Smith named Patriot League volleyball player of the year Lamb, Leung also on first team

The Patriot League girls' volleyball coaches named Bonsall High School senior Ashlin Smith as the league's player of the year, and two other Legionnaires were also placed on the all-league first team.

Smith was joined on the first team by senior Najia Lamb and sophomore Dani Leung.

"I'm proud of them. They worked hard," Bonsall coach Justin Hargrove said. "They really helped set the tone during our games."

Smith was a middle blocker, and she also played the middle back position rather than having a defensive specialist substitute for her.

"She lays it on the court," Hargrove said.

"It's awesome for her," Hargrove said of Smith's league player of the year award. "She's played really well throughout the year. She's been very consistent."

Last year Smith was also selected to the Patriot League first team. She was Bonsall's only all-league player in 2018. Bonsall does not have a junior varsity team, so Smith was on the varsity as a freshman in 2016 and played on the Legionnaires' varsity all four of her high school seasons.

"She's played great. I'm very proud of her," Hargrove said.

Hargrove took over as the Legionnaires' coach this year; Eric Hendy coached Smith and the other players from 2015 to 2018.

Lamb was a middle blocker and outside hitter who also played in the middle during a back-row rotation.

"Najia is a phenomenal athlete," Hargrove said.

"She definitely deserves making first team," Hargrove said. "She's one of our captains. She helped lead the team and helped set the tone."

Bonsall was in the Apollo League from 2015 to 2017. Lamb was named to the Apollo League's first team in 2016, which was her only previous all-league honor.

Leung is a setter and outside hitter.

"Dani is one of the hardest working girls we've had," Hargrove said. "She comes in with a great attitude. She plays great."

Bonsall will be playing without the two senior all-league players during the 2020 season.

"We'll miss them next year, but we'll fill the gap," Hargrove said.

The new players will be complemented by the returning girls, and Leung is expected to be one of those.

"The next couple of years we're excited to see what she can do," Hargrove said.

This year the Legionnaires won the Patriot League championship with a 7-1 record in league play. Bonsall's 15-12 overall mark includes a CIF Division V quarterfinals playoff win and a semifinal loss to River Valley.

"Overall we had a really good season. The girls played awesome throughout the year," Hargrove said.

River Valley, which is a charter school in Lakeside and is a former Apollo League opponent of the Legionnaires, won the semifinal match in three games.

"They played well. They had a pretty good middle hitter," Hargrove said.

The Snow Leopards were seeded second in the CIF Division V playoffs while Bonsall had the third seed.

"I think we could have won," Hargrove said.

The league championship was the first for Bonsall, which had a second-place Apollo League finish in 2017 and a third-place Patriot League finish last year. The Legionnaires finished third in the 2016 Apollo League standings and became the first Bonsall team in any sport to make the CIF playoffs but lost in the first round.

Bonsall also lost in the first round of the 2017 playoffs. In 2018 the Legionnaires defeated River Valley High School in the first round of the playoffs before losing in the quarterfinals to Southwest High School of South San Diego.

Bonsall's third seed this year gave the Legionnaires a first-round bye in the 12-team playoffs. The Legionnaires defeated Madison High School in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinal round for the first time in school history.

"They showed a lot of heart," Hargrove said. "In the end they never gave up."