Who are the top 10 girls volleyball players from San Joaquin County?
This week kicks off the 2023-24 high school girls' volleyball season for teams in San Joaquin County. Last season the 209 was home to 14 teams that made the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs with Escalon and Ripon Christian winning the Division III and V blue banners.
Behind those stellar accolades are some elite athletes who will be returning this season to shake up the volleyball scene once again. The Record has comprised a list of the top 10 girls' volleyball players from the area who you won’t want to miss this season.
These are just a handful of talent brewing in SJ County and include players from the San Joaquin Athletic Association, Southern Athletic League, Tri-City Athletic League, Trans Valley League and Valley Oak League.
(Players listed in alphabetical order)
Amya Cheatham-January
School: Bear Creek
Year: Senior
Summary: January was a beast offensively and defensively for the Bruins last year. As a junior, she led her team in kills per set averaging close to three kills. She racked up a total of 147 kills as Bear Creek went on a brief SJS Division II playoff run. Defensively, January was equally effective. She led the Bruins in total blocks with 84 earning her eighth place in total blocks in the SJS. January will be a key returner for Bear Creek as it starts its season against John Adams Academy on Aug. 23.
Ellie Hernandez
School: Tracy
Year: Senior
Summary: At the setter position, Hernandez has a keen eye for the ball for the Bulldogs. Standing at 5-foot-11 she could set up any of her teammates reeling in a total of 465 assists, the second most in the TCAL. As a junior, she made the first TCAL all-league team and was the runner-up for the setter of the year in the league as well. Five games into this season Hernandez is still shining for Tracy as it holds a 3-2 record with eight more non-league games to go.
Keely Hummel
School: St. Mary’s
Year: Senior
Summary: Aside from now-graduated outside hitter Audrey Arnaudo, Hummel was the other go-to offensive weapon for St. Mary’s. Throughout last season Hummel remained consistent for the Rams averaging 2.4 kills per set. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter finished with 228 kills, the second most on the team, and nearly 60 aces. Hummel’s role will expand this season as she will become a big facet of St. Mary’s fiery attacks on offense.
Avery Johnson
School: Linden
Year: Junior
Summary: Linden’s rising star at the outside hitter position last season was Johnson. As a sophomore, she averaged 2.3 kills per set and finished with the second-most total kills behind then senior, Maryjane Pireddu. Johnson’s clutch hitting helped the Lions win its first SJAA championship last year going 10-0 in league play. So far this season Johnson is back on track for another good year. She has 25 kills over the past three games.
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Meghan Kagehiro
School: St. Mary’s
Year: Senior
Summary: Kagehiro played a vital role last season as the Rams libero and one of their co-captains. As a junior, she averaged close to five digs per set to end the year with 442 total digs earning fourth place in digs in the SJS. Defensive bumps weren’t her only contributions, offensively Kagehiro finished with the second most aces on the team with 74 aces. Kagehiro will likely be back as a captain this season and will look to lead her team to an SJS championship.
Zoe Kossart
School: Sierra
Year: Senior
Summary: The key behind Sierra’s VOL domination last season which led to a league championship was Kossart. The lethal hitter averaged four kills per set and set the tone for the Timberwolves offensively. She ended the season with the fourth most total kills in the VOL with 262 and managed a team-high of 65 aces. With Sierra graduating six seniors Kossart will be the focal point of the offense coming into the 2023-24 season.
Lisa Murga
School: Escalon
Year: Junior
Summary: After graduating their star outside hitter Emily Vickers, the Cougars will look to other key players to step up. Murga is one of those players as a junior middle hitter. Last season the 5-foot-11 athlete made her presence known defensively amassing 100 blocks. That stellar performance earned her a spot on the state rankings at 24th in total blocks. Murga also finished with over 100 kills.
Michaela Singh
School: Manteca
Year: Senior
Summary: Despite suffering an injury in the last game of the 2022-23 season, Singh is back and looking to lead Manteca this year. The outside hitter averaged close to three kills per set last season and racked up 201 total kills the second most on the team. Singh was also the Buffaloes’ best server leading the team with 47 aces. In Manteca’s most recent win against Lathrop on Aug. 22 she added 16 kills to help her team beat the Spartans 3-1.
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Jordan Vander Veen
School: Ripon Christian
Year: Senior
Summary: You can’t talk 209 girls volleyball without mentioning Vander Veen. The 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter was named to the 2022 MaxPreps Underclass All-American team after finishing the year with the second most kills in the state, 566 kills. Vander Veen proved to be unstoppable offensively for the Knights leading them to a CIF Division IV State Girls Volleyball Championship last season. Two games into the current season and Vander Veen has yet to be stopped as Ripon Christian holds a 2-0 record.
Kaya Whittaker
School: Ripon
Year: Senior
Summary: At the setter and defensive specialist position, Whittaker was an essential part of Ripon’s team last season. The 5-foot-9 senior finished with a team-high 96 aces and 488 assists during her junior campaign. Stuffing the stat sheet had Whittaker ranked seventh in aces and ninth in assists in the SJS. She also helped contribute to the Indians’ attack game with 63 kills last year. Whittaker and the Indians are off to a hot start holding a 7-0 record so far this season.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Who are the top 10 girls volleyball players from San Joaquin County?
