Seven Vaqueros Earn Individual Honors for Conference Co-Champions

By Jimmy Friery

The Santa Barbara City College Women's Volleyball team had seven players earn individual honors following the 2023 season. Each of the awardees also came away with a conference co-championship.

Beginning with the First Team All-Conference winners, Libero Gabby Russell amassed 355 digs this season to total 511 in her SBCC career. Her 41 aces also led all Vaqueros. Russell, a co-captain on this year's team, was as reliable of a player as they come, playing in all 54 matches over the past two seasons. She was also awarded the Team Vaquero Award for all her contributions on and off the court for the team.

"Gabby really grew into her leadership role with this team. On the court, the girls always knew they could count on her for a great pass, ace serve, or clutch dig when we needed it most. Gabby plays with passion and honesty and will be immensely missed next season," head coach Kat Niksto said proudly.

Heidi Collins also took home First Team All-Conference honors, going along with her State Player of the Week title in early October. Collins led the team in kills with 176, following up her freshman season's total of 153. The sophomore's hot streaks were nearly unstoppable, and she tallied 6 matches with 10+ kills.

"Heidi went from a contributor on the court last year as a middle blocker, to an absolute dominant right-side attacker this season. Whenever we needed a big point, Heidi would get the kill, even when the other team knew she was going to get set the ball. Heidi's drive to play at the highest level has always been there, and it was great to see her find so much success on the court this season," Niksto said.

Alexis (Birdie) Zevenbergen earned Second Team All-Conference, leading the team in blocks with 48. Zevenbergen had 5 individual matches where she led the team in blocks, including 3 of the last 5 of the year. She also eclipsed the 100-kill mark this season with 101.

"It was so great to have Birdie on the court this season after missing most of last year with an injury. Birdie has that presence on the court that is undeniable. Her ability to draw the block shows her level of impact offensively. She is a dynamic attacker and has a competitiveness that's hard to equal," Niksto said.

Natalie Lercari-Sullivan made Second Team All-Conference, as well, dishing a team-leading 460 assists as a setter. Solid all-around, she was second on the team with 151 digs, too. As one of two freshmen to earn individual honors, look for her to be a key player on next year's squad.

"Natalie is that setter on the court that never draws any attention, except that she delivers her hitters consistent sets almost every time. A team favorite, Natalie was always about making the team better and doing her best for her teammates," Niksto said.

Co-captain Sophie Ward earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors, always showing positive emotion whenever she was on the court. When her setter dumps would often catch the opposing team off-guard, the "Let's go!" that followed could make even the dullest of people jump out of their seat with excitement.

Niksto echoed this sentiment: "You always know Sophie is going to give her all, and bring all the energy in doing so. The spark plug of the team, there is nothing like celebrating a point with Sophie. I am so proud to see her growth on the court this year, and she was playing her best volleyball when it mattered most in the playoffs."

Freshman Kira Little earned Honorable Mention All-Conference, as well, as perhaps the most versatile Vaquero on this year's squad. Also an energy source, Little was all over the season statsheet, finishing second on the team in kills (155), second in aces (34), and third in digs (142). She had 3 matches with 10+ kills and 3 with 10+ digs, including a 13-kill, 15-dig match against Canyons where she did both for a double-double. Look for her to be a huge contributor next season, too.

"Kira was the definition of consistency on the court this season. A 6-rotation outside hitter, you could always count on Kira to pass well, even when the other teams would try to target her with their serve. Offensively, Kira had lots of shots and would keep the other teams guessing. Those, combined with a lethal serve and her competitive drive, made her one of our all-around performers this season," Niksto said.

Callahan Rule was given the Team Coaches' Award for her growth and leadership both on and off the court.

Niksto had a lot of great things to say about Rule, deservedly so: "College is about growing, and for student-athletes you grow both on and off the court. Callahan has done just that. After an up and down freshman season, she really blossomed this season both on the court as a defensive specialist who could hit a wicked backrow attack, and off the court as a quiet but confident leader within the team. Always speaking up at the right moment and saying just enough to be impactful, Callahan played a big role in our team's success this season. Faced with a tough injury towards the end of our season, that didn't diminish her commitment to the team, and she continued to give it her all throughout. I am so proud of Callahan's growth in her time here at SBCC and can't wait to see where life takes her next."

The Vaqueros finished 16-11 with an 8-2 conference record, but it was not always smooth sailing. SBCC started 3-7 after a 5-match losing streak, but quickly turned that around, winning 6 of their next 7. In conference play, the Vaqueros swept 4 out of their 5 conference opponents on the way to a conference co-championship.

"With such a young team on the court, we got to see a lot of growth throughout the season, and it was rewarding to see so many different players experience success," Niksto concluded. "We achieved our goal of winning conference, and our goal of playing each team in our conference tougher the second round than the first."

After hosting and winning their first round playoff match, the Vaqueros have now have a playoff win(s) in each of the last 3 seasons. Their final ranking—tied for 17^th in the state—also makes it the third consecutive year of a top-20 finish amongst California's nearly 100 volleyball programs.