Vaquero Spotlight: Women's Volleyball's Valeria Bellodas

By Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Valeria Bellodas received just about every accolade she was eligible for during her two years on the Vaquero Women's Volleyball team.

Twice selected to the Western State Conference (WSC) North First Team, she also earned a spot on the 2024 3C2A All-South Region team and was named 2025 WSC North Libero of the Year. Her 864 career digs and 100 career aces are school records—at least within the past decade, where records are easily accessible—as is her single-season aces total of 62 from her freshman year. On top of that, she is the only two-time recipient of the team's most valuable player award, the Team Vaquero Award, since Kat Niksto took over as head coach in 2019.

Before arriving at Santa Barbara City College, Bellodas was an elite high school student-athlete at Granada Hills Charter. A three-time West Valley League First Team selection, it probably would have been four had she not taken a year off.

"My junior year of high school, I didn't play indoor. I tell people that and they're like, 'What?!'" Bellodas said. "Because junior year is the most crucial year [for recruiting]. But I played beach volleyball instead because it was always something I had thought about doing, and so I thought, 'I have to do it or else I'll regret it.'"

When Bellodas returned to the gym as a senior, the transition was more than just sand to hardwood; it was the first time she played libero, having been an outside hitter up to that point. Three years later, it would be hard to tell that she was still green to the position when arriving in Santa Barbara. But versatility has always been a part of her game.

"I kind of always bounced around club volleyball programs. I never really stayed at one place for more than two years," she said. "I feel like I was always at different levels at different clubs. I've been part of a newer club just trying to join tournaments, and then I've played at really well-established clubs, too. So I think having all those different experiences playing with, maybe, a lower-tier team and higher-tier teams with really competitive labels nationwide prepared me well for City College."

Coach Niksto first saw Bellodas play during a recruiting trip at the Las Vegas Classic Unsigned Senior Showcase: "I remember really liking her passing form. After watching her play more, I knew she could come in and help us right away."

As many prospective student-athletes find out, a visit to the City College campus is extremely alluring. For Bellodas, it was no different.

"When I went on my visit [to City College], I was like, 'I know this is the place I'm coming to. This is where I need to go,'" she remembers.

"Academics were very important to Val, so a huge part of the recruiting process was making sure we could set her up for success when she was ready to transfer after two years," Niksto said. "[Academic Counselor] JoAnn Graham was a huge help in that process.

"I was very excited when Val committed. I just had a sense she was going to be special."

Prior to the 2024 season, four Vaqueros were competing for the libero job. The winner would fill the massive shoes left by Gabby Russell, who accrued 511 digs in her two years at Santa Barbara. The freshman Bellodas not only started the season as the team's libero, but ran with the opportunity. By the end of September, she had been named 3C2A Player of the Week and—in a previous week—had a 37-dig performance in a five-set win over Irvine Valley.

At regular season's end, the Vaqueros had a 19-7 record and hosted a second-round home playoff match for the first time since 2021. The signature win of that year, as Bellodas recalls, was a four-set victory at Moorpark—the Raiders' only conference loss of the year. Bellodas' 62 aces were a school record, and her 432 digs were second-most.

"I don't really look at stats, I'm very much just focused on playing," she said. "But I vividly remember that moment, hearing that [I had broken the single-season aces record]. Especially given that going into my freshman year, serving was one of the skills that I was trying to develop and get better at. To see it pay off in such a cool way was so meaningful."

As previously mentioned, such a season was worthy of an All-Conference First Team spot along with a being named 3C2A All-South Region, a distinction not often given to liberos.

"I think all of Val's awards speak so highly of her, but I'm most proud of the All-South team award her freshman year. That means she was one of the top 12 players in all of Southern California," Niksto said proudly.

"I came in as a freshman not even sure if I was going to get playing time," Bellodas admits. "I was willing to just learn and watch and fight for everything. So coming in pretty nervous and to finish it off being recognized throughout Southern California was really special."

Going into year two, more of a leadership role was placed on the libero, who played in all of the team's 97 sets her freshman year. Bellodas was named co-captain as a sophomore.

