Oakwood School emphasizes its strong academics. The Morgan Hill school is seeing its athletic teams excel too. On the girls side, coach Anna-Liza Anderson’s volleyball program just racked up another superb season.

In 2025, the Hawks reached new heights with its fourth straight strong year. Behind two-time unanimous league MVP Isabelle Anderson and a solid young group of teammates, the Hawks finished 20-6 overall and tied Notre Dame Salinas for the Pacific Coast Athletic League, Santa Lucia Division title with a 13-1 mark. 

Since 2021, Oakwood has fielded a 70-25 record, 42-8 in league play. The 2025 season began with high hopes but with some rebuilding and construction to do.

“Half the team was new,” co-captain Isabelle Anderson said. “Only having four seniors, we performed very well. Our goal was to be league champion.”

Anderson, a 5-11 senior, directed the offense to the tune of 510 assists, 7.1 per set. She delivered 138 aces from the serving line, an amazing average of two per set, ranking first in both the Central Coast Section and the state of California, and No. 11 in national stats.

Major contributions also came from co-captain libero Nalani Goulart, whose on-the-mark passing was a crucial foundation to the Hawks’ success. The junior racked up 259 digs, which led the league. 

Junior outside hitter Sophia Fieler paced the Hawks on the attack with 262 kills, a phenomenal 10.1 average per match, tops in league. Both Goulart and Fieler joined Anderson in receiving First Team All-League recognition. 

Senior Gianna Garcia delivered 139 kills to supplement the offense and received Second Team plaudits. Contributions in the middle were key to diversifying the offense and providing blocking at the net. That effort was led by junior Olivia Wong and sophomore Sophia Wong. 

Defensive help in the back row came from Camilla Mendoza and Jocelyn Velasco. Depth was provided by Gabriella Zelenyak, Arya Vaid and Georgia Alves.

“It’s also a very mental game,” coach Anderson said. “I engage all the players. I tell them in any given moment, they need to be ready. We’re doing this together.”

It all started with Isabelle Anderson, coach Anderson’s daughter. Goulart provided the crucial complement in the back row.

“Those two are my captains,” coach Anderson said. “Isabelle’s competitive level helps the whole team. She makes a play out of every single ball. She makes sure our hitters get the kills. She is also our strongest hitter. People can’t get her hits up.”

Isabelle Anderson looked to rip kills when opportunities provided themselves. She totaled 114, turning on second balls or as a right side option. The versatile Goulart helped by setting Anderson when feasible.

“Nalani is fearless,” coach Anderson said. “She has a great platform and that aids her in her passing. She is an amazing passer and can also set.”

The two co-captains recognized the synergy and cohesion.

“She (Nalani) makes setting easier,” Isabelle Anderson said. “She makes accurate passes. The last two seasons, we’ve had a great feng shui connection.”

Goulart has confidence that Isabelle Anderson will distribute to different hitters, even if the pass is not entirely on target.

“On any pass I make, she can do something out of it,” Goulart said. “She can always turn it into something the offense can use.”

Non-league matches provided strong competition and toughened the team. Highlights included sweeps of Mt. Madonna and Everett Alvarez, along with tournament victories over North Monterey County, North Salinas and Marina. The latter four were in a higher PCAL division and Mt. Madonna is a member of the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League, a league two levels higher.

The squad jelled quickly. In league play, the Hawks routed York and Trinity before colliding with powerful Monterey Bay Academy. In that home contest, Oakwood rallied past MBA 25-14, 22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12. Fieler shined with 15 kills and Garcia added nine. 

Anderson smacked seven kills, served 10 aces and had five blocks. Mendoza and Zelenyak provided extensive contributions in the back row defense.

A big highlight came two weeks later with a Sept. 25 win over Notre Dame Salinas, 25-16, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16. Fieler was on fire with 21 kills. Olivia Wong had five blocks and Garcia had four blocks. Anderson served seven aces. Goulart had 24 digs and 15 serve receives.

