Le Grand volleyball star named Sun-Star Player of the Year for second time
Priscella Barnett’s love for volleyball started at a young age.
Her mother and sister both played high school and college volleyball so she was always around the sport.
Barnett played four years of varsity volleyball at Le Grand High, earning Southern League c-MVP honors her sophomore and senior seasons.
“She’s a huge asset,” said Le Grand coach Gia Pridell. “I know when she’s on the court she’s going to help out the girls. She has great leadership skills. She’s a great teacher and very helpful with our younger players.”
Barnett has matured from a timid freshmen to an experienced senior who has become a leader on the court.
“She’ll play anywhere I need her,” Pridell said. “If I needed a setter, she would set. One time I needed a libero and she said, ‘I’ll play libero.’ She’s just so valuable as a hitter, but she’s willing to play anywhere.”
Barnett says she just wants to be on the court.
“I think it comes for my love for the game,” she said. “As long as I get to play I don’t care what position I’m playing. I just want to play and have fun with it.”
After going through a shortened spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnett was happy to have a full senior season.
“I saw what it was like for the seniors last year,” Barnett said. “I was really happy to have a senior year that other seniors got to experience. I was so grateful to have a normal senior season.”
Barnett helped lead a young Bulldogs team to a 16-12 record this season and a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearance.
She was excited to recently learn she earned MVP honors for a second time.
“It says how the other coaches see me as a player and that means a lot to me,” Barnett said.
Barnett was also named the Sun-Star Volleyball Player of the Year after her sophomore season in 2019.
She plans to play volleyball in college. Stanislaus State has shown interest.
She’s going to miss playing at Le Grand after a four-year varsity career.
“What I’ll miss most is probably the girls,” Barnett said. “They definitely made my senior year the best. I had a blast with this group.”
.jpeg "Castill_fitted (1).jpeg")
Golf
Kiahna Castillo, Merced
Kiahna Castllo grew up looking up to her two older sisters Serena and Marissa, who both played golf and softball at Merced High. Serena and Marissa also went on to play golf in college.
That’s how Kiahna gravitated to the golf course.
“They were my role models,” Kiahna said. “Everything they did I tried to do. Everything they are, I aspire to be. Same thing with my mom as well. Those are the people I look up to.”
Kiahna developed into one of the top golfers in the Central California Conference, helping lead the Bears to a third consecutive conference championship this fall.
Kiahna was named the CCC Most Valuable Player.
Kiahna is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Golfer of the Year.
“It means a lot to do it with the school my sisters did it at,” Kiahna said. “I wanted to help carry on their legacies. It was an awesome season.”
Kiahna says her goal this year was to improve the mental side of the game and she was happy with her progress. One of the highlights of her season was posting a sub-80 round with a 79 at Pheasant Run during a mid-season tournament.
“Golf is such a mental sport,” she said. “You have to be able to put a triple-bogey behind you and move on to the next hole.”
Kiahna hopes to follow in her sisters’ footsteps and play golf at the collegiate level next year.
Tennis
Leah Chapman, Buhach Colony
Leah Chapman says the experience of reaching a Central California Conference final and playing in the Sac-Joaquin Section singles tournament will benefit her greatly next season.
Chapman is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Tennis Player of the Year after finishing as the runner-up in the CCC.
“This was the the first time I experienced what it’s like making it to sections and facing really good competition,” Chapman said. “I know what it’s like to play against them now. I definitely played with more confidence this season and I think I’ll be even better next year.”
Chapman had to clear a personal hurdle to reach the CCC finals in Golden Valley’s Emily Rowan. The Cougars’ top player defeated Chapman twice earlier this season.
Chapman earned a semifinal win over Rowan to reach the CCC finals.
“That was a big personal accomplishment for me to finally beat Emily,” Chapman said. “She’s a great player and we’ve played some really close matches. I was finally able to pull it out against her.”
Chapman saw her game improve this season as she learned to work angles on the court during her matches and forced her opponents to cover more of the court.
“When I was young, I tried just about every sport,” Chapman said. “I played basketball and soccer, but when I tried tennis I really liked it and stuck with it.”
Chapman will once again be one of the top players in the CCC when she returns next year for her senior season.
Water Polo
Claudette Asenjo, El Capitan
Claudette Asenjo saw her role change in a big way this year for the El Capitan High girls water polo team.
