San Marcos senior-to-be Cora Loomer earned her “AAA” beach volleyball rating by winning the California Beach Volleyball Association women’s “AA” tournament in Huntington Beach in mid-April.

Loomer and Redondo Union High standout Addison Junk defeated Alanna Shields/Jasmin Suarez, 21-14, in the final. Loomer and Junk went 6-0 in the tournament to claim the highest rating for an amateur beach volleyball player.

The 6-foot-2 Loomer, a UCLA beach volleyball commit, has since played in three women’s open division tournaments and reached the semifinals in two: at L.A. Dockweiler Beach on June 8 with Julia Anisimova of Kansas, and at Ocean Park in Santa Monica on June 1 with Shayla Martinez of Chaminade High, a University of Washington commit for beach volleyball.

Senior Josie Gamberdella, who partnered with Loomer during the high school beach volleyball season and dominated the Channel League, earned league MVP honors and placed fifth in the CIF-SS Individual Championships, won her AA rating last month. She and partner Keely McIlroy won the CBVA Hermosa Women’s A on May 25. Gamberdella and McIlroy, of Carlsbad, both signed to play college beach volleyball at Long Beach State.

On the men’s side, San Marcos underclassmen Matteo Burdick and Keanu Nguyen earned their AA beach rating after reaching the semifinals of the CBVA Belmont Shores Men’s AA. Burdick and Nguyen are entering the junior years at San Marcos. They led the Royals to the Channel League title in indoor boys volleyball this spring.

Also earning a AA rating is the local duo of Nate Holmes and Rowan Peake. They reached the semifinals at the Dockweiler AA last Saturday.

(From left to right) Award winner Joe Cecchini with Andrew Boitchenko, Minister of Tourism and Sport at the 2024 Alberta Sport Recognition Awards on June 7, 2025. (Government of Alberta/ supplied)

By rdnewsNOW staff

Devotion to Sport

Jun 10, 2025 | 4:48 PM

The Government of Alberta has named the recipients of the 2024 Alberta Sport Recognition Awards.

For over 35 years, the awards have honoured the best athletes, teams, coaches and volunteers in the province.

Recipients of the 2024 Alberta Sport Recognition Awards include individuals who demonstrated their unwavering devotion to their sport, leadership and excellence, and serve as role models for the next generation of Alberta athletes.

“Both at home and abroad, all the award winners have excelled in their respective roles and are deserving of recognition for their efforts,” said Andrew Boitchenko, Minister of Tourism and Sport. “Their leadership shows the world that Alberta is a province that lives the spirit of sport, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Evermore Orlando Resort offers every type of accommodation you could think of, from villas, flats and vacation homes at Evermore to family suites at the adjacent Conrad Orlando hotel.

As for us? You’ll find us in a vacation home, and one with a slide in the place of stairs please! We stayed in an 11-bedroom home fully equipped for large parties and families, complete with a private pool. Each room was spacious and had its own bathroom. But what really blew us away was how the space was thoughtfully designed for families. Everyone had a seat at the table, and every space, from dining areas to living rooms, was large enough to gather comfortably. The outdoor space was just as impressive, with plenty of seating around the pool and grill. Because let’s be honest, it’s not a family vacation without someone grilling something delicious!

And yes, the slide instead of stairs between the third and second floors is real. The kids declared it a must-have for all future vacations and honestly, I agree.

If someone in your group prefers a hotel, that’s no problem. Conrad Orlando is just a short trolley ride away with shared access to Evermore Orlando’s many amenities. We used the trolley daily to explore dining options and unwind at Evermore Bay.

While we cooked most breakfasts in the fully stocked kitchen (seriously, they had every utensil we needed), we also used Evermore to Your Door, a service that delivers groceries right to your vacation home. Ordering essentials through the Evermore app saved us so much time. Of course, we didn’t cook every meal, because the dining options at Evermore are just too good to pass up!

The Food

“We’re proud to turn the beaches of Tel Aviv–Jaffa into a hub for sports, community, and culture – open and accessible to people of all ages and levels,” said Zipi Brand, Deputy Mayor and head of the city’s Beaches and Parks Division. “The footvolley league is part of our broader push to develop beach sports across the city. Just this year, we’ve added dozens of volleyball and footvolley nets along the coastline for free public use. The municipality will continue working to make our beaches active, inclusive, and full of life.”

MILWAUKEE – Riley Whitesides joins the Marquette University women’s volleyball staff as an assistant coach, first-year head coach Tom Mendoza has announced.

“I’ve known Riley for a long time and we could not be adding a better person to the program and mentor for our student-athletes.” Mendoza said. “She’s successful because of the work she puts in and the relationships she builds. I am excited to work with her and the impact she will have on Marquette Volleyball.”

She joins associate head coach Ethan Pheister and fellow assistant coach Stef Jankiewicz on the MU staff.

Whitesides played five seasons for Mendoza at the University of South Carolina and was a First Team All-Southeastern Conference and AVCA All-Region selection as a graduate student in the fall of 2024. The native of Greenville, South Carolina averaged 4.47 kills per set as a grad student to rank among the top-20 nationally while hitting .241.

Whitesides ended her indoor career fifth in program history in kills (1,452), second in service aces (100), ninth in digs (920) and fourth in points scored (1,645.0).

She also excelled academically at South Carolina, twice earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition and SEC academic honors. Whitesides graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2024 and earned a Master of Business Administration this spring.

Most recently, Whitesides completed her third season playing beach volleyball in Columbia with an 18-13 record this spring after a 20-15 mark during 2024. Overall, she boasts a career 38-27 record in dual action on the sand.

Earlier this spring the Golden Eagles announced their non-conference schedule for the fall of 2025, featuring a match against Wisconsin at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, Sept. 17 in addition to key matchups with WKU, Dayton, Florida and Minnesota at the Al McGuire Center. Marquette went 25-9 in the fall of 2024 and made its third NCAA Regional appearance before falling to the eventual NCAA Champion in the regional semifinals.

Keep up with the Marquette University women’s volleyball program through social media by following on X (@MarquetteVB) and Instagram (@MarquetteVB) and ‘liking’ on Facebook (/MarquetteVolleyball).

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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