Later in the year, Oakwood lost a rematch with Notre Dame Salinas but outlasted MBA on the road. The Oct. 7 road victory over MBA was crucial to avoiding dropping back in the league race. The Hawks prevailed via a reverse sweep, 19-25, 22-25, 25-16, 30-28, 15-11.

The gym was roaring as MBA won the first two sets. Oakwood responded with a dominant third set.

“We had nothing to lose,” Goulart said. “We came together as a team. After the third set, we kept the energy going.”

That they did. Coach Anderson also made defensive adjustments. Fieler was ripping kills line and cross, on her way to a 17-kill night. Anderson served 10 aces and had five blocks.

“There was a lot of back and forth,” Isabelle Anderson said. “As a team we worked together and used the energy for us. Everyone played their part.”

The Hawks won a dramatic fourth set 30-28 and carried the momentum into a 15-11 fifth for the victory and a joyous ride back to Morgan Hill.

The end result was a co-championship with Notre Dame, with MBA back in third place. Further behind in the division were York, Trinity, Ceiba, Chartwell, Kirby Prep and Anzar.

Personal landmark efforts during the year were many. Fieler, who closed the season with nine or more kills in each of the last 12 matches, put down 22 kills against Soledad and 21 in the first match with Notre Dame.

Garcia smashed 15 kills in the second Notre Dame game and had nine or 10 on five other occasions. Anderson served 10 aces in six matches and hit her high mark of 11 against Everett Alvarez. Goulart had 31 digs and 30 digs in the two York matches. She also had 24 and 25 respectively against ND Salinas.

Both Isabelle Anderson and Goulart complimented coach Anderson’s approach.

“She’s a really good coach,” Goulart said. “She helps me play better. She pushes us all to do better. It’s fun yet she knows when it’s time to be serious.”

Goulart noted that coach Anderson’s even-keel demeanor on the sideline was very helpful. Isabelle Anderson commented that she and the team have learned resiliency. 

They both noted that the volleyball program and coach Anderson’s leadership have helped them with perseverance and mental toughness, along with off-the-court benefits such as time management.

“It’s like a family,” coach Anderson said. “I want to build strong, confident, accountable girls. Push them a little outside their comfort zone. Oakwood is strong with academics. Yet one can balance the academics with athletics. I want to challenge them at a different level.”

Women’s college volleyball continues to be a solid growth property for ESPN.

The network announced earlier this week that this year’s NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament was the most-watched on record, averaging 666,000 viewers across 15 matches on the ESPN family of networks, up 13% year-over-year.

This year’s tournament was capped off with Texas A&M’s straight-set win over Kentucky in the championship, which averaged 1.4 million viewers on ABC opposite the Week 16 Sunday afternoon NFL slate. The championship was the second most-watched in history behind only the 2023 title match between Texas and Nebraska, which averaged 1.69 million viewers. Texas A&M’s win saw an 8% year-over-year viewership increase compared to the Penn State-Louisville matchup in 2024.

While the title game fell short of a viewership record, both the regional finals and regional semifinals were the most-watched in history. The semis averaged 402,000 viewers while the finals averaged 753,000 viewers. In addition to record-setting regional semifinal and final rounds, the women’s college volleyball regular season also set a new high on ESPN, averaging 190,000 viewers, up 36% from 2024.

Overall, it was the most-consumed NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament on record according to ESPN, with 1.3 billion minutes consumed across the entire competition. Four matches averaged over one million viewers: the championship, national semifinals, and a regional match between Texas A&M and Nebraska, which averaged 1.2 million viewers.

Networks are rightfully investing more into women’s college volleyball, and the audiences are following. Will the sport ever reach the same heights of women’s college basketball? Unlikely. But the sport is solidifying itself as quite a valuable property, similar to college softball, during its postseason run. And the more ESPN leans into promoting the event, the closer the gap could become between volleyball and other more popular sports.

