It was
only fitting that the top player from each of the state's top two teams
met in a showdown for the California Division I Player of the Year honor.
And just as it was on the court a little over a
month ago, Granite Bay's 5-foot-10 setter Taylor Nelson edged Los Alamitos
6-2 front line standout Crissy Jones. Nelson is California's 2013 MaxPreps D-I
Player of the Year.
Nelson totaled 46 assists, five kills, three digs and a block in the 3-1 title-clinching victory against Jones and Los Alamitos in the state championship match at Santiago Canyon College.
Both Nelson and Jones have been receiving honors on a weekly basis since Granite Bay defeated Los Alamitos Dec. 7.
Each has league top player honors and top section player recognition
and have also been named the top player on most media outlets' top player
squads.
Taylor, who will play collegiately at Cal Poly, was also California's Gatorade State Player of the Year after leading
Granite Bay to a 45-0 season.
Statically, each had huge seasons - Jones 607 kills and 340 digs and Nelson had 996 assists and 196 kills.
Jones, who has signed to play at Washington, led Los
Alamitos to a 35-6 record and was an Under Armour All-American first
team selection.
Division I
Taylor Nelson, Granite Bay
Photo by Gregg Samelson
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – S - Taylor Nelson - Granite Bay, 5-10 Senior
A
MaxPreps All-American and the Sacramento's Bee's Player of the Year,
Nelson led Granite Bay to the state title. She totaled 996 assists
and 192 kills as Granite Bay finished 45-0 and ranked No. 3 in the
nation. Nelson was also named the state's Gatorade POY winner. She has
signed with Cal Poly.
OH - Frankie Shebby - Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 6-0 SeniorCrissy Jones, Los Alamitos
Photo by Heston Quan
Shebby
led Mater Dei (33-8) to the state quarterfinals. She was MVP of the
prestigious California Challenge. With Shebby in the lineup, the
Monarchs were 27-4. Shebby, who is headed to Oregon, averaged 4.2 kills
per set and had a kill percentage of .461. She was a MaxPreps
All-American.
OH - Crissy Jones - Los Alamitos, 6-2 SeniorJones led Los Alamitos to the state finals. She recorded 607 kills, 61 blocks, 340 digs and 26 aces. Jones, who will attend Washington, was a MaxPreps All-American. She was also the Orange County Register's Player of the Year, CIF Southern Section Player of the Year and an Under Armour All-American first teamer.
OH - Katherine Claybaugh - San Ramon Valley (Danville), 5-10 SophomoreClaybaugh had an outstanding sophomore year with 646 kills and 358 digs in leading the team to a 33-4 season. She was named the East Bay Athletic League's MVP and led the Wolves to a North Coast Section D-I title. Claybaugh was the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year and was named Bay Area News Group's Player of the Year.
OH - Reily Buechler - Torrey Pines (San Diego), 6-1 SeniorBuechler led Torrey Pines to a 33-4 season as she recorded 345 kills, 171 digs, 23 blocks and 314 serve receptions. She led Torrey Pines to the San Diego Section Open Division championship and will play at UCLA next year. She was also a MaxPreps All-American, Under Armour All-American and was the San Diego Union-Tribune's Player of the Year.
OH - Haley DeSales - La Salle (Pasadena), 6-0 JuniorThe Pasadena Star Player of the Year, DeSales led La Salle to a 32-6 season with 634 kills, 55 aces, 89 blocks and 438 digs. She was the area's top volleyball player for the second year in a row.
OH - Cadie Bates - Great Oak (Temecula), 6-1 SeniorBates, who will play at Duke, was the Southwestern League MVP and led the Wolfpack to the Southern Section semifinals. She was named to the All-Southern Section team.
OH - Maddy Deters - Granite Bay, 6-0 SeniorDeters had a team-high 440 kills, 57 aces and 214 digs as Granite Bay finished No. 3 nationally and won the California Division I title. She will play collegiately at Concordia University of Irvine. She was a MaxPreps All-American and a Sacramento Bee All-Metro pick.
OH - Hayley Hodson - Corona del Mar (Newport Beach), 6-2 JuniorThe All-Southern Section player had 407 kills for a 25-7 team.
OH - Becca Raffel - Palo Alto, 6-0 SeniorWith Raffel supplying offense and defense, Palo Alto went deep in the state playoffs, losing to eventual champion Granite Bay. Raffel had 361 digs, 39 aces, 508 kills and 31 blocks. She was named to the Palo-Alto Times all-area volleyball team.
OH - Lexi Sun - Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach), 6-2 FreshmanIn 68 sets, Sun had 390 kills, 25 aces (103 service points), 52 blocks (42 solo) and 164 digs. She was a member of Team USA in the inaugural FIVB Women's Under-23 World Championships and missed part of Santa Fe Christian's season. She was a MaxPreps Freshman All-American and named to the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Area team.
OH - Taylor Wheatley - Orange Lutheran, 6-0 Senior Brittany Abercrombie, La Costa Canyon
File photo by Kirt Winter
Wheatley, who is headed to USC, helped the Lancers win the Trinity League title and advance to the CIF-SS Division 1AA semifinals. She recorded 401 kills, 41 aces, 212 digs and finished second on the team in blocks. She was named to the all-Southern Section team.
MB - Brittany Abercrombie - La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 6-3 Senior Abercrombie, who led La Costa Canyon to a 25-win season with 335 kills, 46 aces, 40 blocks, and 178 digs, was a repeat on the San Diego Union-Tribune All-Area team and a MaxPreps All-American. She will play at USC.
MB - Lindsey Vander Weide - Pitman (Turlock), 6-3 JuniorVander Weide led the Pride to a 33-5 season, averaging five kills per set. She also had 51 blocks, 169 serve receptions and 99 digs.
S - Ali Koumelis - St. Francis (Sacramento), 5-9 SeniorKoumelis, who has committed to the University of Portland, led the Troubadours with 969 assists and was the vocal leader for St. Francis as it advanced to the NorCal D-I title match. She was a Sacramento Bee All-Metro selection.
S - Norene Losia - Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), 5-10 SophomoreNamed the Torrance Daily Breeze's Player of the Year, Losia led Redondo to a 31-6 campaign and the CIF Division 1AA quarterfinals. She averaged 11.6 assists in 55 sets.
DS/S - Jewls (Alyssa) Tavera - La Salle (Pasadena), 5-7 JuniorZana Muno, Notre Dame
Photo by Vince Pugliese
Tavera, who was named to the All-Southern Section team, totaled 1,264 assists and added 309 digs as La Salle won 32 matches
A-A - Zana Muno - Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 5-10 JuniorMuno, who was named the Los Angeles Daily News' Player of the Year, did a lot of everything for Notre Dame. She had 217 kills, 222 digs, 206 assists and 37 blocks in earning Mission League and Division I-A first-team honors.
A-A - Caroline Knop - La Salle (Pasadena), 5-11 Senior The Michigan-bound senior moved from libero to her more natural outside hitter position and did not miss a beat. The Lancers' most visual team leader had 381 kills, 26 aces and hit a team-high 96.1 percent of her serves. She still led the Lancers in digs, averaging 16.0 per match. She was a MaxPreps All-American.
A-A - Kelly Claes - El Dorado (Placentia), 6-2 Senior Claes is one of the more versatile players in the state. She had a .420 hitting percentage (398 kills), 207 assists, 188 digs, 47 aces and 30 blocks. Last year, she was first-team All-County at opposite. She has signed with USC.