Flip through the Sac-Joaquin Section record book until you get to the girls volleyball section and you’ll see that over the past decade, teams from Central Valley have dominated the sport.
Pitman High won three consecutive section titles between 2014 and 2016, with Turlock winning its first the following year. During that same span, Hilmar High and Turlock Christian were perennial powers in their respective divisions.
If recently retired Pitman coach Kristen Pontes-Christian has anything to say about it, the region will remain a volleyball hotbed for years to come.
Pontes-Christian remains the club director of the Turlock Crush youth volleyball program. Recently, her summer camp attracted more than 300 young players — the most she’s had in years.
“We ended up having a total of 315 girls for all three weeks of the camp,” said Pontes-Christian, who stepped down as the Pride’s head coach last school year. “The camps were three days a week, two hours a day. Last year, I thought we were really doing well when we had about 200.”
Not only did the camps attract more players, but the camps were open to more age divisions.
“We started with ages 7 and up and we had about 15 to 30 girls per age group,” said Pontes-Christian.
The camps are open to all girls, so it’s not just for players who are attending, or will one day attend, Pitman High. This bonanza of talent benefits everybody in the region — stocking Central Valley high schools with the next generation of champions.
Helping with the coaching duties were some of Pontes-Christian’s former players.
“It was fantastic how many girls showed up this year,” said Payton Rowell, a setter who was team MVP and a first-team all-Central California Athletic League selection this past season, her last with the Pride. “I’m actually coaching Pitman’s freshman team this year, so we’ve been having open gyms this summer, along with the Crush, and it’s been super fun.”
Rowell will attend Stanislas State in the fall and hopes to one day become a teacher, but her competitive volleyball days are behind her. Classmate Ella Sniezek, however, will continue her athletic career at the UC Santa Cruz.
“I had never really coached before,” said Sniezek, who plans on majoring in cognitive science and hopes to one day practice family law. “It was kind of nice to see the girls who are going to one day take our places.
“I’ll be playing at Santa Cruz but I’d really be open to coaching later on.”
Megan Hall, a sophomore-to-be at the University of Nevada-Reno, is pursuing a degree in speech pathology with an eye on perhaps becoming a nurse. Unlike her former teammates, she’s not sure about a career in coaching, but knows she does want to work with children.
“It was really fun being able to get back into volleyball again,” said Hall. “It was really cool because I remember being these little girls’ age and going to these same camps. I just wanted to make sure they had the best experience because I know how much I looked up to the girls who coached me at Crush clinics.”
Tryouts for the Turlock Crush 15-plus team will be held Sunday, July 28, from 10 to noon at Pitman High School, 2525 W. Christoffersen Parkway. Registration is $40 on the day of the camp and $35 if registered before.
Future Crush clinics will be held at PHS on Sept. 8 Sept. 22, Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 (ages 9-11 from 10-noon; ages 12-13 from noon to 2). Registration is $30 per clinic or $100 for all four sessions. The clinics are recommended for any player planning to try out on Oct. 27.
Go to turlockcrushvolleyball.com to sign up for tryouts and clinics.