MHS names new track and softball head coaches

Published 2:51 pm Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Madras High School recently announced the hiring of new head coaches for two spring sports programs. Mario Mendoza will head up track and field operations, and Bailey Daniels is the new head coach of the MHS softball team.

Mario Mendoza

Mendoza has been a volunteer coach for MHS track the past several years and has helped young runners as a leader in the Madras Runners Club as well. A world-class ultra-distance runner in his own right, Mendoza has for several years been sponsored by Brooks running shoes.

In November, Mendoza won the 100-kilometer Ultramarathon Guatemala, which he indicated may be his final major race.

Mendoza replaces Mike Dove, who retired following the end of the 2025 season.

Growing up in California, Mendoza became a standout distance runner after an injury kept him from playing soccer and prompted him to the track to rehab the injury. He fell in love with running and became a standout distance runner in college, graduating from St. Mary’s College of California.

“My first goal is always that we become better people and better athletes,” he said. “We can win districts, and we can take the whole team to state, so I have a goal of that. I know that with patience and trust and discipline, I just think there’s a lot of talent in this team and in the coaches, and I think a lot of cool stuff can happen.”

Bailey Daniels

Bailey Daniels 

Daniels, a physical education health teacher at the Jefferson County Middle School, replaces Shawna McConnell, who retired following last season as well. McConnell had led the program for 17 years. Daniels was the lead assistant and junior varsity coach last year.

Growing up in Roseburg, Daniels played high school and travel softball. She became a Division 1 athlete as a member of the rowing team at Oregon State University.

Daniels praised McConnell for her long dedication to the program and all that she shared with her that has helped Daniels prepare to take over. Daniels is also eager to put her own stamp on the program.

“I’m looking forward to bringing fresh ideas, a competitive mindset and a clear vision for what Madras softball can become,” said Daniels.

Information for this story was provided by 509J School District Communications Director Joey Pretchl.

The Long Beach State men’s volleyball program lives by the slogan “expect greatness.” So when they took the court against UCLA in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship, they expected nothing less.

Featuring two of the top teams in the nation in a rematch of last year’s national championship, the match was expected to be intense and tightly contested. But the Beach put on a performance nothing short of greatness, avenging their championship loss with a commanding sweep over the Bruins at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. The Beach won 25-17, 25-23, 25-21.

It marks a fourth national championship in program history and the first since the Beach went back-to-back in 2018-2019. Head coach Alan Knipe has been a part of each national championship with the program, one as a player in 1991 and now his third as a coach here in 2025. Knipe later announced his retirement in 2025, finishing his legendary career on top.

“It’s incredible. The feeling absolutely never gets old,” Knipe said. “I’m so proud of the guys and everything they did all season long. With what we went through with our lineups and our roster, and pretty much a brand new team at the beginning of the year, losing three starters along the way, and changing guys’ positions. [These guys] handled it so well and I’m so proud of them.”

The match started and ended in the same way, and it’s the same way it’s been all season: Moni Nikolov. The National Player of the Year opened the match with his first of four aces and swung on an overpass for a kill at match point to seal the win. He finished the match with six kills on .300 hitting and had a match-high 27 assists.

“It’s such a relief. I wanted this win more than anything else,” Nikolov said. “I’m so glad that I got to share these emotions with our coaches in the whole team. It was the first time I actually started crying tears of joy so it truly meant so much to me.”

The fourth NCAA Men’s Volleyball National Championship comes in the Beach’s 11th championship appearance in program history, in what was a dominant season through and through. The Beach was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the last 14 weeks. It’s their third men’s volleyball championship in the last seven years, but it’s the first for Bobby Smitheran as athletic director.

“I’m so happy for the young men in our program because they’ve represented Long Beach and Long Beach State,” said Smitheran. “They’ve done it with heart and with class I’m just so proud of the way they’ve competed. To be the number one ranked team for as long as they have, that’s difficult to give that kind of bullseye on your back and to finish it off the way they did I’m just so happy for them.”

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