Three athletes from American River College’s Fall 2024 volleyball season, Morgan Castaneda, Sofia MacPherson and Kyla Powell have committed to four-year institutions this semester. All three athletes are moving towards a new chapter in their academic and athletic journey 

The schools that the ARC athletes committed to are San Jose State University, Cal State Monterey Bay and Alcorn State University respectively.  

For community college athletes who want to continue their journey at a four-year institution, going through the process of committing to a university can be a trudge in the mud. Athletes first need to have trained for years and performed at a stage with a high standard. Then go through a seemingly endless stream of outgoing emails.

“You email a ton of schools and you don’t hear back from a lot, and sometimes you can take that personally, but it’s important not to take that to heart,” said MacPherson, sharing her experience as an athlete reaching out to institutions over the past year. 

And this process can take time.

“I started back in, like, May (2024), so I think you just have to stay focused and…not bother, but keep emailing the schools over and over again, and just staying persistent,” MacPherson said.

Despite the struggles that student athletes face contacting schools, an ARC volleyball athlete can be at ease knowing that the competition is something that they will not need to worry about. 

The ARC volleyball program over the last decade has been one of the best in the state with winning the past Big 8 Championship as well as making six straight appearances at the California Community College Athletics Association State Women’s Volleyball Championship.

“I think we do a good job of development. I think in order to have that be a positive experience with transfering to the next level,” said Carson Lowden, ARC Volleyball Head Coach. “we’re all about developing the players who are in our program to be the best volleyball players that they can be, to be the next version of themselves as people, so they’re prepared to go on and thrive at the next level.”

The great performances from the team in the last 3C2A was also a great factor in the recruitment process, showcasing their abilities at a big stage. The team went deep into the tournament and was defeated by subsequent State Champions Feather River College in the semi-finals. 

In the last week of the regular season Powell was named the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Association State Player of the Week for week 13 thanks to a great performance against Modesto junior College where she recorded 18 of her 31 attempted kills.

Castaneda also had a stand out performance in their quarter-final win against LA Mission College, with 21 kills, 10 digs and three blocks.

In an interview with The Current, Lowden gave a send off message to those who have committed to four-years.

“Continue to play to play and remember the process. The process is the most important part of the “thing,”  Lowden said. “Your greatest win and your gnarliest loss are both just one moment in time. And yet you still get to show up every single day and be in the process. So it’s always that process.”

Although the Indoor season is over, ARC also has a Beach Volleyball season that sees many of the same players from indoor.  They currently have an 18-5 record and have 5 pairs advancing into the NorCal Pairs Championships and will play Friday, May 2 at Cosumnes.

2025 Big West Women’s Water Polo Awards 

The Big West proudly boasts its women’s water polo major award winners and all-conference selections one week ahead of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship. Our awards and teams were voted on by the conference’s eight head coaches. 

Bernadette Doyle of Hawai’i wears The Big West Player of the Year distinction after recording 53 goals, 38 assists (91 points), 43 drawn exclusions, 13 field blocks, and a conference best 51 steals. In league play, Doyle dished out a UH high in points with 37 alongside 19 tallies and a team-best 19 assists. The Aukland, New Zealand native’s 2.1 steals per game lead the league while also ranking No. 3 in assists per game at 1.6. This is the third straight season a member of the Rainbow Wahine has been recognized as the Player of the Year and seventh recipient in program history.  

Éma Vernoux has earned the Big West Freshman of the Year award following an impressive season that saw the first-year player finish with the third-most tallies in the league with 75. As the top overall goal scorer for UH, Vernoux found the back of the net six times in against Arizona State and posted a career-best eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in a non-conference clash against UC Irvine. The Marseille, France native is the fourth UH player in the last five years (sixth overall) to find themselves as the Freshman of the Year. 

