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ANDREW HILL: HAWAII TRIP SET FOUNDATION FOR STRONG SEASON
It’s not what any volleyball team in the South Bay would necessarily expect.
Yet at Andrew Hill High School, taking an early-season trip to an out-of-town locale has become something of an annual tradition. The Falcons, coached by Matt Sandora, have traveled to tournaments in San Diego and multiple Hawaiian islands.
This year, they took part in a tournament on the Big Island of Hawaii, facing off against numerous local schools over Labor Day weekend. And for the first time since it began traveling to the islands, Andrew Hill was the tournament’s victor in the Gold division.
“It was a great time,” said Sandora. “It’s the first time that we’ve ever had a Gold championship victory, so it was amazing. But honestly, the best part was it was the first time some of the kids have ever been on a plane in their life, the first time they’ve ever left their parents.
The Andrew Hill girls volleyball team poses for a picture during its recent trip to Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Hill volleyball)
“What a cultural experience for them. The other teams, at the end of the tournament, we had a big luau kind of thing, where they all brought food and they sang Hawaiian songs to us. It was an amazing experience for the kids overall.”
The trek was made possible by some of Sandora’s friends from grad school at Stanford, who sponsor the program and enable them to travel out of town once a year.
“It’s great to even have the opportunity to have a coach prepare us for Hawaii,” said outside/opposite hitter Jasleen Tomasetti. “This year, especially being our senior year, it’s great to win first place for the whole tournament. I’m just beyond grateful that coach led us to victory. It’s amazing.”
The Andrew Hill girls volleyball team poses for a picture during its recent trip to Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Hill volleyball)
The benefits of the trip came on and off the court. On the hardwood, the title set the tone for a successful start to Andrew Hill’s season. The Falcons currently boast an 20-11 overall record and sit in fourth place in the competitive Blossom Valley Athletic League – Santa Teresa East Division.
But the biggest gains came away from the match-day spotlight. Both within their own team and with those they met in Hawaii, the Falcons forged bonds that will last well beyond the event’s tenure.
“At the end of the tournament, on the first day, they provided food,” said senior hitter Jeselle Tu. “All the teams left that were playing, at the end of the night, we ended up eating dinner together, we prayed together, we hung out and did cheers and interacted with each other. That created a bond with some of the girls in Hawaii too.”
– Christian Babcock
CASTRO VALLEY: GIRLS WATER POLO WANTS TO PLAY THE BEST
Castro Valley hasn’t done much losing this season, going 15-3 this season and at one point enjoying a 14-match winning streak. Led by Isabelle Nicole and Stella Chang’s 87 combined goals, and the steady passing of Chloe Gilbert and Corinne Arakawa, the Trojans have steamrolled the majority of their opponents.
But sometimes, the best lessons can only be learned in losses, and that was a message that coach Bailey Barlow preached after a loss to uber-talented Las Lomas.
“They are a NCS Open Division team, and we knew it was going to be hard,” Barlow said. “There’s going to be teams that we have to grind it out against, and it’s not always going to go our way. It’s difficult, but learning to work through it is really important for us.”
Las Lomas’ Reese Jimenez (9) goes for a loose ball during a water polo match against Miramonte High at Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Goalkeeper Peyton Sklut, who said she enjoys the leadership aspect of playing in front of the net, echoed her coach’s sentiments.
“These teams can go and win NCS, while the teams in our league are a little step below,” Sklut said. “Playing against a hard team like this is good practice, because we’re not going to play a team like this in our league in general.”
Castro Valley doesn’t expect to make the top Open Division but believes it is good enough to be seeded in Division I.
“We’ve never gone past round one (in NCS), and I think it would be a big thing for our high school if we could do that,” Gilbert said.
– Joseph Dycus
ARCHBISHOP MITTY: KERRI WALSH JENNINGS’ TAKE ON LOCAL RIVALRY
Mitty and St. Francis have a notable and storied volleyball rivalry that isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
The Monarchs and Lancers duked it out for the CCS Open Division volleyball championship last season, with Mitty coming out on top 3-1. This year, they’re back at it.
St. Francis took the first match between the two teams 3-1, but Mitty rebounded to win the last two 2-1 and 3-1. So which team is better?
