Alta Loma just lost.

In Division 5, Upland Christian (24-7) has drawn the top seed and will be at home against Madison (15-8), out of the San Diego Section. Upland Christian defeated Santa Clarita Christian for the Southern Section Division 5AA championship Friday night.

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Alta Loma’s Kylie Szczepanksi decides on a college

Alta Loma High School volleyball standout Kylie Szczepanski (right) has decided on a college.

The 6-foot-1 middle blocker is headed to NAIA Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash., right outside of Seattle.

Szczepanski was a starter on a Braves team that won a CIF Division 4AA title last year and marched all the way to the Division 4 state championship match.

She has been relied upon even more this year as one of just two returning players and has helped the Braves to a 25-7 record, a Mt. Baldy League title and No. 2 ranking in Division 4AA.

Szczepanski has recorded 75 kills and 64 total blocks and recently earned All-Tournament honors at an event the Braves competed in at Crescenta Valley.

She plans to major in biology/pre-med and much of the decision came down to academics.

“The school is very hands on and has great resources in the science department,” she said. “They have a lot of new technology and it will be a great place to learn.”

Of course Szczepanski also liked the volleyball end of her official visit in September. She also made an unofficial trip to the school with her family.

“I really liked the coach and it was a great group of girls. They were very welcoming,” she said.

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Alta Loma grad Aeryn Owens earns college honor

Owens_Aeryn

Alta Loma High School graduate Aeryn Owens of Cal State Northridge has been named Big West Women’s Volleyball Freshman Player of the Week.

The 6-0 outside hitter averaged 4.14 kills per set as CSUN’s second-biggest offensive threat, helping the Matadors defeat UC Irvine and UC Davis on the opening weekend of Big West play.

Owens had 13 kills on a season-high .435 hitting against UCI, adding three digs and one block in the victory.  She equaled her season high with 16 kills on 44 swings (.250) in the win over the Aggies.

For the week, Owens hit .313 (29-8-67).

Owens helped Alta Loma to a CIF Division 4AA title as well as a berth in the Division 4 state championship game last year as a senior. It was the Braves best season ever.

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Alta Loma volleyball team looks to defend title with new cast

The Alta Loma High School volleyball team had that magical run last year that a coach usually only dreams of.

The Braves went 33-3, cruised to the Mt. Baldy League title, won a Southern Section CIF title in Division 4AA and finished as the STATE runner-up. It was the deepest run by any Chaffey Joint Unified School District team in history . . . in any sport.

But the Braves graduated eight of the 10 players so they will be hard-pressed to repeat that run. Does the new squad feel the pressure to defend that feat? Not really.

“The only pressure they feel is what they put on themselves to be good,” says coach Cindy Gurney, who is taking the reigns as the lone coach after sharing billing with Tishana Pope who resigned. “They realized that was a once in a lifetime team and run that probably won’t happen again.”

The two holdovers from that team are outside hitter Gabrielle Oddo and middle blocker Kylie Szczepanksi, both seniors.

The hardest person to replace is always the setter. The Braves will run a 6-2 with freshman Cassidy Gallahan and sophomore Cecelia White sharing the duties.

Among the other newcomers Gurney is hoping will pick up the slack offensively is junior Jada Sharpe, a standout on the junior varsity last season.

“Our goal is win the league and play well in the preseason and that will hopefully set us up with a good seed and draw for the playoffs,” Gurney said. “We have some younger players who have a lot of potential.”

Gurney says not much has changed from a coaching standpoint. Not only did she coach with Pope, but Caitlyn Hall, who was on the staff last year as well, has returned.

Most of the players from that team went on and will be playing in college. An update on where they are all at. Most are relatively close to home:

Aeryn Owens, Cal State Northridge
Amy Armstrong, Cal State San Bernardino
Breanna Golsch, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Kristen Sanchez, University of La Verne
Taylor Kettle, Troy (Ala.)

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A round of applause for coaches who led their teams to great things

Yesterday’s Top 10 featured the top team performances of the past school year. Now it’s time to highlight the coaches, who don’t get nearly enough credit most of the time.

Naturally many on this list are ones from team’s we spotlighted yesterday. And yes it’s hard to narrow it down to just 10. I also wanted to include some that weren’t obvious choices, so here goes . . .

10. Ben Davies, Alta Loma girls soccer (24-5)
The Braves looked to be a true threat to win a Division 5 CIF title all season. Then star player Leah Pruitt went down with what looked like a season-ending knee injury vs. Montclair on Jan. 28. There was a brief hiccup the next game as the Braves lost to Colony. But they regrouped nicely, even without Pruitt to win the league title. Pruitt amazingly returned vat the end of the season and Alta Loma managed to get to the quarterfinal before losing to Palm Desert 3-0.

9. Jackie Robinson, Los Osos track
The Grizzles took five athletes to the state competition and four of those placed in a total of five events. There were two athletes in the throwing events but the other athletes were all in different events. Versatility indeed.

8. Luis Garcia, Don Lugo football (6-5)
This one might surprise people but the Conquistadores weren’t on anyone’s radar. They haven’t been good – 3-7 in 2013 and I picked them last this year. Well they went 6-4 under a first-year coach and were third in the Mt. Baldy. Only a 9-7 loss to Chaffey kept them out of second. The Conquistadores turned in an admirable performance in the playoffs, losing to perennial title contender Monrovioa 26-20 in overtime. They also took the Milk Can from local rival Chino which had dominated them as of late.