James Robinson claimed Big West Coach of the Year during the first year at the helm of Hawai’i. After serving as associate head coach for two seasons, Robinson aided the Rainbow Wahine to a 21-4 season including an unblemished 7-0 mark in Big West battles. The Rainbow Wahine won The Big West’s regular season and Championship in back-to-back seasons. Overall, UH downed 18 nationally ranked opponents this year including a staple 8-5 victory versus UCLA this season which helped the team remain No. 3 in the nation for seven straight weeks sparking an eight-game win streak. UH swept the major award category (Player and Freshman of the Year) and had student-athletes win Big West Player of the Week six times under Robinson’s watch in 2025.  

Joining fellow UH teammates in the first team list is 2025 Big West Tournament MVP Daisy Logtens. The netminder managed to finish atop the conference in goals-against average at an astounding 9.02 mark alongside 59 total saves, which qualify as third most in The Big West. During the Championship Final against LBSU, Logtens fell just one stop away of the sophomore’s career high with 14 saves. Overall, the goalkeeper turned away 25 shots on the team’s journey to the national tournament. 

A duo of Long Beach State attackers also earned first team status in Martina Cardona and Elisa Portillo. The pairing of Cardona (70) and Portillo (67) place fourth and fifth in The Big West with the most goals scored, respectively. Cardona (103) and Portillo (109) were two of five players to put together over 100 points during the 2025 campaign. This is the first nod on the All-Big West first team for both student athletes. LBSU capped off the season as the runner’s-up after beating CSUN 22-8 in the quarterfinals and edging UC Irvine 12-11 for a spot in the Championship Final.  

Another duo dots the first team list, this time representing UC San Diego with Caroline Christl and Kendall Thomas. Christl led the Tritons with 92 goals on the year which also accounted as second best in the league standings while Thomas saw 58 shots go through the net. Both representatives were rewarded Big West Player of the Week with Chistil claiming the award twice within a month’s span (Feb. 12 & March 5) and Thomas taking home the honor during the final week of the regular season on April 23. This is the first time Thomas has been named All-Big West while Christl collected first team honors in 2023 and earned a second team nod last season.  

Last season’s Freshman of the Year, Lauren Hett was also tapped to the first team. Hett scored a UC Irvine high 20 times in conference play of the sophomore’s 67 scores this season.   

The second team consists of UC Irvine’s Kennedy East and Brooke Hourigan, UC Santa Barbara’s Annie Kuester, Bridget Miller of UC Davis, Long Beach State’s Chelsea Oliver, CSUN’s Dorottya Telek and Jordan Wedderburn of Hawai’i.  

Telek touts a new Big West record in single season goals after netting a career-best six tallies in CSUN’s regular season finale en route to shattering the record with 104 goals. Telek tied the milestone in 2023 with 101 tallies after Monika Eggens of UH recorded the mark back in 2013. The center has scored 376 times in the senior’s career, qualiyfing as the most ever by a Big West student athlete. 

Wedderburn totaled the second most goals on UH this season with 65 tallies. The Joahnnesburg, South Africa native notched a career-high seven scores in a non-conference contest versus UCI. Wedderburn also racked up Player of the Week three times this season, tying the UH program record. 

East and Hourigan earned way as second team selections after each registering 41 goals apiece for UCI this season. The Anteaters compiled a 5-2 record in conference play this season and earned a hard-fought victory in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Big West Women’s Water Polo Championship, 12-11 where the duo combined for four tallies.  

Kuester collected 60 scores to lead UCSB this season and notched 19 in league play. The senior found the back of the net three or more times in 10 games this season, highlighted by a six-goal standout performance in the Gauchos season opener.  

Miller led UCD in goals after putting 47 through the net in 2025. The center recorded four goals in three games this season, the amongst all Aggies.   

During Big West play, Oliver led the league in saves (81), goals-against average (7.22) and save percentage (.609). Oliver made double-digit stops four times in Big West battles reaching a career high 14 saves twice.  

