All-Madera Tribune Girls Volleyball Team
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Liberty libero Allyx Faretta dives for a ball to put up a pass for the Liberty offense. Her ability to send a perfect pass to her setter made her one of the best liberos in the section. She is The Madera Tribune’s Girls Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year.
Most Valuable Player
Veronica Ramirez
OH Sr. Madera South
She is one of those players that coaches wonder when she will graduate. She seems to be on the Stallions’ team for more than her required four years. She was a force and had a tendency to rise up late in matches to what I call “Feed the Beast.” She had the ability to put teams away. She put her team on her shoulders, especially late in the year. She was very unselfish. When she hurt her shoulder, she didn’t stop playing. She played defensive specialist and did that at an All-Star level. She was the best passer on the team and one of the Stallions’ top hitters. She could do everything head coach Travis McEowen asked of her, and more while leading the Stallions to the Div. IV Semifinals. She is the first Madera South Madera Tribune MVP since Dominique Andrews in 2015. She earned a first team All-County/Metro Athletic Conference nod and is a two-time All-Tribune selection.
Defensive Player of the Year
Allyx Faretta
Libero Sr. Liberty
One of the best liberos Liberty has ever had. Even going back to the beginning, one of the key pieces Liberty volleyball teams have been missing is a good libero. Faretta, a four-year varsity player, fit that, and was even better. She helped elevate the Hawks. There weren’t a lot of hitters that got balls past Faretta, especially when she figured out your strategy. Not only was Faretta great at getting to kill attempts, she also passed the ball right to the setter. Many times, Liberty’s setters would just stand at the net knowing that Faretta’s pass would be on the money. She also was named the North Sequoia League’s Defensive Player of the Year. Faretta is the first Tribune girls volleyball Defensive Player of the Year in the 11 years of naming the All-Tribune team..
The Team
Danae Prudente
OH Soph. Madera South
She is going to be the next player that coaches wonder when her four years will be up. She can be dominant at the point of attack as long as she doesn’t slouch her shoulders with her emotions. She is one of the most talented volleyball players Madera South has had and the Stallions have had a great crop of volleyball players. Prudente could put her name on that list with two more years of Stallions’ volleyball ahead of her. She is a two-time All-Tribune selection and earned a second team All-CMAC selection.
Jazzlyn Vargas
OH Jr. Madera South
Although Ramirez graduates, McEowen will get both Vargas and Prudente back. With either of them on the front row, the Stallions have a go-to hitter. She sometimes took a backseat to Prudente and Ramirez, but she showed her skill when given a chance. With Ramirez graduating, Vargas will get a chance to shine bright and hopefully lead the team one step further later this year.
Emma Richardson
Setter Sr. Madera
When Richardson was out of the lineup, the Madera offense sputtered. With her and the Coyotes were a machine. Case in point: When she was out against Madera South, the Stallions had their biggest margin of victory (35 points) in the rivalry. However, with her in the line-up later in the year, the Coyotes took the Stallions to five sets with a seven-point margin of victory. She helped, not only in setting up the offense, but had some hits and was effective on the dumps. She is a two-time All-Tribune and a second team All-CMAC selection.
Erika Perez
DS Sr. Madera
Mostly known for her softball prowess, Perez showed her athletic ability on the volleyball court. She played all around, but became valuable to head coach Meghan Haas for her work on the back row. She got to many hits and effectively sent a pass to Richardson to start the offense. The Coyotes had inconsistencies on the front line, but with Perez, there weren’t many problems on the back line. She earned two All-Tribune awards in softball, including getting named the Offensive Player of the Year.
Ryleigh Conae
OH Soph. Liberty
The lefty showed what she could do on the court when fully healthy. She missed a few games because of a shoulder injury. However, with her on the court, head coach Grant Clark had another coach. Conae can rise up and swing with the best of them. In addition, Clark has Conae for two more years and is pretty excited about it. The best thing about Conae is her attitude. She doesn’t let a bad play let her down and most of the time, she has a smile on her face. She earned an NSL Honorable Mention.
Mariah Medina
MB Sr. Liberty
The tallest player on the Liberty team, Medina figured out how to use her height and the Hawks saw the benefits. She probably had the most improvement of any player from one season to the next. Medina figured out how to use her height and gained confidence thoughout the season to give the young Liberty team a consistent go-to hitter and reliable blocker in the middle. She was also an NSL Honorable Mention.
Sol Barrera
Libero Soph. Matilda Torres
Barrera was the shine to the Toros’ season (get the pun?). She was solid in the back and her team knew that the first ball was Barrera’s responsibility. She took pride in that job and did that very well. She is part of a good foundation at Matilda Torres that will turn some heads in the next couple of years.
