Turlock’s Handy repeats as District’s volleyball Player of the Year

The moment that Turlock lost the 2016 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I volleyball final to crosstown rival Pitman, setter and team co-captain Julia Handy knew that her team would be back. With a vengeance.

The Bulldogs did return to the D-I final in 2017 and this time they brought home the blue championship banner.

For her part in Turlock’s historic run to its first section title, Handy has been named the 2017 Stanislaus District Player of the Year for a second consecutive season.

“We definitely believed in what we could do,” said Handy, who has accepted a scholarship to play next season at the University of Arizona. “We had lots of returning players and experience and we really believed in each other.”

The stats speak for themselves, though her 1,218 assists – or nearly 10 per set – is the one that jumps off the page. However, the most telling statistic about what Handy brings is this: victories.

In the decade prior to her arrival at Turlock High, the Bulldogs had just two winning seasons – none in the previous six – and averaged 10 wins against 17 losses.

With Handy donning the blue and gold, the Bulldogs averaged 29 wins, just 10 losses and twice topped the 30-win plateau, including this year when the team went 34-9, finished undefeated in the Central California Conference, and reached the semifinals of the CIF Northern California Open Division regional tournament, one year after reaching the second round of the NorCal in the Division I tourney. It’s a four-year run like none other in the history of Turlock High School volleyball.

“I really pride myself on playing every single point like it’s championship point,” said Handy. “If I can lead by example, then I think that makes me a special player, if I can get people to follow me.”

Despite the postseason accolades that have come her way – she was also the league MVP – Handy is quick to deflect praise to her teammates.

“These awards are super awesome and humbling, that I can recognized as MVP or Player of the Year in an league with such great talent,” said Handy, whose mother, Fatima Handy, is an assistant coach on the team and played at Hilmar High and later and Stanislaus State.

“Any number of players on my team could have won this award. We all worked really well together, there was no one standout player. So it’s an honor to get the awards, but I couldn’t do it without my team.”

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Turlock’s Handy repeats as District’s volleyball Player of the Year."