The Modesto Bee announces its all-district volleyball honors. Here’s who made the team
Escalon’s Amanda “Mandy” Murphy says she won’t play volleyball in college, but she’s had a high school career she can be proud of.
As a sophomore, she helped bring the Cougars their first Sac-Joaquin Section title.
After no playoffs in the spring of her junior season, she led her team back in her final year, beating Sonora, 25-14, 25-22, 25-10 to win their second straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title Nov. 6.
After the match, Murphy tried to pick her favorite title.
“Last time was more challenging because it was four or five sets and was really close ... (and) we hadn’t won before,” she said. “I was nervous again for this game a little bit, but it felt even sweeter to win two times in a row.”
Murphy — who finished the season with 392 kills, 57 aces, 241 digs and another section championship — is The Bee’s Volleyball Player of the Year.
Looking back on the first championship two years later, she calls it the highlight of her high school career.
“Being on the court when that happened, especially because it was a close game, it just felt really good ... we made history,” Murphy said.
The journey to back-to-back section titles started as a fifth-grader.
Murphy’s mom pitched the idea of playing volleyball after hearing about a few open spots on a local team.
“I was like, ‘OK, sign me up,’” Murphy said.
Volleyball gave her the chance to join in an extracurricular activity and be like her older sister, Hannah, who graduated from Escalon in 2018 and wore the same No. 19.
“She’s always been a really big role model in my life,” Murphy said of her older sister. “I would go to (Hannah’s) home games and away games, and I would hang out with her teams when they had tournaments and I just became really invested in that. It made me really excited for high school, which helped my career.”
Murphy finished her four-year varsity career with 1,353 kills, 766 digs and 163 aces.
In her senior season, Murphy led the Cougars to a 30-3 record and a perfect 10-0 mark in the Trans-Valley League. During the season, Escalon had two separate win streaks of 10 or more games and swept its opponent in 24 out of 30 wins.
“We just had such a great overall season,” she said. “To try and specify a certain (favorite) time is a little bit more difficult.”
Murphy’s decision to forgo a college volleyball career surprised even those closest to her.
“My friends and family are all kind of shocked I didn’t want to play,” she said.
She plans to attend a four-year college and pursue a career as a journalist and, like many former athletes, could eventually find her way back to the court, but in a different capacity.
“I’m not really sure what kind of journalism I want to do,” Murphy said. “I’m kind of leaning towards sports journalism just because it’s so much of my background.”
2021 Volleyball All-District Team
Coach of the Year: Sarah Beers, Big Valley Christian
In just her second full season as head coach, Beers led the Lions (27-12,10-0) to their first Division VI section championship, beating Forrest Lake Christian 25-17, 25-18, 25-17. She loves what she does and it shows; her energy on the sidelines is contagious. After winning the section title, Beers and the Lions advanced to their first CIF State Volleyball Championships NorCal Regional game.
S: Julia Magnu, Sr, Pitman
Magnu was one of the best setters in the Sac-Joaquin Section.She finished with 877 assists and 68 aces in 100 sets played. The senior captain led the pride to a 21-11 overall record and 9-1 in the Central California Athletic League.
S: Kate Cover, Sr, Central Catholic
Cover helped pace the Raiders to the postseason. Despite key players going down with injuries, Central Catholic finished 11-1 in the Valley Oak League, capturing a share of the regular season title.
MB: Kenadie Patterson, Sr, Gregori
Opposing teams had a hard time getting the ball past Patterson at the net. The 6-foot-5 Pepperdine signee finished second in the section with 103 blocks. She finished ninth in the state among middle blockers in blocks per set with 1.5.
MB: Emily Van Groningen, Sr, Ripon Christian
A four-year varsity team member, Van Groningen helped lead the Knights to 36-6 record and a perfect 14-0 in the Southern Athletic League, a second straight section title, and a win over Ripon in the first round of the CIF State Division IV Girls Volleyball Championships. Van Groningen finished the season fifth in the section in kills (400) and added 52 blocks and 80 aces. She will play volleyball at the University of the Pacific.
OH: Taylor Hemiller, Sr, Enochs
A three-year varsity player, Hemiller has played outside hitter and middle blocker for the Eagles. She finished with team-highs in kills (253) and digs (174).
OH: Abby Cogburn, Sr, Turlock
Cogburn led the Bulldogs’ offensive attack. She had a season-high 21 kills against Gregori in a thrilling five-set win. It was one of eight games in which the senior had 11 or more kills.
OH: Bella Cormack, Sr, Escalon
Cormack’s defense played a big role in the Cougars’ success. Her season-high seven blocks helped the Escalon secure their second straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title. She led the team with 89 total blocks.
OPP: Mimi Verdone, Sr, Pitman
Verdone didn’t have the most kills on her team, but she was efficient with her chances, finishing with a team-high 42.1% kill percentage.
OPP: McKinley King, Sr, Central Catholic
Playing out of position most of the season, King was still among the Raiders’ best attackers. When playing her natural position, the lefty showed why coaches say she is one of the best in the area. King led the Raiders to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals and an appearance in the CIF State NorCal Regional Playoffs. King will continue her career at Eastern Oregon University.
DS: Haley De La Riva, Sr, Pitman
A steady defensive presence, the senior tallied 225 digs. She had six games with 10 or more digs including a season-high 19 in a five-set win against Central Catholic on Aug. 31.
L: Sarah Browning, Sr, Downey
In 94 sets, Browning picked up 268 digs for the Knights. Her 7.7 digs per set helped Downey to its best season in more than 10 years.
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2021 Stanislaus District Players of the Year
| Sport | Name | School | Year | Note |
| Boys Cross Country | Adin Dibble | Sonora | Senior | Dibble, the 2019 Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, finished fourth in the Division IV race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 27. His time of 15 minutes, 24 seconds was the fastest of any Stanislaus District runner. |
| Girls Cross Country | Haleigh Humble | Oakdale | Senior | Humble finished in the Division III race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 27 with a time of 18:48. Humble swept the three Valley Oak League Meets and finished fourth at the Sac-Joaquin Sections meet. |
| Girls Golf | Mimi Whang | Gregori | Sophomore | Whang qualified for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Girls Golf Masters Tournament as an individual and shot a 78, the lowest score among Stanislaus District Masters individual qualifiers. |
| Girls Tennis | Sarah Knowles | Gregori | Senior | Knowles won Central California Athletic League singles title and earned a birth to the 2021 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Singles Tennis Championships. |
| Boys Water Polo | Sean McMillan | Turlock | Senior | McMillan led the Bulldogs to a 17-11 overall record and an undefeated 10-0 in the Central California Athletic League. Turlock entered the Division I section playoffs as an eight seed and won its first round game over No. 9 Lincoln, 8-4. McMillan had one goal two assists and two steals. He finished the season with 79 goals, 44 assists and 48 steals for 123 points. |
| Girls Water Polo | Lia Romeo | Turlock | Junior | Romeo helped the Bulldogs to a 19-4 overall record and a top 10 spot in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Girls Water Polo Rankings. Turlock finished the regular season 10-0 in the CCAL and beat McClatchy in the first round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Playoffs. |
