Golden Valley’s Castillo earns Sun-Star Player of Year in volleyball

Belen Castillo rarely gets a break from volleyball, and that’s just the way she likes it.

Last May, the Golden Valley High School senior was in Minneapolis, Minn., playing in the junior national championships.

Castillo spent part of her summer training with Team USA’s Youth National Team in Colorado and playing in the NORCECA Women’s U-18 Continental Championship in Costa Rica, where the U.S. finished second.

“I never really got a break, but I never get tired of playing,” Castillo said. “I can’t go a week without playing. It’s a lifestyle.”

That lifestyle will continue at Cal next fall after she accepted a volleyball scholarship. She finished her four-year high school career as one of the top players to come out of Golden Valley.

Castillo can add Sun-Star Volleyball Player of the Year to the list of accolades.

Castillo led the Cougars with 693 kills, 102 aces, 128 blocks and was second on the team with 300 digs. Her kills ranked second in the state to Hilmar junior Emily Baptista, according to MaxPreps.com.

“Pretty much the last three years she’s been our go-to player,” Golden Valley coach Matt Thissen said. “There was no secret where we were going. You don’t get a player with her ability very often. When she attacked the ball, most likely it was going to be a kill.”

For Castillo, the highlight of her high school career is being able to play with friends and building relationships with the Cougars’ coaches.

“I loved spending time with the girls on our team,” Castillo said. “I was lucky we had a great group of girls. It was the perfect team. We had so much fun. We never had a dull moment.

“I’m going to miss coach Thissen and the rest of the coaching staff. They are amazing how they were always supportive and how they looked out for all of us. We all had good relationships with our coaches, even though they pushed us to be the best.”

It was an up-and-down season for the Cougars. Injuries hurt Golden Valley early, as it dropped its first two Central California Conference matches. Golden Valley was able to bounce back and make the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

“I hate losing more than I like winning,” Castillo said. “Winning is the most important thing to me, so going to the playoffs was a fun experience. We didn’t finish exactly how we wanted, but I was proud of the way we played.”

If the Cougars’ struggles ever bothered Castillo, who spends most of her time playing on elite teams surrounded with talented players, she never showed it.

“She’s played for the national team, high club level, and playing high school with a majority of players who only play for four months (out of the year) can be a little trying at times,” Thissen said. “She handled it well. She did a great job of encouraging her teammates to step up and play at a higher level. Even though she was the best player on the court, she never got down on our teammates.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2015 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Golden Valley’s Castillo earns Sun-Star Player of Year in volleyball."