School: Santa Fe Christian High School – Solana Beach, CA
Junior Middle Blocker Katelyn Cuff gave her Santa Fe Christian Eagles the edge they needed to win the Gold Division Championship in the Fall Classic Tournament over the Parker Lancers last Saturday at the Epic Center in Poway. Cuff contributed 7 kills and 5 blocks, while earning MVP honors of the tournament to give Santa Fe Christian a 26-24, and 27-25 victory over Parker. The victory was made all the more sweeter for Cuff who missed almost the entire 2010 season with a severe knee injury which required multiple surgeries. Now that Cuff is healthy, she has her sites set on the ultimate prize telling the North County Times, “I have a good enough feeling about this team because I think we can win the state (title), you never know, maybe something special is happening to this team right now.” With the tournament title Santa Fe Christian moved to 7-0 on the season.
To view Katelyn’s complete SportsForce profile click here –
SportsForce Alumni Cameron Gypsyn is making a name for himself across the pond as he has become as stand out for Team Northumbria. Cameron is at Uni in the UK and has been training with the Newcastle Eagles 1st team (professional) and playing with the 2nd team. Also, he is at Great Britain national under 20’s team camp with main team assistant coach Tim Lewis. The Daily Chronicle reports on his standout season, below.
TEAM Northumbria star Cameron Gypsyn jets back into Tyneside this week – still on course to become a dual international for his adopted country.
The California-born forward holds a UK passport and has already represented Team GB in volleyball.
But Gypsyn tried out for Tim Lewis’s Team GB under-20 basketball squad last month.
And it is understood the TN rookie impressed at a talent identification camp showcasing the best of the country’s emerging hoops stars.
“Cameron has settled in well to the EBL second division and his numbers have made a few people sit up and take notice,” said skipper Chris Pearce.
“He was invited down to the talent camp after Team GB got in touch with our coach Greg Modzelewski.
“And now we’re just waiting to hear how he got on.”
Gypsyn is due to fly into Newcastle tomorrow after spending the festive period back home in the USA.
And TN’s versatile 6ft 7in close-season capture will be thrown straight back into the EBL action as Modzelewski’s men prepare for a gruelling double-header on the road.
“We’re away at Kent and Brixton this weekend, so it’ll be quite a shock after the Christmas break,” added Pearce.
“The bad weather hasn’t affected our practice schedule too much, though, and we’re in pretty confident mood.
“We’re traditionally strong heading into the second half of the season, but we have plenty of work to do if we’re going to climb the table.”
Position: OH Height: 6’0” Class: 2011 School: La Jolla Country Day School La Jolla, CA
Mollie Rogers killed the competition last Saturday as she led La Jolla Country Day to a CIF San Diego Division IV title. Rogers was aggressive at the net the entire night recording a game high 19 kills and sparked a 3rd game rally which saw LJCD outscore Bishops 7-2 to win the game. Mollie was also named the CIF Championship MVP. The win marks the first time since 2003 that LJCD has claimed a Girl’s Volleyball championship. Mollie and her team advance to the State Championships Playoffs which start this week.
Former Student Athlete of the Week, Natalie Hagglund, helped lead the LCC Girls Volleyball team to victory over No. 1 ranked Torrey Pines. The San Diego Union-Tribune writes of the match,
In a thrilling back-and-forth battle between two of the state’s top programs, the Avocado League rivals did not disappoint in the San Diego Section Division I finals.
In the end, No. 2 La Costa Canyon took the 25-15, 25-27, 25-22, 26-24 victory over the top-seeded Falcons at Cathedral Catholic last night, earning the Mavericks a sixth consecutive section title before a near-capacity crowd.
Just two weeks earlier, La Costa Canyon (28-5) fell to Torrey Pines (25-9) in the final match of the regular season, resulting in the league title being shared by the two schools and the higher seed in the playoffs going to the Falcons.
But the Mavericks managed to finish ahead in the tightly contested match, getting a stunning performance from big-match veterans Kendall Polan and Natalie Hagglund as well as underclassmen such as sophomore Natalie Bausback and junior Karsta Lowe.
Hagglund had a match-high 10 kills, while Bausback and Lowe each added nine.
See video below of Natalie in action at the California Challenge:
No. 3 Poway and No. 2 La Costa Canyon faced off this week in the finals, both aiming for a chance at the CIF San Diego Section Championships. Poway was eventually outplayed by the dominating LCC, 3-1. With matches at 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, Poway did not give up, but LCC just had more steam. Poway was not without some great performances with junior setter Bridget Hill stepping up and leading the team with 12 assists, while Mariah Counts contributed 6 kills. Check out the highlight video below and be sure to visit the SportsForce Girls Volleyball section for more video, resources and events.
Position: Setter Height: 5′10″ Class: 2011 School: Poway High School Poway, California
Bridget Hill, as junior who moved up to varsity this season has proved herself to be up for the challenge. Bridget is a member of the 2009 Palomar League Champion Poway Girls Volleyball team. Bridget helped the team advance through the CIF playoffs and had 26 assists in a 25-9, 25-15, 25-16 win over Vista in the first round. Hill then had 35 assists in a 25-18, 25-17, 25-13 win over San Pasqual in the quarterfinals of the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs.
