8 Vaqueros make All-WSC; Young is Player of Year

Eryn Young won WSC North
Player of Year honors,
thanks to her stellar defense.
Ken Sciallo / Sevilla Photography

Gover repeats as Coach of the Year

Eight players from SBCC’s WSC championship team have earned spots on the All-Western State Conference North Division squad. Eryn Young was named Player of the Year and Ed Gover won Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season.

Santa Barbara went 19-8 overall and 11-1 in conference, sharing the title with L.A. Pierce. It was the fourth WSC title in the last five years for the Vaqueros, who won two Regional playoff matches before falling at No. 1 seed Irvine Valley 3-1 in the Southern Cal Finals.

SBCC tied for fifth in the state for its highest finish since 1999 when it was the state runner-up.

Young, a 5-5 freshman libero from St. Lucy’s High in West Covina, was second in the WSC in digs (370) and 10th in aces (41). She also had an outstanding 2.4 passer rating.

“Eryn was the foundation of our defense,” said Gover, who earned his fourth WSC Coach of the Year honor. “Her ability to read and defend our opponent’s best attackers provided us with many scoring opportunities in the transition game.”

Right-side hitter Jenna Anderson was a first-team choice and made the All-Southern Cal Region team for the second straight year. Anderson, the 2012 WSC North Player of the Year, led the conference in points (344), was second in kills (280) and eighth in digs (227).

Sophomore outside hitter Madison Waddell and freshman middle blocker Kristy Kearney earned first-team all-conference honors for the second straight year. Waddell led the conference in kills (287) and hitting percentage (.358) and was third in total points. Kearney was first in the WSC North in season hitting percentage (.308) and second in total blocks (57).

Jasmine Ward (3rd in conference hitting percentage, .302) and setter Madelon Leiphardt (2^nd in assists, 9.9 per set) were second-team selections. Middle blocker Taylor Badois and setter Ari Garner made honorable mention.

After suffering its only conference loss to L.A. Pierce on Oct. 9, SBCC reeled off 12 straight wins and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the state. They finished the year ranked No. 7.

No. 1 Lasers end Vaqueros’ season, 3-1

Jasmine Ward had 19 kills on Tuesday night and Jenna Anderson added 11 kills and four blocks but SBCC came up short in its bid to make the State Final Four in women’s volleyball.

Top-seeded Irvine Valley won the Southern Cal Regional Final match 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17) in Irvine.

“We came out a little nervous and our passing was off,” said coach Ed Gover. “Irvine Valley was steady and they have a lot of talent. We played much better in the second set.”

The fourth-seeded Vaqueros (19-8) had their 12-match win streak snapped by the undefeated Lasers (23-0), who won the tough Orange Empire League.

Santa Barbara took an 18-14 lead in set No. 2 before the home team reeled off six straight points to take the lead at 20-18. SBCC finished off the set on a 7-3 run that produced a 25-23 victory.

The Lasers are 69-7 in sets this year with three of the losses coming to the Vaqueros. Irvine Valley edged SBCC 3-2 in the Vaqueros’ home opener this year on Sept. 6.

Madison Waddell added six kills and Taylor Badois had four for SBCC. Kristy Kearney had four blocks, Eryn Young made 19 digs and Madelon Leiphardt handed out 39 assists.

Irvine broke open a tight third set with a 4-0 run that made it 14-8 and jumped ahead 14-7 in the fourth set.

“We couldn’t stop their All-American (6-2 middle blocker Annie Mitchem) in the third set,” said Gover. “She was their go-to player. Then, she started the fourth set with four straight kills. When a player like that gets into a rhythm, she’s tough to stop.

“We fought hard but couldn’t get anything going. We still had a fantastic season with our best finish in many years.”

The Vaqueros ended up tied for fifth in the State.