"It was a joy to see her leadership skills grow from her first to second year," Niksto said of her captaincy. "As a quieter player, Val led by example, made connections with her teammates, and put in the work off the court to help improve her own game. She truly cares about her teammates and does whatever is asked of her to put the team first."

"I'd say I'm very aware of everyone and their emotions. I've always tried to make sure everyone blends together," Bellodas spoke introspectively. "I'm more of a calm, collected person on the court—I wouldn't say I'm over-the-top enthusiastic. A lot of my coaches have appreciated that I've been collected at any given moment."

When asked if consistency and reliability is part of her leadership style (she, again, played in every set her sophomore year), she answered with this: "Yeah, 100 percent. I think having experience playing multiple positions and being well-rounded has helped my coaches think, 'We can rely on her to always give everything.'"

That leadership showed. The 2025 Vaqueros started off 10-0, with eight of those wins being sweeps. After their first loss, another eight-match winning streak improved their record to 18-1.

"I asked her mid-season to switch defensive positions to help the team, and she made the change with no complaints. At the end of the season, I switched her back, again no complaints," Niksto said. "To put up consistently strong numbers throughout seasons, position changes, and adversity just speaks volumes to the kind of player Val is."

With all the wins—and sweeps—one would expect the libero to accrue less digs. That was not the case for Bellodas, who had 10 or more digs in every match and equaled her 432 digs from the season prior. Her play would help the Vaqueros to a WSC North championship, and their 20-4 overall record was good enough for the No. 4 seed and a first-round playoff bye, both firsts in Niksto's tenure.

"Double-digit digs in every match is so impressive," Niksto said. "Especially when we played some less competitive matches, which sometimes don't get you as many digs.

"Another stat that doesn't get mentioned as much but is hugely important to our team's success is serve receive passing," she continued. "We grade passes—three is perfect, and zero means you got aced. Val is leaving with a career passing grade of over 2.0, which is so solid. And even more impressive is that she passed 977 serve receive balls in her career with only 39 errors. Just to put that into perspective, she played in 52 matches, so she averaged less than one error per match."

Naturally, it was another year with her name listed on the All-Conference First Team. More notably, she rightfully earned the title of 2025 WSC North Libero of the Year.

"We have really talented liberos in our league," Bellodas said humbly. "That was really nice to receive."

Thus, Bellodas finished her Vaquero career as one of the most decorated volleyball players in recent memory. The political science major plans to continue playing after transferring to a four-year college. She and Niksto are working to find the perfect fit—both academically and athletically.

"Volleyball is always going to be a part of my life," the libero said. "I'd try to walk-on or even join a club team at any school I transfer to. But definitely still keeping my options open and seeing what happens. It's exciting."

Bellodas is thankful for a lot of people in her volleyball life, but made a point to shout out Kristen Berlo: "I want to highlight that, this past season, I did struggle internally with my game, confidence-wise. … Our Mental Performance Coach, Kristen, had a lot to do with my performance this season. I met with her weekly to make sure I was doing okay physically and mentally.

"When I think about City College and Santa Barbara in general, I learned these past two years that I can also have fun playing volleyball," she concluded. "This team has been so joyful, and I got back my love for the game. Coming to City College and having this dynamic with this team really brought my joy back.

"This is like my little family that I've created."

"I feel so lucky to have had a string of strong liberos," Niksto said, "beginning post-COVID with Jacelin McKie, followed by Gabby and now Val. They are leaving big shoes to fill."

At the junior college level, it can be difficult for student-athletes to build a strong legacy sheerly due to the lack of time they have on campus. This is especially true for Fall sports; after all, this year's graduating class arrived on campus just 17 months ago. But Bellodas is an outlier. The Women's Volleyball program will feel her presence well beyond her graduation, particularly in its record book, but also via her leadership and character. Her lasting impact, among a slew of individual accolades, is perhaps Bellodas' most important achievement.

Santa Barbara City College Women's Volleyball will return to action in August, while the Beach Volleyball season begins next Friday, Jan. 30.