Shurtz, Leek and Villaescusa earn All-CCAA honors

WALNUT CREEK – The 2010 season may have come without a NCAA Championship Tournament bid, but it was far from forgettable for the Chico State volleyball team. Several Wildcats made a big impression on fans and opposing teams alike, and Thursday three members of the ’Cats received special recognition – sophomores Sable Villaescusa and Jessica Leek were both named to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Second Team, while teammate Alex Shurtz was not only named to the All-CCAA Second Team, but was tabbed the conference’s Freshman of the Year.

It is the first All-CCAA selection for the three Wildcats, though it was the second postseason honor this year for Leek. Earlier this month, she was named to the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America)/ESPN Academic All-District Volleyball First Team. Leek finished the 2010 season with a career-high 316 kills and led Chico State with 51 blocks.

Villaescusa, an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-West Region Honorable Mention a year ago, was third among CCAA setters with 1,095 assists, averaging 9.68 assists per set. In just two seasons as a Wildcat, Villaescusa already ranks fifth all-time in Chico State history with 2,290 career assists.

Shurtz became the Wildcats’ top hitter during the second half of the season, recording 10 or more kills in each of her last 14 matches. She finished the year with a team-high 338 kills and ranked eighth in the CCAA in kills per set (3.16) and points per set (3.46). Shurtz also paced the ’Cats with 20 solo blocks on the season.

Samantha Middleborn of CCAA champion Cal State San Bernardino was chosen as the conference’s Most Valuable Player, in voting by CCAA coaches. Denise DeVine of Cal State Dominguez Hills was named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year, while Jim Spagle of Cal State East Bay took home Coach of the Year honors.

2010 CCAA Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Team

First Team
Name (School, Pos., Year, Hometown)
Roxanne Brunsting (UC San Diego, S, Jr., Chula Vista, Calif.)
Jane Chafeh (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Sr., Fontana, Calif.)
Zuzana Cizova (Cal State L.A., OH, Sr., Zlin, Czech Republic)
Katie Condon (UC San Diego, OH, Jr., Pasadena, Calif.)
Rheann Fall (Cal State Monterey Bay, OH, Jr., Elk Grove, Calif.)
Julia Freidenberg (UC San Diego, MB, So., Seattle, Wash.)
Nicole Moore (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Sr., Lancaster, Calif.)
Marquis Mora (Cal State L.A., MB, So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)
Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino, MB, Jr., Rialto, Calif.)
Roxanne Neely (Cal State East Bay, OPP, Sr., Lancaster, Calif.)
Allyson Sather  (Sonoma State, OH, So., Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Iris Tolenada (San Francisco State, S, So., Antioch, Calif.)
Lianne Vicchio (Cal State Stanislaus, OH, Jr., Orangevale, Calif.)

Second Team
Name (School, Pos., Year, Hometown)
Sukhjit Athwal (Cal State East Bay, OH, Jr., Milpitas, Calif.)
Denise DeVine (Cal State Dominguez Hills, OH, Fr., Lake Elsinore, Calif.)
Megan Johnson (Cal State San Bernardino, MB, Jr., Glendale, Ariz.)
Taylor Krenwinkel (Sonoma State, S, Jr., San Diego, Calif.)
Sarah Kurfess (San Francisco State, L, Jr., Bakersfield, Calif.)
Melanie Lashbrook (Cal State Monterey Bay, MB, Jr., Truckee, Calif.)
Jessica Leek (Chico State, RS, So., Laguna Niguel, Calif.)
Lauren Massa (Cal State East Bay, L, Sr., Loveland, Colo.)
Halimah Oswald (San Francisco State, MB, Jr., San Francisco, Calif.)
Keala Peterson (Sonoma State, OH, Jr., Sebastopol, Calif.)
Alex Shurtz (Chico State, OH, Fr., Moraga, Calif.)
Camille Smith (Cal State San Bernardino, S, So., Norco, Calif.)
Sable Villaescusa (Chico State, S, So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.)

Most Valuable Player: Samantha Middleborn (Cal State San Bernardino)
Freshman of the Year: Alex Shurtz (Chico State)
Newcomer of the Year: Denise DeVine (Cal State Dominguez Hills)
Coach of the Year: Jim Spagle (Cal State East Bay)