El Capitan volleyball star named Merced Sun-Star Player of the Year after special season
Most of your shorter volleyball players find themselves in the back row, relegated to defense.
Hanna Moradzadeh isn’t your typical 5-foot-5 player.
The El Capitan senior’s leaping ability allowed her to play above the net and was an offensive force during her four-year varsity career. Moradzadeh worked her way into a player that never came off the floor, emerging as a top option on offense and key player on defense.
Moradzadeh was named the Central California Conference MVP after helping lead the Gauchos to a perfect 12-0 run to a conference championship.
Moradzadeh is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Volleyball Player of the Year.
“She’s not the tallest player on the court but the way she jumps and the way she dominates, she was an incredible player,” said El Capitan coach Chela Moreno. “She knew the type of player she was, and that we needed her to step up this year and she did.”
Moradzadeh has always been a high flier, allowing her to play up front against taller players.
However, there are still times when she surprises herself.
“Sometimes I look back and think ‘no way that 6-foot girl let a 5-foot-5 girl do that to her,’” she said.
Moradzadeh says her team was determined to not only win the CCC championship this season, they wanted to go undefeated.
The Gauchos weren’t happy splitting the championship three ways last season.
“That was the plan,” Moradzadeh said. “It wasn’t a goal, it’s what we were going to do. When we lost our last game our junior year we said ‘next year that’s it.’”
Moradzadeh said this year was extra special because she got to play one final year with many of her closest friends.
“I loved it,” Moradzadeh said. “I knew it was my last year playing and the girls I played with are what makes it what it was for me. We’ve been playing together for a long time. We only lost one girl from last year’s team. We’ve been practicing since January. We basically spent every living moment together.”
Being named MVP was an added bonus.
“I was kind of surprised because there are some really good athletes in our league,” Moradzadeh said. “It means a lot after playing four years and spending all that time. It’s great to know others think of me.”
Girls Tennis
Kloe Cotta, Los Banos
Los Banos High School junior Kloe Cotta worked hard on her tennis game all year round.
It showed.
Cotta went undefeated in Western Athletic Conference play, winning the WAC singles championship, dropping just six games in four matches during the tournament.
After finishing the season 25-1, Cotta is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
“I’m very happy with how I played,” Cotta said. “It was a very successful season.”
Cotta finished just short of playing for the WAC singles championship as a sophomore. She finished 23-3.
She worked hard to improve her game. She worked on her serve, she worked on strategically placing the ball in the court and she worked on improving her overall game.
She started the season by winning her first 25 matches, including matches against some of the top players in Merced County in Golden Valley’s Emily Rowan and Buhach Colony’s Leah Chapman.
Cotta then dominated the WAC singles tournament to win her first individual title.
“That was a very good day,” she said. “I showed how much I worked and how much I improved. It showed me all the hours I worked really was worth it.”
Cotta then advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section singles tournament before losing to the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
“That was a very competitive tournament,” Cotta said. “All the girls were amazing. I’m proud I got past the first round. I went up against the No. 2 seed in the tournament in the second round. I earned what I need to work on for next year.”
Cotta plans on working as hard this offseason with plans to come back as an even better player as a senior next year.
“I need to work on my footwork and passing the ball when people are up at the net,” she said. “I want to be more aggressive when I’m at the net.”
Cross Country
Jacqueline Sanchez, Buhach Colony
Buhach Colony High School’s Jacqueline Sanchez has been one of the top cross country athletes during her high school career.
However, Sanchez set herself apart from the competition her senior year. The Thunder senior won all three Central California Conference races and was named the conference MVP.
Sanchez is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
“I’m really happy with my season,” Sanchez said. “I loved being with my team. We were really close.”
Sanchez placed first at the first CCC meet in Patterson with a time of 20 minutes, 59.3 seconds. She dropped her time to 19:46.3 in winning the second conference meet at Golden Valley. Sanchez made it a clean sweep by winning the third and final CCC meet at Atwater with a time of 18:54.3.
“My coach (Alfonso Garcia) helped me a lot, pushing me every day in our workouts, motivating me,” Sanchez said.
It was the challenge of cross country that attracted Sanchez to the sport.
“At the beginning it was something new,” Sanchez said. “I tried different sports like basketball, wrestling and volleyball, but cross country was something that stuck. It’s hard because most people don’t want to run three miles every day. It’s fun doing something not everyone else can do.”
After competing for four years at Buhach Colony it’s tough to walk away for Sanchez.
“I’m definitely going to miss the people,” she said. “It’s fun hanging out after races. It’s fun training with my teammates.”
Golf
Esther Sheu, El Capitan
El Capitan High golfer Esther Sheu accomplished something as a freshman this season that no other local female golfer had ever done after advancing to the CIF NorCal Regionals,.
The 14-year old was the best golfer in the Central California Conference this season, being named the conference MVP by the coaches in the league.