Imani Clemons of UC Santa Barbara, Daniela Quinzada Gonzalez of Long Beach State, Sadie Henry of UC Davis, Destiny Hernandez of Cal State Fullerton, Kelly Hungerford, Chelsea Johnson, and Gianna Nocetti of UC Davis, Madi O’Hara of UC Irvine, Jamie Oberman of Long Beach State, Courtney Okumura of UC San Diego, Anna Pal of CSUN, Roni Perlman of Hawai’i, Amanda Price of Long Beach State, and Nioka Thomas of UC Irvine all received honorable mention. 

The All-Freshman team features LBSU’s Rita Gurri Capel, Gabrielle Doyle of UH, LBSU’s Daniela Quinzada Gonzalez, UCI’s Pippa Heaver, UCSB’s Bella Mady, UCSD’s Holly Roberts, and Éma Vernoux of UH.  

Hawai’i received the conference’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Championship by winning The Big West Championship for the sixth time in program history after stifling second-seeded LBSU by a score of 8-6 in the Championship Final. This is the first time UH has punched consecutive tickets to the NCAA Championship since 2005-06.   

The Rainbow Wahine earned the No. 4 seed and will compete in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Championship Semifinal against California (19-5) in this year’s quarterfinals of the national tournament on Friday, May 9 at 2 p.m. PT/11 a.m. HT. The 2025 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship is hosted on the campus of IUPUI at the IU Natatorium, May 9-11. 

2025 All-Big West First Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Martina Cardona	Sr.	ATK	Long Beach State	Barcelona, Spain
Caroline Christl	R-Sr.	UTL	UC San Diego	San Clemente, Calif.
Bernadette Doyle	Sr.	ATK	Hawai’i	Auckland, New Zealand
Lauren Hett	So.	ATK	UC Irvine	Orinda, Calif.
Daisy Logtens	So.	GK	Hawai’i	Uden, Netherlands
Elisa Portillo	Jr.	ATK	Long Beach State	Madrid, Spain
Kendall Thomas	Sr.	CEN	UC San Diego	Merced, Calif.
Éma Vernoux	Fr.	ATK	Hawai’i	Marsielle, France
2025 All-Big West Second Team
Student-Athlete	Year	Position	Institution	Hometown
Kennedy East	Sr.	ATK	UC Irvine	Redondo Beach, Calif.
Brooke Hourigan	Gr.	ATK	UC Irvine	Newport Beach, Calif.
Annie Kuester	Sr.	UTL	UC Santa Barbara	Danville, Calif.
Bridget Miller	So.	UTL	UC Davis	Ladera Ranch, Calif.
Chelsea Oliver	Jr.	GK	Long Beach State	Auckland, New Zealand
Dorottya Telek	Sr.	CEN	CSUN	Budapest, Hungary
Jordan Wedderburn	Sr.	UTL	Hawai’i	Johannesburg, South Africa
Honorable Mention: Imani Clemons (UC Santa Barbara, Sr., CEN), Daniela Quinzada Gonzalez (Long Beach State, UTL), Sadie Henry (UC Davis, So., UTL), Destiny Hernandez (Cal State Fullerton, Sr., UTL), Kelly Hungerford (UC Davis, Sr., ATK), Chelsea Johnson (UC Davis, So., CEN), Gianna Nocetti (UC Davis, R-Jr., ATK), Madi O’Hara (UC Irvine, R-Jr., UTL), Jamie Oberman (Long Beach State, Sr., DEF), Courtney Okumura (UC San Diego, Sr., Los Altos, Calif.), Anna Pal (CSUN, Sr., DEF), Roni Perlman (Hawai’I, Jr., ATK), Amanda Price (Long Beach State, Gr., UTL), Nioka Thomas (UC Irvine, Sr., CEN)
All-Freshman Team: Rita Gurri Capel (Long Beach State, DEF), Gabrielle Doyle (Hawai’i, ATK), Daniela Quinzada Gonzalez (Long Beach State, UTL), Pippa Heaver (UC Irvine, ATK), Bella Mady (UC Santa Barbara, UTL), Holly Roberts (UC San Diego, UTL), Éma Vernoux (Hawai’i, ATK)

• Baylor transfer Allie Andrew, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, announced she will play for Wisconsin.
• She averaged 1.61 kills and .98 blocks per set last season while hitting .396.
• Andrew has one year of eligibility remaining.

