All-Area: Sun-Star honors top female athletes of the fall.

It was a big year for Buhach Colony junior Cameron Gray. A lot of things happened for the Thunder volleyball star.

Gray was invited to 2017 USA Girls’ Youth A3 Training Program in New Orleans this summer. Then in September she verbally committed to play volleyball at Boise State.

After helping lead Buhach Colony to a second-place finish in the Central California Conference, Gray is the Merced Sun-Star Volleyball Player of the Year.

“I think this was a growing year for me,” said Gray, who was an all-CCC first-team selection. “I really tried to have an open mind. This year I really wanted to get better defensively. I focused on that primarily all summer because eventually in summer I’ll be playing primarily a defensive position.”

Gray finished with 289 kills this season and a team-high 318 digs.

“I really think her consistency was much better,” said Buhach Colony coach Andy Hill. “Her hitting efficiency was higher, her approach was stronger and she had less fear than last year. She was not afraid of the block and not afraid of her opponents.”

The great news for Hill is Gray will be back for another year. As a senior she’ll be part of a strong nucleus that includes Mallory Pazin, Miranda Baptista and Maggie Seifert.

Gray made the adjustment of moving into a leadership role this season a third-year player.

“She was our captain,” Hill said. “She was incredible, as much off the court, with preparations, planning meals and team bonding. She took that role and ran with it and it translated to what we got back from the team on the court.”

As Gray continues to improve and work hard this offseason, she feels the expectations for the team will grow.

“As players our expectations will rise,” Gray said. “The league is going to be different without Turlock and Pitman. We hold ourselves to high standards. We want to be league champions and we want to make a deeper run in the playoffs.”

Girls Water Polo

Athlete of the Year: Kendall Thomas, El Capitan

Thomas capped off a fabulous freshman campaign by helped lead the Gauchos to a co-Central California Conference championship. It was El Capitan’s fourth league title in a row.

Thomas was named the CCC Most Valuable Player as the Gauchos top offensive and defensive player. She often led the Gauchos in scoring while guarding the other team’s top offensive threat.

Thomas was also named to the All-Sac-Joaquin Section Division II first team by the coaches in the section.

“It was beautiful how everything came together for us at the end,” Thomas said. “Everybody meshed together and we were able to accomplish our goals.”

Girls Tennis

Athlete of the Year: Jenasis Yarrell, El Capitan

The sophomore won her second straight CCC championship with an undefeated run through the conference at 15-0. Yarrell dropped only one set along the way and that was in the conference finals.

A scheduling mistake resulted in Yarrell being late for the singles final against Golden Valley’s Chadue Lee. As a result, Yarrell was penalized three games, which meant she started the first set trailing Lee 0-3. Yarrell bounced back to win 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.

The Gauchos sophomore then advanced to the finals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I singles tournament before losing to the top seed Jacquie Tan of Franklin, 6-0, 6-2.

Yarrell will be the favorite to win a third CCC title next year.

“My serve was something I really worked to improve this year and my fitness,” Yarrell said. “It helped me be more consistent. Next year I want to win it all when I get to the section tournament.”

Girls Cross Country

Athlete of the Year: Quinn Hagerman, Merced

The Bears junior dominated the CCC, winning all three conference center meets, helping lead Merced to a second consecutive conference championship. Hagerman then went on to finish first in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Sub-Section race at Frogtown in Angels Camp.

Hagerman qualified for the CIF State Championships with a second-place finish at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships, crossing the finish line in 19 minutes and 12 seconds.

She then finished ninth in the state at the state championships with a time of 18:32.

“It was pretty incredible,” Hagerman said. “I’m proud of how everything came together at the end. It’s the way I dreamed it would come together. I got it done.”

Girls Golf

Athlete of the Year: Lauren Gudgel, El Capitan

The junior had quite a season for the Gauchos, earning the Central California Conference Most Valuable Player award. Gudgel won the conference midseason tournament with a round of 90. She was the co-leader at the CCC postseason championship with a score of 83.

“She pretty much brought her scores down from the start of the season to the end,” said El Capitan coach Bobby Johnson. “That 83 at the end of the year pretty much cemented her as the league MVP. She really wants to beat everybody when she plays.”

Gudgel started the season as the No. 2 player for the Gauchos. Not only did she work her way up to No. 1 on the team, but she led the CCC in scoring and helped the Gauchos finish third in the conference as a team.

“I was very happy the way the season went,” Gudgel said. “I worked very hard to be No. 1. I have to thank coach Johnson and the rest of the team.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "All-Area: Sun-Star honors top female athletes of the fall.."