Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) has been the perennial favorite to win the San Diego Section Division III volleyball championship, but that could change this year as the
Canyon Crest Academy (San Diego, Calif.) Ravens hope to cash in on a section title.
Led by 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker
Samantha Cash, the Ravens are 27-6 on the season and 7-0 in the Valley League. With only a week remaining in the regular season, Canyon Crest Academy has the best record of any team in Division III.
Cash feels that the Ravens have what it takes to wrest the title away from Cathedral Catholic.
"We need to work hard, but I think we can win our league," said Cash. "We have a lot of passion for the game and we work well together on the court. Our biggest competition is Valley Center since they won the league last year and have two strong hitters on their front row. The toughest matchup in Division III is Cathedral Catholic. They have won two state championships, but they have graduated their big hitter and this is the year our young team may overtake them."
Cash definitely provides the presence in the middle the Ravens need to rise to the top of the San Diego Section. Canyon Crest Academy coach Ariel Haas says that Cash's desire to learn has made her one of the nation's best players.
"Following Sam's freshman year, I took the team to travel and play against international teams in Europe. This was truly an amazing experience for all," said Haas. "One of my fondest memories was of Samantha coming to nearly every museum or cultural activity there was. While the other girls were off shopping or sipping lattes at a coffee shop, Sam was walking around Musea with the coaches and learning all about the various cultures. She has such a desire to learn, whether it is as a volleyball player, student, or individual."
Cash won nearly every award available last year, earning team MVP honors while also making the All-Coastal League team and first team All-CIF Division 3. She was also selected to the USA Women's Junior National Team, which won the gold medal in Tijuana, Mexico. She also played in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games and was a member of the silver medal team.
"My summer was filled with intense volleyball and I loved every moment of it," said Cash.
As a junior, Cash had 417 kills and 68 blocks. She also excelled on defense with 246 digs. This year, Cash has 268 kills and 35 blocks. Haas says that Cash's physical attributes have been the key to her success.
"When she first walked into the gym as a freshman, her ability to move, her quickness and her desire to learn made it obvious that she was destined to be a star," said Haas. "As a freshman she was raw and still somewhat new to the game. I would still describe her as raw, but with unmatched physicality."
Cash also pointed to a number of coaches for helping her evolve into the player she is today.
"I was a soccer player before a volleyball player and my club soccer coach Mario Mrakovic taught me about passion for a sport," said Cash. "He would also always say, 'Skills pay bills' which reminds me that I need to always be working on the basics. My high school coach Ariel Haas is also always giving me inspirational lessons on how to be a leader on and off the court."
Cash admits that her early days on the court were not pretty.
"I was really bad," she said. "My team and I could barely get the ball over the net. The best player on our team had an underhand serve. But I kept playing and practicing and didn't give up."
Haas says that Cash's dedication and hard work helped change her fortunes as a player.
"Sam will outwork everyone around her," he said. "It can be difficult to keep up. She is extremely physical, but had to work hard to get there."
Cash realized the hard work was paying off during a 16 Club season when college coaches began paying attention to her.
"I realized I might be able to play at the college level when I saw a lot of college coaches watching me play during the 16 club season," said Cash. "It was a weird feeling when one of the coaches handed me a ball that had rolled off the court and said, 'here Sam.' I had no idea who he was, but he knew me."
Cash has become a hot commodity among college recruiters, but the Ravens senior has chosen to play at Pepperdine University next year.
"I am looking forward to being a part of the Pepperdine team and playing with some of the best players in the country," said Cash. "I know it will be more challenging, especially since I will be in college and traveling to different schools to compete while keeping up with my studies. But I can't wait to play against some of the other players I've read about."
"I think I found the right fit for me at Pepperdine since I will be able to play Division 1 and I liked the smaller campus," Cash continued. "There are so many great programs and coaches. The recruiting process was fun and sometimes overwhelming. I wanted to play on a team that would be competitive and a school that would be challenging."