With Kendall Thomas and Alexis Smith graduating and leaving for Division I water polo programs, the young Gauchos faced a big leadership void.
That’s where Asenjo stepped in.
“Our team lost a lot,” Asenjo said. “We lost some major components, losing two D1 athletes like Kendall and Alexis. I definitely had to take control of the team. We had a lot of underclass players on varsity and a lot of them didn’t have a lot of experience.”
Asenjo led the Gauchos with 115 goals this season and finished second on the team with 46 assists and 84 steals to help lead El Capitan to a perfect run to a Central California Conference championship.
Asenjo was named the CCC Most Valuable Player.
Asenjo is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Water Polo Player of the Year.
“It was a big challenge for me,” Asenjo said. “I was very close to Kendall and Alexis. I was a little worried for our team. It was a little scary, but we had a team full of girls who wanted to learn with a lot of potential.”
The Gauchos learned on the fly and improved as the season went a long. They won a couple close games against Buhach Colony to win the CCC championship.
It helped having a veteran coach, who has had plenty of success, in Kristie Dunham.
“We learned from just playing with each other and constantly putting in work,” Asenjo said. “We were all committed.”
Asenjo will continue playing water polo at Merced College next season.
Cross Country
Isabel Perez-Zoghbi, Merced
Isabel Perez-Zogbi enjoyed a stellar senior season for the Merced High girls cross country team, including sweeping the three Central California Conference center meets.
The highlight of her season came with a second-place finish in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships in Folsom.
Perez-Zoghbi is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Cross County Athlete of the Year.
“I was really happy with what I did at sections,” Perez-Zoghbi said. “I never thought I’d finish second at sections. That’s been a dream of mine since my sophomore year.”
Perz-Zoghbi was happy to have a somewhat normal senior season after having a shortened junior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meets were limited to just conference races this past spring.
This fall teams were able to compete with a full schedule of events.
“I’m so happy because last year sucked,” Perez-Zoghbi said. “We were only able to do league meets and it was so miserable. I had to run races that weren’t really races because it was like I was running by myself. This year having people running ahead of me and having to catch up made me remember why I love cross country so much.”
Perez-Zoghbi started running cross country in high school after her brother convinced her to try out.
She instantly fell in love with it.
“I love pushing myself to my limits at practice and getting better,” she said. “I love the self competition and the self improvement. Seeing your times get better is part of why I’m passionate about it. I also love the way running makes me feel.”
Perez-Zoghbi was also the Sun-Star Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year her sophomore season.
She plans to attend a culinary school next fall in Napa.
All-Area Honors
Volleyball
Celina Horn, Buhach Colony
Vanessa Perez, Merced
Hanna Moradzadeh, El Capitan
Jaylin Pinasco, Buhach Colony
Emma Baker, Los Banos
Caitlyn Cole, Stone Ridge Christian
Katelyn Briggs, Merced
Sophia Alamo, Hilmar
Leah Mendoza, El Capitan
Abigail Pikas, Pacheco
Naomi Moore, Golden Valley
Katie Aragona, Los Banos
Kendall Parker, Merced
Addison Garst, Hilmar
Cruzelly Quirarte, Merced
Gianna Velduis, El Capitan
Golf
Amena Gomez, Merced
Gabrielle Jasso, El Capitan
Angelina Reyes, Merced
Rowan Sanchez, Buhach Colony
Brook Veyl, Merced
Salena Wickard, Golden Valley
Tennis
Emily Rowan, Golden Valley
Kloe Cotta, Los Banos
Reehya Mishra, Merced
Petrina Gilardi, Los Banos
Water Polo
Abigail Perez, Buhach Colony
Sydney Abril, Buhach Colony
Abby Fernandez, El Capitan
Sydney Hinman, Merced
Samantha Slocum, Merced
Kate Brigham, Atwater
Kyley Abril, Buhach Colony
Aylene Colunga, Buhach Colony
Kiryn Wicker, El Capitan
Allison Braun, Golden Valley
Alana Watkins, Los Banos
Cross Country
Aryanna Sandoval, Los Banos
Jacqueline Sanchez, Buhach Colony
Cristal Santoyo, Atwater
Anna Brasil, Atwater
Maya Gomez, Livingston
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
