10 high school girls volleyball players to watch from SJ County

Tracy's Chloe Lemons spikes the ball on St. Mary's Cambria Waites during a girl's varsity volleyball match at Tracy.
Tracy's Chloe Lemons spikes the ball on St. Mary's Cambria Waites during a girl's varsity volleyball match at Tracy.

Fall sports is about more than the Friday night lights, in the CIF Sac- Joaquin Section, girls volleyball is another sport loaded with talent. From Escalon’s 10-0 league finish in the Trans Valley Conference to Tracy’s heartbreaking loss in the 2021 CIF Sac-Joaquin Girls Volleyball Division II championship, this section has loads of storylines to follow with skilled athletes at the forefront of it all.

While practices do not begin until Aug. 1 and the season on Aug. 19, there is plenty to reflect on from last season to compose a list of 10 players to watch in the fall. This list will include players from the Tri-City Athletic, Trans Valley, San Joaquin Athletic Association, Valley Oak, Central California Athletic Alliance and Mother Lode leagues.

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Aariah Fox

Bret Harte, Senior

Last season the Bullfrogs finished the season 10-4 and second place in the Mother Lode league thanks to the offensive domination of Fox. She led her team in kills, kills per game, and hitting percentage as a junior. She finished the season with 115 kills and a 0.291 hitting percentage. Her contributions and offensive leadership will be keys to Bret Harte's success as it looks to make an even deeper run than last season's loss in the SJS Division V semifinals against Vacaville Christian.

Ava Van Groningen

Ripon Christian, Senior

Ripon Christian had a loaded squad last season, which came in handy for their undefeated regular season and SJS Division V championship finish. The 6-foot Groningen was a key asset to the squad at the outside and opposite hitter positions. She finished the season with 209 kills and 244 digs only trailing behind her sister Emily who finished with 400 kills and 273 digs. Groningen did however lead the Knights in aces with 93 as she is one of their dynamic servers. While Ripon Christian will lose Emily this upcoming season, it will have Groningen leading its offense in her place.

Nadeiah Howard

Venture Academy, Senior

In her junior season at Venture Academy, Howard stepped up as a vital part of its team behind seniors Trinity Ames and Samara White. She found her flow while serving and ended up leading the Mustangs in aces per set at 1.2 and total serving aces with 60. Howard's ability to find her teammate ready to attack also had her leading the team with 297 assists getting 6.5 assists per set. She also played a big role in their defense finishing the season with the second-most total blocks on the team.

Keely Hummel

St. Mary's, Junior

Hummel could play the right side and opposite side hitter but for the Rams, she found her bread and butter as a setter. She finished her sophomore season leading the team in assists with 373, putting the ball right where St. Mary’s kills leader senior Cambria Waites needed it. When she wasn’t setting up the attack she was the one doing the attacking as she had the third most kills at the end of the season 121 on a .300 hitting percentage. With two more years of her high school career to go, Hummel is likely to be a top player to watch in the TCA League.

Chole Lemons

Tracy, Senior

The Bulldogs' season ended with a loss to Granite Bay in the Division II championship game but they will return strong with their leader on offense in Lemons also returning. As a junior Lemons was Tracy’s go-to attacker as a 5 foot 11 outsider hitter and one of the team’s captains. She leads her team in aces, kills, and kills per set averaging almost four kills per set. Her athletic ability shows not only on offense as her size allowed her to finish with 21 total blocks, the third most on the team.

Louise Oliveira

Bear Creek, Junior

Oliveria was among Bear Creek’s underclassmen who helped it go undefeated in SJAA. As a sophomore, she averaged 2.2 kills per set and led the team in kills by the end of the season with 189. Since her freshman year on the Bruins’ varsity squad, Oliveria has shown her attack skills are continuously improving as her hitting percentage has gone from .098 to .166. Bear Creek will get to see her continue to grow with two years to go in her high school career as well as its other go-to juniors Esther Rubio-Bitrian and Armani Guidry-Austin.

Jordan Vander Veen

Ripon Christian, Junior

In her sophomore season, Veen was Ripon Christian’s second dynamic attacker behind Emily Groningen. She averaged 2.7 kills per set on a 0.339 hitting percentage and finished the season with a total of 202 kills. The 5-foot 9 incoming junior will be another key to the Knight's offensive with accuracy in attacking that earned her ninth place in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section for hitting percentage.

Emily Vickers

Escalon, Senior

Leading up to Escalon’s stellar 30-3, 10-0 season finish was a 5-foot 9 star-studded server in Vickers. She led her team in serving aces and aces per set and had the second-most total kills behind senior Amanda Murphy. Entering her senior season will mean filling in Murphy’s shoes as Escalon’s lead offensive attacker. As a utility player, Vickers has the athletic ability to fill in any gaps on the court for the Cougars. In a matchup against Carondelet Vickers had 11 kills in one set.

Courtney Washburn

Manteca, Senior

Standing at 6 feet, Washburn will be one of Manteca’s lead middle blockers after senior Karlie Spohn graduates. Washburn finished the season with 57 total blocks, the third most for the Buffaloes. Not only is Washburn a threat defensively but offensively she is a dynamic right-side hitter as well. She was the only player who wasn’t a senior to finish the season with over 100 kills,116 kills.

Reagan Wilkerson

Ripon, Junior

As a sophomore setter for Ripon, Wilkerson led her team with 448 assists and had the second most digs, 210 just trailing behind the Indian's senior libero Bella Chapin. At 5 foot 7, Wilkerson makes for a perfect setter but she also finished the season with the team’s most aces 88 as well as 65 kills and 13 block assists. She will be a vital part of Ripon’s squad this upcoming season as it hopes to dethrone Escalon as the first in the Trans Valley league.

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 recordnet.com/subscribenow

This article originally appeared on The Record: 10 high school girls volleyball players to watch from SJ County