Unfortunately Hill and Poway were knocked out of the CIF Finals this week by No. 2 La Costa Canyon 25-11, 25-21, 19-25, 25-17. Despite the loss, Hill still led the team with 12 assists that helped them win one match over LCC. Hill leads her team in assists, racking up 721 for the season.
Postion: Outside Hitter Height: 6’1” Class: 2010 School: Cathedral Catholic High School San Diego, CA
Kelly Reeves signed her National Letter of Intent with UCLA to play volleyball for them this past Wednesday. Kelly is captain of the Cathedral Catholic team which won last years Division III Championship as well as the Western League title. A dominant outside hitter, Kelly’s coach, Kelly Drobeck told The San Diego Union-Tribune, “Kelly is always the one we know will never run out of energy. She definitely hasn’t changed at all in that aspect. She has gotten a lot stronger and smarter. I’ve definitely seen her mature, too. Now she’s developed into our team leader.” Reeves has racked up 294 kills this season alone while leading Cathedral Catholic to another impressive season with playoffs starting this week, which the Dons are sure to go far in. Reeve’s is also looking for big things with her club team, The Encinitas Wave, telling ESPN Rise she hopes her team wins the Junior Olympics.
Many SportsForce athletes have been receiving local recognition and one continues to receive national press coverage as Dillon Baxter continues his quest to be the national player of the year for high school football. With the high school fall sports season wrapping up, national signing day is inching closer we are looking forward to more amazing athletic performances throughout the play offs.
Dillon Baxter is receiving constant attention as he moves forward in a phenomenal season breaking records along the way. This has caused many people to draw comparisons between Dillon and a few other football players from San Diego. MaxPreps took on the subject comparing Dillon to Helix High School Alum, Reggie Bush:
Baxter has had an outstanding season, punctuated by his performance Friday night against Lincoln. The 6-foot, 205-pounder, who lines up at quarterback for Mission Bay, threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 268 yards and two scores. He also intercepted a pass on defense.
For the season, Baxter has amassed 781 passing yards and 1,090 rushing yards. He’s even kicked three PATs.
Baxter has good speed, excellent balance and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, all characteristics that have folks in the San Diego buzzing about the area’s next great rusher.
In a September matchup with Paloma Valley, Baxter rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as Mission Bay won 38-15. Paloma Valley head coach Bert Esposito was highly complementary of Baxter after the game.
“That’s the best high school football player I’ve ever seen, and I saw Reggie Bush at this age,” Esposito told North County Times afterward. “But this kid’s phenomenal.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune published November’s Athletes of the Month. Two former SportsForce Athletes of the Week received honors, Lauren Birks for Girls Volleyball and Kenny Stills for Football. The Union-Tribune writes of Lauren:
Helping the Torreys to a glittering 27-1 season record, Birks, a junior outside hitter, was credited with a team-leading 287 kills on 478 attempts. Showing her all-around ability, Birks compiled 230 digs and 39 service aces.
Stills, a senior, led the Mavericks to a 4-0 record in October. For the month, Stills caught 23 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass and ran for 26 yards on four carries. On defense, he picked off one pass and recovered a fumble.
Natalie Hagglund is a standout outside hitter for the No. 2 ranked La Costa Canyon Mavericks. Hagglund played a huge part in the team’s defeat of No. 1 ranked Torrey Pines this week. All hopes for redemption by Torrey Pines were quickly dashed as the Mavericks, lead by Hagglund were defeated in 3 matches. Hagglund had a team high 10 kills for the La Costa Canyon.
The Mavericks are the six time defending section champions, and have defeated Torrey Pines in ten consecutive meetings, but with Torrey Pines ranked No. 1 this year, it was though this may be their year to reverse that. Hagglund and the Mavericks thought different, “I think we’re better than they thought,” said Hagglund told the NC Times. “That first game took all their momentum away in an instant. They’ve been waiting almost a year to get us again in their gym.”
Natalie Hagglund was also the sole nominee from La Costa Canyon to the All Tournament Team at the California Challenge, where the Mavericks finished in 5th place.
The most elite high school girl’s volleyball tournament in the country happens this week in San Diego, CA. SportsForce was at the California Challenge last year and was able to get some great video footage of the championship game which featured La Costa Canyon vs. Mira Costa. Check out the video below to see some of the action.
The 2009 California Challenge will host top teams and players from top ranked high school programs throughout California. There will be 10 teams competing in this year’s tournament that are listed among the top 100 teams in the country (ranked by prepvolleyball.com). Even more impressively, six teams attending the tournament are listed among the top 50 including Dos Pueblos, Santa Barbara, Marymount, Mira Costa, Long Beach Wilson, and Redondo Union.
The California Challenge affords top teams the chance to match up and prove their dominance early in the season. Many of these have been known to meet again in section and state playoffs.
The following programs are represented in this years tournament; Bishops, Mira Costa, Canyon Crest Academy, Mission Viejo, Cathedral Catholic HS, Notre Dame Academy, Clovis West, Poway, Dos Pueblos, Redondo Union, Francis Parker, San Clemente, Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara, La Costa Canyon, Santa Margarita, Laguna Beach, Scripps Ranch, La Jolla Country Day, Tesoro, Long Beach Wilson, Torrey Pines, Marymount and Vista Murrieta.
SportsForce will attend the California Challenge this year and continue to feature some of the country’s top girl’s volleyball talent.
Visit our Girls Volleyball Section to see highlight videos of top ranked players, top tournaments, news and more.
