Atwater’s van Warmerdam named top defensive player

Defense didn’t come easy for Hannah van Warmerdam, who focused on hitting early in her volleyball career.

It wasn’t until her sophomore year that the Atwater High standout felt comfortable playing the back row.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense because it’s something I’ve worked on a lot in club and high school,” van Warmerdam said. “I used to hate passing. I was so nervous back there. It was something I got used to because I knew I had to get it done for my team.”

Van Warmderdam’s defense has come a long way and for the second straight year the senior, who is one of the top all-around players in the area, was named the Central California Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Van Warmerdam, who recently accepted a scholarship to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, finished with 241 digs this season, and her 4.2 digs per set led the conference.

“As a hitter, she understands there are different spots on the floor to aim for and she was able to anticipate those shots on defense,” Atwater coach Toni Garcia said. “In the back row she was as dominant for us as she was in the front row.”

Van Warmerdam was the only player to wrestle away one of the top CCC awards away from Pitman, which won its third consecutive conference title and extended its CCC winning streak to 49 matches en route to playing for a Division I state title.

Pride outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide, who is headed to Oregon, was named the CCC MVP for the second straight season and Fresno State-bound setter Maddy Halteman was selected as the Setter of the Year for the second consecutive season.

“Lindsey was definitely a key player,” said Pitman coach Kristen Pontes-Christian, who was named the CCC Coach of the Year. “We had a lot of success in the postseason because of her and Maddy, as well, running the offense. We wouldn’t have done what we did without those two.”

The all-CCC first team was highlighted by the three major award winners and Golden Valley’s Cal-bound senior Belen Castillo. The first team also features two freshmen in Pitman’s Whitney Barnes and Turlock’s Julia Handy.

Rounding out the first team was Golden Valley’s Camille Flores, Atwater’s Abby Knapp and Turlock’s Victoria Larsen.

The second team was comprised of Sarah Clarot (Buhach Colony), Abbee Croninger (Golden Valley), Rheanne Lewis (Merced), Ashleigh Phelps (Pitman), Brittany Massa (Atwater), Emily Romo (Turlock), Lauren Solis (Pitman), Jadyn Tubbs (Turlock) and Felicya Zuniga (Golden Valley).

Southern League – Ripon Christian’s Dani Erdelatz was named the Southern League MVP after helping lead the Knights to the league championship.

Local players earning first-team honors were Mariposa’s Kaylee Strickfadden and Anna Medema, Gustine’s Lindsey Hartman, Adriana Moitozo and Macie Pires, and Le Grand’s Madison Furtado.

Football

Orestimba running back Austin Martins was named the Southern League MVP after rushing for 1,406 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mariposa running back Kamare Bailey was named the Offensive Player of the Year after racking up 1,328 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Ripon Christian’s William Kamps was named the Defensive Player of the Year, Gustine’s Hector Haro was tabbed as the top Lineman of the Year and Mariposa’s Ryan Oliphant and Le Grand’s Raul Alvarez were named co-Coaches of the Year after their teams shared the SL championship.

Area players named to the first team include: Spencer Arebalo (Mariposa), Haro, Nathan Sherriff (Le Grand), Bailey, Jadin Battles (Mariposa), Jesse Flores (Delhi), Fabian Morales (Gustine), Anthony Lerma (Mariposa), Maurisio Ramirez (Le Grand), Cristian Nava (Le Grand), Jake Williams (Mariposa), Kendall Robinson (Mariposa), Chris Perez (Gustine) and Isaiah Alarcon (Le Grand).

Soccer

Le Grand’s Sergio Garcia was named the Southern League MVP after scoring 22 goals in 14 games for the Bulldogs.

Earning first-team honors were Alexander Picazo (Delhi), Alejandro Contreras (Delhi), Leopoldo Cervantes (Delhi), Jorge Aguilar (Delhi), Eduardo Vargas (Gustine), Jonathan Fernandez (Gustine), Uriel Rosas (Le Grand), Demar Spencer (Mariposa), Dillon Acker-James (Mariposa) and Brandon Knauf (Mariposa).

This story was originally published December 10, 2014 at 9:20 PM with the headline "Atwater’s van Warmerdam named top defensive player."