Volleyball: May, Hemmerling lead All-Conference picks

Sydney May was named the SCC South Division Most Valuable Player

Posted: Nov 18, 2024

On the heels of winning a share of the South Coast Conference championship for the first time since 1997, sophomore Sydney May and head coach Kari Hemmerling lead the list of award recipients. May, a transfer from Division III UC Santa Cruz, was voted the SCC South Division Most Valuable Player, while Hemmerling (pictured, below left) earned her first Coach of the Year honor. May is the first Falcons MVP since Sindy Hernandez in 2002 and eighth in school history, with Hemmerling earning the program's first Coach of the Year honor since Teresa Velazquez-Ortega in 2001.

Head coach Kari Hemmerling was named the SCC South Division Coach of the Year Also named to the 1st Team were the trio of Monserrat Rodriguez, Jasmine Soto-Castro and Leeya Rubio, while Lillianna Peterson, Priscilla Castillo and Brisa Cortez earned 2nd Team recognition.

May, who has also served as the team's setter, leads the team with 233 kills, while she has added 274 assists and 129 digs. She missed one match this season with an injury, but has turned in 16 double-digit kill performances, including a season-high 20 against Golden West College.

Rodriguez, who played at Long Beach City College in 2022, ended the regular season second on the team with 210 kills, to go along with a team-high 45 service aces and has added 145 digs. Soto-Castro is a two-time 1st Team selection and has turned in another great all-around year. She has recorded 156 kills with 161 digs, which are both third on the team, while Rubio was a 2nd Team selection her freshman year. She leads the team with 434 assists and has been effective in the back row with 159 digs. Also a threat at the net, Rubio has contributed 26 kills with just one error and a .595 kill percentage.

One of the most improved players from last season, Peterson has made the most of her opportunities off the bench. She is fourth on the team with 153 kills, which includes a season-high 16 against El Camino College. Castillo leads the team from the back row with 270 digs and has recorded 58 assists and 18 services aces. Through the regular season, Cortez has recorded 75 kills and ranks second with 37 total blocks, along with 84 digs and 19 assists.