MADISON – The block of the Wisconsin volleyball team received a major boost on Friday, May 2.

GULF SHORES, Ala. – In a very tight match as expected between (9) Long Beach State and (8) Florida State, Natalie Glenn and Skyler Germann picked up a win for the Beach at the NCAA Championships, but the Seminoles ultimately defeated the Beach 3-1.

Long Beach State (27-12) dropped the fourth court to Florida State (26-12) as the Seminoles grabbed the first point of the dual. Natalie Glenn and Skyler Germann played two dominant sets over their opponents. The duo finished their game with Glenn hammering one to tie the dual 1-1. A close second set for Julia Westby and Haley Carrington went the way of the Seminoles to make it a 2-1 lead. Florida State clinched the dual with a straight set win at the fifth flight.

The Beach finished the season as Big West Champions for the second time in program history. They hold a 27-12 record and swept the top awards for the Big West, as Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah were the Big West Pair of the Year, Demi Wagdy was the Big West Freshman of the Year and Mike Campbell was selected as the Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.

#8 Florida State 3, #9 Long Beach State 1

1. Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig (FSU) vs. Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) match was unfinished 18-21, 21-19, 4-2

2. Gella Andrew and Maddie Trusty (FSU) def. Julia Westby and Haley Carrington (LBSU) 21-18, 22-20

3. Skyler Germann and Natalie Glenn (LBSU) def. Bailey Higgins and Carra Sassack (FSU) 21-12, 21-15

4. Makenna Wolfe and Myriah Massey (FSU) def. Demi Wagdy and Megan Widener (LBSU) 21-14, 22-20

5. Kenzie Hultquist and Jordan Boulware (FSU) def. Tineke Hinton and Mahala Esser (LBSU) 23-21, 21-19

Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 5*

VIDEO: Millikan vs. Cabrillo, Boys’ Soccer

High School Boys’ Soccer: Millikan vs. Cabrillo Cabrillo hosted rivals Millikan in their Moore League opener for the 2021-22 season. For more coverage of all Long Beach sports, head to www.The562.org. We are a non-profit, community-funded media outlet in the City of Long Beach, covering primarily sports and education. Support The562.org

GULF SHORES, Ala. – No. 12 seed North Florida beach volleyball fell to No. 5 USC in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala. on Friday. 
 
North Florida concludes its season at 26-11. In addition to a program-record win total, North Florida earned its highest ranking in program history at No. 14 in the latest 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Top 20 Poll. The Ospreys added its sixth Atlantic Sun Conference title and its second-ever and second-straight berth to the NCAA Championship. 

Junior tandem Presley Murray and Mackenzie Murphy collected AVCA Top Flight Pair 1 honors, which recognizes pairs who compete in at least 15 matches together at a specific flight and win at least 75 percent of their matches.

 

USC claimed the dual with wins at the one, two and four lines. The tandem of senior Mariana Feliciano Sanchez and junior Madison Espy forced a third set at three, 15-21, 21-17, while redshirt sophomore Sophia Notaro and senior Andrea Da Silva were tied 17-17 in the second set at five prior to the moment that the decision was clinched. 

 

No. 5 seed USC 3, No. 12 seed North Florida 0

1.   Maddy White/Zoey Henson (USC) def. Cameron Humphries/Taylor Pierce (UNF), 21-16, 21-19

2.   Kennedy Coakley/Ashley Pater (USC) def. Presley Murray/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF), 21-19, 21-16

3.   Madison Espy/Mariana Feliciano Sanchez (UNF) v. Maya Gessner/Mabyn Thomas (USC), 21-15, 17-21

4.   Delaney Karl/Ella Larkin (USC) v. Eden Anderson/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF), 21-15, 21-14

5.   Madison Goeliner/Kaileigh Truslow (USC) v. Andrea Da Silva/Sophia Notaro (UNF), 21-18, 17-17