By Jimmy Friery
Led by a solid group of returning sophomores, SBCC Women's Volleyball looks to build off last year's WSC-North co-championship with another successful season.
Just a few weeks away, the 2024 season begins on August 24 against El Camino and Mt. San Antonio at the Bakersfield Quad. It will be a bit of déjà vu, as the Vaqueros played both teams early last year in the same venue. They beat El Camino 3-0 and fell to Mt. Sant Antonio 3-1.
At least nine newcomers will bolster this year's squad, with a marked growing connection between the Vaqueros indoor and Beach Volleyball programs.
Valeria Bellodas comes from Granada Hills Charter after an elite high school career where she was a three-time West Valley League First-Team selection. She will compete for Kat Niksto's libero job, with the winner(s) filling Vaqs legend Gabby Russell's shoes. Bellodas plans to play Beach in the spring, too.
Outside hitter Kaylin Cooney is a familiar name to local volleyball fans. The San Marcos grad was named Second Team All-Channel League and plans to play on Ariana Garner's Beach squad as well.
Grace Demmel will be one of a handful of out-of-staters on the team, coming from the small town of Niwot, Colorado. The 6'1" middle blocker transfers from Division-II Regis University in Denver with two full years of JUCO eligibility—she redshirted in her one year at Regis. At Niwot High, Demmel was named Academic All-State First Team, All-Conference Honorable Mention, and Boco-Preps All-Region Team Honorable Mention.
Libero/setter Madison Genasci heads down the 5 from Modesto. At Central Catholic, Genasci earned First Team All-Valley Oak League honors, winning the league in her senior season. You can—also—catch her at East Beach next spring.
Lina Husek will be the first Vaquero from Hawaii in a decade (Taylor Badois, 2014), coming from Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Planning to play for the Beach squad, the opposite/defensive specialist from Kealakehe High will first compete indoors.
Vaquero volleyball fans will already know Carolina Koceman, who played mostly on the Beach 3s team with Charlotte Wilson. At Santa Barbara High, Koceman won a CIF D6 indoor championship among a slew of individual accolades, such as Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Channel League, and Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (SBART) Athlete of the Year. She will be a libero this fall.
Tana Long makes the scenic trip south after an illustrious career at Arroyo Grande High. The San Luis Obispo native celebrated a CIF D1 Beach Volleyball team championship along with Beach First Team All-Mountain League and indoor MVP honors. Naturally, the outside hitter plans to also play for the Beach squad at SBCC.
Bayley Padia joins the deep pool of SBCC's outside hitters, arriving from Leigh High in San Jose. She was named Senior of the Year and First Team All-Mt. Hamilton League, leading the way to a .772 winning percentage her final two seasons.
Brielle Smith rounds out the group of nine as the sixth newcomer who plans to join the Beach team, too. The setter from Fruita, Colorado has a great resume—as Fruita Monument's captain, she made the Second Team All-Conference her junior year, First Team All-Conference her senior year, and Academic First Team All-Conference both years.
