Merced Sun-Star honors fall female high school athletes of the year

Confidence helped transform Le Grand’s Priscilla Barnett from a timid freshman to an MVP-caliber player for the Bulldogs volleyball team this season.

The Bulldogs star played a big role in leading Le Grand to a Southern League championship and a 23-6 record. Barnett was named the SL co-Most Valuable Player.

Barnett is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.

“I think she is now growing into her body,” said Le Grand coach Gia Pridell. “Last year it was like day and night with her adjusting to high school from middle school. She had one year under her belt playing varsity. It helped her having that experience.”

Pridell says she was flooded with calls from coaches looking to add Barnett to their club teams.

Barnett displayed what she can do in some of Le Grand’s biggest games, racking up 24 kills, five aces and four blocks in a five-game loss to Ripon Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division Division V semifinals.

“My biggest improvement was playing in the back row,” Barnett said. “I wasn’t very confident in myself last year as a freshman. Practicing helped me a lot. Offensively it was definitely a transition. I started hitting from the 10-foot line instead of just hitting at the net. I was jumping higher and getting my timing down.”

Barnett plays volleyball all year round.

She’s played with the Twister club out of Merced the last few years. She’s now playing with Pulse out of Modesto.

“Club ball has pushed me a lot,” Barnett said. “I have really good coaches who have shown me a lot of things. It’s helped me improve as a player.”

The Southern League championship was just the third volleyball title for the Bulldogs program. Winning the championship with this group made it special for Barnett.

“This girls on our team have all known each other a long time,” Barnett said. “We all love the game. We know how to have fun, but also be serious when we have to be. It made this year really special because I knew it was my last year playing with these seniors.”

Water Polo

Kendall Thomas, El Capitan

The accolades keep piling up for El Capitan High water polo star Kendall Thomas.

The Gauchos junior was named the Central California Conference MVP for the third consecutive season after leading El Capitan to a third straight conference championship.

Thomas is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Water Polo Player of the Year for the third straight year as well.

“She’s definitely the best player out of our area for a very long time,” said El Capitan coach Kristie Dunham, who is also the Sun-Star Coach of the Year.

Thomas has scored 425 goals during her three-year career, including 187 goals this season, which helped lead the Gauchos to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game.

“This year was amazing,” Thomas said. “The girls played during the summer which helped us bond together. It was really cool to see the changes in our game later in the season.”

Thomas spent part of her summer playing with Team USA’s Futures team, traveling to Budapest, Hungary.

“It was an experience playing against another level of players,” Thomas said. “It was amazing to travel and see different cities. I met so many great players, built up connections and learned so much.”

Thomas will again be involved in the Olympic Development Program this summer.

The Gauchos will bring a 31-game CCC winning streak into next season as Thomas and the Gauchos try to win a fourth consecutive conference championship.

“It means a lot to carry on what we’ve done in the past,” Thomas said. “It’s a great feeling for me, Kristie and the rest of the players.”

Cross Country

Isabel Perez-Zoghbi, Merced

As a freshman, Isabel-Perez-Zoghbi consistently finished in the middle or back of the pack in CCC cross country races.

That changed this year.

The Merced sophomore emerged as the top runner in the CCC this season, sweeping the three conference center meets.

Perez-Zoghbi is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

“I didn’t want to be near the back anymore,” Perez-Zoghbi said. “But I never thought I’d get first place.”

Perez-Zoghbi fared well in bigger events as well, finishing second at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Meet. She placed second with a time of 19 minutes and 46.2 seconds in the Division III race. Perez-Zoghbi finished fourth at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III race with a time of 20:13, which qualified her for a berth to the CIF State Meet in Fresno.

“That was amazing,” said Perez-Zoghbi about competing at the state meet. “Being around the fastest people is kind of mind-opening. It helped me see what I should be doing to get even better. I want to strive to become faster.”

Perez-Zoghbi said the biggest reason for her improvement this year was just pushing herself harder in training. It also helped having a teammate to train with every day.

Fellow Merced sophomore Celeste Magana-Casillas was also routinely finishing near the top of the CCC races.

“She helped push me a lot,” Perez-Zoghbi said. “She kind of helped me not give up. We were always there pushing each other to get better.”

Tennis

Savun Emanivong, Buhach Colony

When three time CCC singles champion Jenasis Yarnell opted not to play tennis this season, Buhach Colony’s Savun Emanivong saw an opportunity.

“When she decided not to play I said, ‘I have a chance,’” Emanivong said.