Sheu is also the Merced Sun-Star Girls Golfer of the Year.
“I just wanted to try my best,” Sheu said. “I was hoping to shoot in the 30s during league matches. I wanted to see how far I could go.”
“I didn’t expect to make it to NorCals or win a playoff,” Sheu added. “That was extremely exciting.”
Sheu found herself in the one-hole playoff for a berth in the NorCal Regional after finishing with a round of 70 at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championship.
Shue bested Rocklin’s Lexi Booras in the playoff to advance.
“The highlight of the season was definitely going to Masters and NorCals and winning that playoff hole,” Sheu said. “I love that pressure.”
Sheu had a blast playing her first season at El Capitan. She’s been playing golf since she was six years old, but this was her first team experience.
“It was extremely fun,” she said. “It was fun being a part of a team because golf is an individual sport. I had never been on a golf team before. It was super fun being with my friends and coaches.”
Advancing in the postseason and playing against some of the top high school golfers in Northern California will only make her better.
“Going through all that will help me next year,” she said. “I know what to expect and I know what I need to do to get better. Seeing how good these girls are makes me want to get better.”
“I want to get better with my putting,” Sheu added. “I missed a couple short putts that would have helped me get my overall score lower.”
Water Polo
Kyley Abril, Buhach Colony
The El Capitan High School girls water polo team has dominated the Central California Conference, winning the last six conference championships heading into this season.
The Gauchos stretched their CCC winning streak to 51 before Buhach Colony finally snapped the streak with an 8-5 victory on Sept. 29 this season.
The two teams would end up sharing the CCC championship after splitting their two games this season and Thunder captain Kyley Abril was named the conference MVP.
“It had been a long time since El Capitan had lost a game in a long time before we beat them,” Abril said. “They are an amazing team so it showed what we’re capable of when we won.”
Abril is the Merced Sun-Star Girls Water Polo Player of the Year.
Buhach Coloy didn’t stop with winning a CCC championship, the Thunder advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game for the first time in school history before finally losing 14-5 to No. 1 seed Woodcreek.
“It was definitely a hard game,” Abril said. “They are an amazing team. We played our best but it didn’t end the way we wanted, but to make it that far is a big accomplishment.”
It was an exciting postseason journey for the Thunder, defeating Ponderosa 4-3 in the quarterfinals and Del Oro 10-9 in double-overtime.
“Last year we were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round against Ponderosa,” Abril said. “This time they had to come to our pool and we put them out the same way they took us out last year. It was an amazing game.”
Abril played a key role as one of the top offensive players and a key component on defense for the Thunder. Abril led the team with 96 goals scored and 118 steals and finished second on the team with 50 assists this season.
Abril also enjoyed the experience of playing for her father A.J. Abril, who was named the CCC Coach of the Year after leading the Thunder to a co-championship.
“This year was really special because he got to coach my sister Sydney by himself one year and then he coached both of us last year,” Kyley Abril said. “This year it was just me and him. That dynamic of coach/dad and daughter can be difficult for some people but I’m glad I got to experience it. He made it fun.”
All-Area Honors
Volleyball
Gianna Veldhuis, El Capitan
Amara Rhodes, Golden Valley
Leah Mendoza, El Capitan
Lauren Gonzales, Golden Valley
Ellie Green, Golden Valley
Mylah Steverson, Merced
Emmerson Garcia, Merced
Hannah Slate, Atwater
Emma Baker, Los Banos
Abi Pikas, Pacheco
Es’Ence Walker, Pacheco
Annika Bylsma, Stone Ridge Christian
Jylian Urquizo, Le Grand
Layla Battles, Mariposa
Marissa Merrell, Dos Palos
Tennis
Emily Rowan, Golden Valley
Leah Chapman, Buhach Colony
Eva Whitby, Atwater
Kiah McCain, Merced
Melina Mejia, Los Banos
Elizabeth Gonzales, Pacheco
Cross Country
Crystal Hernandez, Los Banos
Anna Brasil, Atwater
Allison Garner, Atwater
Lena Llamas, Buhach Colony
Shelby Shelton, El Capitan
Sidney Logsdon, Hilmar
Golf
Rowan Sanchez, Buhach Colony
Alexis Carter, Buhach Colony
Madysen Dietz, El Capitan
Yaya Aranda, Golden Valley
Karah Moua, Golden Valley
Emily Cogswell, Hilmar
Water Polo
Cassidy Barcellos, Los Banos
Abigail Perez, Buhach Colony
Kiryn Wicker, El Capitan
Abby Fernandez, El Capitan
Aleatha Buchner, Merced
Fabianna Mejia-Guzman, Atwater
Allison Braun, Golden Valley
Macie Drum, Buhach Colony
Abigail Grattan, Buhach Colony
Elise Metcalf, El Capitan
Brooklyn Ramsey, El Capitan
