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Six Warriors given all-league volleyball honors

Riley and Nordeen on first team

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Six members of Fallbrook High School’s girls volleyball team were given all-league honors by the Valley League coaches.

The all-league first team included junior Annie Riley and sophomore Claire Nordeen. The Warriors had no players on the Valley League second team, but senior Sophia Badillo, senior Ashylnn Craven, senior Michelle Pineda, and junior Bailee Aguila were recognized at the honorable mention level.

“It was a great thing. I’m really proud that they worked so hard to get where they were,” said Fallbrook coach Chip Patterson. “They showed everybody what they were capable of.”

Riley was the Warriors’ setter. “She was actually in the running for MVP,” Patterson said.

Fallbrook posted an 8-2 league record to finish second in the standings behind Mount Carmel, whose record was 10-0 including two victories over Fallbrook. The Sundevils’ league championship gave the Mount Carmel libero the advantage over Riley in the league Most Valuable Player voting, although the vote was 3-2.

“She was probably the best player in our league,” Patterson said of Riley. “She was a great, phenomenal player.”

Riley had 160 kills, 62 serving aces, 69 blocks consisting of 27 solo blocks and 42 assisted blocks, 245 digs, and 550 assists during the season.

“Her season was great,” Patterson said. “She learned a lot.”

Riley was also a Valley League first-team player as a sophomore.

“She’s going to have a bright future ahead of her,” Patterson said. “I think she’s really going to show out next year.”

Nordeen was Fallbrook’s opposite hitter. “She wants to do well. She wants the team to do well,” Patterson said. “She puts the team ahead of her own desires and needs.”

The coaches originally planned to place Nordeen on the second team. “I’m happy that they moved her to first team,” Patterson said.

During the season, Nordeen had 199 kills, 80 serving aces, 14 solo blocks and 29 assisted blocks for a total of 43, 202 digs, and 208 assists.

“She does an outstanding job at serving,” Patterson said. “She was the person that Annie turned to if we needed something.”

Nordeen was one of the Warriors’ starters as a freshman. “I can only imagine what she’s going to be like next year,” Patterson said.

Fallbrook not only finished second in the league standings but was also the runner-up in the CIF San Diego Section Division III playoffs after reaching the championship match for the first time since 1996. Although Bonita Vista won the section championship, Fallbrook received a berth in the CIF state playoffs for the first time ever.

“Those two, they led those girls to get to a state playoff game,” Patterson said of Riley and Nordeen. “When we were in trouble, they were the ones who were always going to bail us out.”

The Nov. 9 loss in the state Division III playoffs to Saugus High School gave Fallbrook a final overall season record of 21-13.

Badillo was an outside hitter. She had 44 kills, 15 aces, two solo and two assisted blocks for a total of four, 88 digs, and six assists.

Craven was an outside hitter and defensive specialist. Her statistics included 31 kills, 15 assisted blocks, 201 digs, nine assists, and a solo block. As a junior she was a second-team Valley League selection.

Pineda was the Warriors’ libero. She contributed 211 digs, 12 assists, a kill, and an ace.

Aguila was a middle blocker. Her 98 blocks, comprising 38 solo and 60 assisted ones, led the team and she added 143 kills, 39 aces, 50 digs, and 10 assists.

“I’m proud of them. They did well,” Patterson said of his all-league players.

 

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