Garner Wins WSC Coach of the Year

By Jimmy Friery

The Western State Conference (WSC) announced its end-of-season Beach Volleyball awards on Wednesday, with Vaqueros Head Coach Ariana Garner earning Coach of the Year.

After an 11-1 conference record and, naturally, a WSC championship, Garner earns her second Coach of the Year award (2022). Taking over after the 2019 season, 2026 was her fifth full year in charge; all five of those seasons have culminated in at least one of a Pairs or Team conference title.

Three pairs were honored, too—Abigail Stenz and Maddie Papia, Sophie Ward and Tana Long, and Camryn Chapman and Stephanie Groswirt.

Consistently at the top of the lineup, No. 1 pair Stenz/Papia earned First Team honors. They went 9-3 in conference play, leading the team to a WSC title. They finished fourth in the WSC Pairs Tournament.

Ward/Long also made the First Team, a testament to their incredibly strong finish to the year despite not playing together much early on. They placed fifth at the WSC Pairs Tournament, then advanced through the SoCal Pairs Regionals to make an appearance at the States Pairs Tournament.

Ending the year as the No. 4 pair, Chapman/Groswirt were instrumental to the team's success. They won both of their Regional matches against Desert and Grossmont—helping the team clinch a State berth—after going 6-0 when paired together in WSC play. At the State Team Tournament, they were the only Vaquero pair to win both of their matches, accounting for two of the team's three pairs wins.