The Buhach Colony senior went undefeated in CCC play, cruising to a singles championship.

Emanivong is the Merced Sun-Star Tennis Player of the Year.

Emanivong started playing tennis when she was a freshman. She decided she didn’t want to play volleyball anymore.

“I had to choose something so I chose tennis because my whole family played it,” she said. “I figured they can teach me.”

Emanivong didn’t love her new sport at first. It was a challenge and as she improved she liked tennis more and more.

“As you get better and better it becomes more fun,” she said.

Emanivong worked on her all-around game from last season to this season.

“I wanted to be more consistent,” said Emanivong, who also won the sportsmanship award for the CCC along with the MVP. “I focused on everything to get better because I was pretty bad last year.”

Emanivong’s work paid off as she focused on making fewer mistakes than her opponents. Next year she plans on playing at Stanislaus State University.

Golf

Cairo Saxton, Golf

El Capitan High senior Cairo Saxton put more time and effort into golf this season. She took the sport more seriously and it paid off.

Saxton saw improvement in her distance and accuracy and watched as her scores dropped.

The Gauchos top player finished second in the Central California Conference in scoring averaging, earning all-CCC first-team honors.

Saxton is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Golfer of the Year.

“I took the time to practice,” Saxton said. “I didn’t just go out and play.”

Saxton practiced during the offseason, putting in rounds at Rancho Del Rey Golf Course in Atwater. It helped her when the season started.

“Knowing what each club does really helps,” she said. “I knew how far I could hit each club. It helps you know what to do on the course. It helps you trust your decision.”

As Saxton emerged as one of the top golfers in the conference, she said it was an adjustment being grouped with the No. 1 players from each school, especially at tournaments.

“It was an adjustment at the beginning because you think they are better than you,” Saxton said. “I’d say around midway through the season I felt comfortable.”

Saxton says she’d like to continue playing golf at college, but is unsure if it will happen. She picked up the sport in high school as a way to get out of taking PE. Saxton will continue playing whether it’s with a college team or just for fun.

““I went from scoring in the upper 50s and low 60s each round last year to scoring in the lower 50s and upper 40s,” Saxton said. “I’m happy with my season.”

All-Area Honors

Volleyball

Olivia Peterson, Hilmar

Yatzary Lua, El Capitan

Allison Saelee, El Capitan

Maggie Seifert, Buhach Colony

Emma Martin, Hilmar

Sydney Shaw, Stone Ridge Christian

Martije Vander Dussen, Stone Ridge Christian

Leah Mendoza, El Capitan

Alexa Ultreras, Le Grand

Miranda Baptista, Buhach Colony

Ellie Hamm, Merced

Natalie Collins, El Capitan

Mikela Labno, Hilmar

Roxy Foroutan, Merced

Sunnee Lee, Buhach Colony

Taylor Harpine, Atwater

Coach — Ken Shaw, Stone Ridge Christian

Water Polo

Libby Hamilton, Golden Valley

Jenna Boggs, El Capitan

Gabi Perez, Buhach Colony

Alexis Smith, El Capitan

Anjoleena Garza, Merced

Jaden Key, Merced

Ashland Alcorn, Buhach Colony

Emma Johnston, Buhach Colony

Gabriella Sequin, Golden Valley

Coach — Kristie Dunham

Cross Country

Elizabeth Garner, Atwater

Celeste Magana-Casillas, Merced

Arryanna Sandoval, Los Banos

Maya Gomez, Livingston

Crystal Santoyo, Atwater

Crystal Hernandez, Los Banos

Coach — Ken Rhoades, Atwater

Golf

Lauren Palumbo, Merced

Natalie Van Pelt, El Capitan

Lenna Foster, Atwater

Mackenzie Hartman, Golden Valley

Olivia Machado, Hilmar

Coach — John Kane, Merced

Tennis

Kierstyn Cotta, Los Banos

Riddhi Parikh, El Capitan

Micaela Garcia, Golden Valley

Trinity Meza, Los Banos

Karina Figueroa, Golden Valley

Kate Colvin, Merced

Coach — Loun Emanivong, Golden Valley

This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 6:00 AM.

Shawn Jansen

Merced Sun-Star

209-385-2462

Sports writer Shawn Jansen has been covering Merced area sports for 20 years. He came to Merced from Suisun City and is a graduate of San Diego State University. Prior to the Sun-Star, Shawn worked at the Daily Republic in Fairfield.