Mitty currently ranks No. 1 in the Bay Area News Group Top 15, and the Lancers are No. 2. The pair seems ticketed for another championship showdown in November.
Archbishop Mitty’s Maya Baker #1 and Amiya Kuchibhotla #5 attempt to block a spike by St. Francis’ Taylor Williams #2 during their NorCal Open Division volleyball match at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Kerri Walsh Jennings knows a thing or two about championships. Before she was a four-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball, Walsh Jennings starred on the indoor court for the Monarchs, winning consecutive state titles from 1993-95.
So what’s her read on the state of the rivalry?
She hasn’t watched enough matches to parse out a clear favorite. But she wholeheartedly values the excellence of Bay Area prep volleyball, so much so that she relocated her family to San Jose for her children’s high school years.
USA’s Kerri Walsh Jennings controls the ball during the women’s beach volleyball semi-final match between USA and Brazil at the Beach Volley Arena in Rio de Janeiro on August 16, 2016, as part of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. ( YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)
“They’re kicking butt,” Walsh Jennings said. “Greatness is no accident. They talk about greatness, and they inspire greatness out of each of their student-athletes. For me to be in that environment was very special for me, and that’s actually why we moved back to town, because I wanted my kids to have that.
“So we have a freshman at Mitty and two other ones who will go through Mitty, God willing. But it’s really special. I really do believe growing up in this area was a huge part of my success, because you’re surrounded by everything, and excellence is the undercurrent in making dreams come true.”
– Christian Babcock
ALAMEDA: HORNETS TOP DEFENDER IS INTENSE COMPETITOR
Kelly Wu takes every challenge seriously, whether that be winning an aerial duel as a soccer player, making stops in flag football, and …. waking up early?
“I’ll literally join any sport, and if somebody is like, ‘Oh, I bet you wouldn’t do that,’ then I’d be like, ‘Try me.’” Wu said. “I joined dive last year, and my friends said that I wasn’t going to wake up at 5 a.m. for this sport. So I did.”
When it comes to leading Alameda’s girls flag football team, Wu and company don’t lose many challenges.
The Hornets are 10-0 in league and almost made a trip down to SoCal to play Orange Lutheran’s powerhouse team. However, scheduling conflicts ended up nixing the plan.
The 16-3 Hornets have had no problems handling Bay Area foes.
Pamela Smith – who also does gymnastics and plays basketball – routinely cooked Piedmont defensive backs on pass patterns in Alameda’s 27-7 victory over Piedmont. But when asked about who the best receiver on the team was, she humbly named her senior captain.
“Elsa Chin is very, very fast, very good at catching and is just an amazing player,” Smith said.
– Joseph Dycus
GRANADA: COUSINS HAVE TIGHT BOND ON FIELD
Quarterback Kathryn Vail never has to worry about getting on the same page as wide receiver Marin Lnenicka.
The two star players have a bond like no other.
“We’re cousins, so we have a really tight connection,” Lnenicka said. “We’ve been playing together since forever. I don’t even have to look back at her because I already know the ball is coming.”
The duo connected for three touchdown passes in Granada’s 35-6 win over Dublin on Tuesday. In one of the most exciting plays of the game, Lnenicka caught a toe-tapping score in the back of the end zone that drew compliments from the sideline referee.
“She always knows where I’m going to be, and I always know where she’s going to be,” Vail said. “I know she can catch it.”
– Nathan Canilao
MIRAMONTE: STARS TAKE SUMMER TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
Alison Sagara, Bea Hearey, Audrina Kang and Ally Larson are the unquestioned leaders on Miramonte’s girls water polo team.
The four players have been developed through Miramonte’s elite program, but a trip to Australia earlier this summer playing against international competition helped them get ready for a tough high school schedule this season.
Miramonte’s Alison Sagara (10) makes a shot to score a goal against Las Lomas goalkeeper Addi Burns (1) during a water polo match at Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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“Those four went to Australia, and Australia is super physical,” said Miramonte coach John Roemer. “They really stepped up, and it’s actually the best water polo I think they’ve ever played.”
Miramonte has caught fire the last two weeks. Wins over Sacred Heart Prep, Carondelet and St. Francis have propelled the Matadors to the top spot in the Bay Area News Group rankings.
– Nathan Canilao
