Merced County standout gets ‘redemption opportunity’ to play college volleyball again
Jessica Pinasco was busy balancing her time working part time as a model, working at Target and attending Stanislaus State to finish her degree.
Pinasco thought her collegiate volleyball career was over. She last played in 2019 at San Diego Christian College. It was an awful season that saw the Hawks go 0-18 in conference play.
The .former Buhach Colony and Merced College star had decided to move on with her life and moved back home to Atwater.
“My last season was brutal,” Pinasco said. “We only had 10 players, we had a coach who was planning to quit. We went the whole season without winning a game and I had a bad ankle injury. It was frustrating because it was a losing battle.”
“To top it off my major was nursing at the time and the school didn’t have my major,” she added. “I finally decided I wasn’t going to break myself for a school and coach that didn’t care. I decided to come back home.”
Pinasco was done. She was putting volleyball in her rearview mirror.
That was until new San Diego Christian volleyball coach Gene Krieger gave her an offer Pinasco couldn’t refuse.
Krieger had watched a video of the team and Pinasco had stood out in those games.
“I watched film during the hiring process and saw this outside hitter hit a couple shots down the line that almost took a girl’s head off,” Krieger said. “I looked up her number to see if she was still on the team. Then she came down to visit and worked out with our team. She was still as good as the girl I saw on film. Fortunately we were able to work something out.”
Krieger offered Pinasco a two-year scholarship to return to San Diego Christian to play volleyball and finish up her degree. Pinasco accepted the offer.
“He asked me if I wanted to come back and I told him money talks,” Pinasco said. “If they can pay for my school I can’t say no. A couple weeks later, after talking with the AD, they offered me a full tuition and partial housing scholarship.”
So Pinasco’s winding collegiate volleyball career will continue. It’s a journey that started at UC Merced, then Merced College and now back to San Diego Christian. It’s her fourth college.
“It’s absolutely surreal,” Pinasco said. “I didn’t want to believe it and get my hopes up. It’s different in that I know the school. I’ve lived there before. I know what to expect. I’m absolutely stoked that I get to reunite with my teammates who I’ve played with before. I know my setters, I know our libero.”
This is a chance for Pinasco to rewrite the ending to her volleyball career.
The first time wasn’t the end of her playing days that Pinasco, who was the Merced Sun-Star High School Volleyball Player of the Year in 2016, wanted.
“It was a little depressing,” she said. “It was like what am I going to do now. What I am good at? This is a redemption opportunity for me.”
Atwater teammates headed to same school
Atwater High seniors Kendall Flatt and Shelli Faulk will continue being teammates in college after they both recently signed national letters of intent to play softball at Concordia University Irvine.
Flatt committed to the school her sophomore year after making a visit to the campus in November of 2018.
“When I showed up on campus everyone was welcoming, the coaches were super nice and the softball program was strong,” Flatt said. “You really couldn’t beat it.”
Flatt has played varsity softball at Atwater High since her freshman year. The catcher was an all-Central California Conference first-team selection her sophomore season.
Flatt was hitting .636 with four doubles and six RBIs in three games before the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She hit .424 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 2018.
Flatt, who has compiled a 4.0 GPA at Atwater, plans to major in liberal studies with plans of becoming an elementary school teacher.
Faulk, who also has a 4.0 GPA, plans to major in biology with plans on becoming a nurse.
“I was looking for a smaller school, also a private school,” Faulk said. “The nursing program is really good there and that’s what I want to do in the future. That’s why it was a perfect fit for me.”
Faulk hit .418 with three home runs and 20 RBI as a sophomore in 2019. She was hitting .727 with eight RBIs last spring before the season was canceled after three games.
Faulk admits her best friend going to the same school made the decision easier.
“I’m super excited, but I also can’t wait to meet new people,” Faulk said. “When I visited the campus everyone was super nice and very welcoming. I can’t wait to go there.”
Flatt shared her enthusiasm.
“I’m so excited,” Flatt said. “It’s a great opportunity. With all this COVID going on I’m excited to see something different.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 6:37 AM.