7. Christine Howard, Colony girls basketball (22-9)
The Titans went all the way to the Division 2A CIF title game before falling to South Torrance 57-56. They were the co-champion in the Mt. Baldy League with Alta Loma, splitting regular season games with the Braves. Colony also got that far with a balanced offense, not relying heavily on any one player.

6. Tishanna Pope, Alta Loma volleyball (36-3)

The Braves had no competition in the Mt. Baldy League so the toughest task for Pope was trying to find a way to keep her team sharp and focused when they didn’t have an equal. Teams that lack competition in the regular season frequently crash and burn in the playoffs – not the Braves who won a CIF title and finished as state runner-up.

5. Jason Schmelzeisen, Chaffey boys  soccer (22-2-5)
The Tigers had a tough task at hand just in Mt. Baldy League play and they finished first, not securing that outright title until a 4-3 overtime win against Ontario the final game of the regular season. That win also came despite playing a man down. Chaffey got to the Division 3 title game before falling to Cathedral 2-0.

4. Randy Bohlmann, Damien volleyball (26-7)
The Spartans won the Division 5 CIF title this season, getting past the quarterfinal for the first time in school history. Bohlmann started the program five years ago so he was the one laying the foundation. Now he is reaping the benefits. The Spartans also did a masterful job of shutting down a marquee player in the CIF title match.

3. Dave Kleckner, Etiwanda boys basketball (24-9)

OK, he’s one that could be on the list every year. And maybe the Eagles didn’t win the Baseline League for the first time in more than a decade. But it was how his team bounced back after that. His team beat both Chino Hills and Damien the second time through league play. It made a run to a CIF final that included a win AT Mater Dei and one over Sierra Canton to whom it lost earlier in the season. The Eagles stayed in the elite Open Division in basketball, losing a SoCal regional semifinal to LA Fairfax.

2. Keith Richardson, Pomona football (11-4)
Richardson had to right the ship and keep his team focused amid numerous distractions, the most notable being the dismissal of the head coach right before the playoffs. Richardson, then the defensive coordinator, took over and did just that. He was officially rewarded with the head coaching position.

1. Matt Dunn, Damien boys basketball (29-5)

The Spartans move from one league into the Baseline, probably the most competitive in all the Southern Section. And they win nine of 10 league games, finishing ahead of Etiwanda and Chino Hills. They lost a second round Open Division CIF game to Orange Lutheran but capitalized on the second chance and won a state title in Division 3 in that portion of the playoffs. A lot of coaches have trouble getting a team up for the state playoffs after a CIF run. No problem here. Some said the Spartans would have been better off in Division 3, a probable easy winner, and not in the Open. Dunn said, “Bring it On.”

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Alta Loma’s Taylor Kettle will play college volleyball after all

Alta Loma senior Taylor Kettle thought her volleyball career was over. She had some good academic schools from which to choose, UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine among them. And she had planned on going to Santa Barbara.

But the only schools interested in her for volleyball were some smaller ones and she preferred to go with the premier academic school if she had to choose.

“I’m not going to be an Olympic volleyball player so it was really all about my future,” says Kettle, who plans to major in physical therapy. “I wanted to play volleyball but it didn’t look like it was going to happen.”

Then at the last minute Troy (Ala.) came into the mix. It had another setter bail so the Trojans suddenly had some scholarship money available and was in need of a setter.

A coach had seen Kettle play in a club tournament in Las Vegas with Rancho Valley. So she was on their radar even though she may not have known it. She went for a visit last week and the rest is history.

“It was completely unexpected and out of the blue,” she said. “When I went there I absolutely loved everything. You never know how things are going to work out but I’m very happy to be able to continue to play.”

Kettle helped the Braves to the best season in school history. She had 774 assists, 115 digs, 57 total blocks and 34 service aces as the Braves won a Southern Section (Division 4AA) title and advanced to the Division 4 state championship match before falling to North representative Sonora.

Kettle is the fifth player from this year’s team to continue her playing career in college. The others are Aeryn Owens (Cal State Northridge), Amy Armstrong (Cal State San Bernardino), Kristen Sanchez (University of La Verne) and Breanna Golsch (Cal State Dominguez Hills).

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Cindy Gurney formally named head of Alta Loma program

The Alta Loma volleyball program has a familiar figure in sole charge as Cindy Gurney has been appointed the Braves head coach.

Gurney had helped Tishanna Pope with coaching duties the last several years but Pope has stepped aside to spend time with her husband and infant daughter.

Gurney headed the program from 1982 to 2006. She came back in 2009 to assist Pope and took the time off in between to support her daughter who was then playing at Cal Poly Pomona.

Gurney taking over was a no-brainer, although the school had to go the regular route of flying the position to any other in-house candidates.

The Braves graduated eight players from a team that won league and CIF Southern Section titles and finished as state runner-up.
Gurney expects her returning players to be able to defend the league title since its underclassmen teams both won league titles.

“After that I don’t know far we’ll go,” she said. “It depends on your draw and whether you have injuries and you have to see home much your young players improve.”

Gurney added that Caitlin Hall, another assistant on the staff will remain and help her. Two other coaches who handled the underclassmen teams have left.

Gurney, who was Pope’s coach when she played at Alta Loma, also teaches math at the school.”

“We had to go through the proper channels but she was obviously the person for the job,” athletic director Brett Proctor said. “No one knows more about this program or cares more than she does.”

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