Four Bruins Earn First Team HS All-America Honors
September 05, 2018 | Beach Volleyball
Four of the six incoming freshmen were tabbed to the eight-person first team.
SOCIAL MEDIA:ย BeachVB on Twitterย |ย BeachVB on Facebookย |ย BeachVB on Instagram
LEXINGTON, Ky.ย - The American Volleyball Coaches Associationย announced today the fifth annual AVCA High School Beach All-American teams. Four UCLA Bruins were named to the first team and included Abby Van Winkle (San Clemente, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholicย HS), Lindsey Sparks (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS), Piper Monk-Heidrichย (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS)ย andย Jaden Whitmarshย (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines HS). This is the first year expanding to two teams of eight for a total of 16 All-Americans honored.
The state of California led the way with 10 All-Americans coming from the Golden State. Texas is the only other state fielding multiple honorees, landing one on each team. Defending NCAA Champion UCLA ties runner-up Florida State (one first team and three second team selections) with four members.ย Arizona, Cal Poly, FIU, Georgia State, Hawai'i, South Carolina, Southern California, and Stanford each landed one HS All-American.
In 2018, Monk and Van Winkle paired up to take first in the AVPFirst National Championships (150 teams qualified for championships). In fact, the incoming freshman Bruin duo also placed second in the AAU Junior Olympics, second at AAU Nationals, third at the AAU Pan Pacific Championship and first at the AVPNext Tournament. Monk also placed third at the BVCAย National Championships with Lexiย McKeownย and first (for the second straight year) at the IBVLย State Championships with Maya Harvey.
Sparks has had a successful 2018 as well, representing Team USA twice this past summer in Cuba and China. She is currently part of the USA's U19 Junior Beach National Team. She placed second inย the NORCECA Youth Olympics Games Qualifier in Cuba and finished first at the AVPNext in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Whitmarshย has also seenย success in 2018, placing first at theย AAU Pan Pacific Championship and top five finishes at the USAV Beach HP Championships, U19 Trials for World Championships, and the BVCAย National Championships. She was also named a 2017 Under Armour First-Team All-American for high school indoor volleyball.
The High School Girls Beach All-America Committee is comprised of Jeff Smith (chairperson; 692 Beach โ West Coast), Wayne Gant (Great American Volleyball โ East Coast), Steve Bishop (USA Volleyball Florida Region โ East Coast), Scott Stover (692 Beach โ Central), Andrew Bennett (Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club โ West Coast), Rian Mariano (RPM Sand โ West Coast), Bryan Jones (Southern Sand Select โ Southeast), Marlee Rice (AAU โ West Coast), and Megan Burdorf (USA Volleyball โ West Coast).
2018 AVCA HIGH SCHOOL BEACH FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
| Player | ย High School/Club | City, State | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Ekstrom | Point Loma High School / 692 | San Diego, CA | Stanford |
| Kylin Loker | Carlsbad High / Tamarack Beach Volleyball Club | Carlsbad, CA | Hawai'i |
| Jayelin Lombard | Capistrano Connections Academy | Indio, CA | Cal Poly |
| Piper Monk | Mira Costa High School / Elite Beach Volleyball | Manhattan Beach, CA | UCLA |
| Kate Privett | Southlake Carroll High School / Beach 10k | Grapevine, TX | Florida State |
| Lindsey Sparks | Edison High School | Huntington Beach, CA | UCLA |
| Abby Van Winkle | LA Beach Volleyball Club | San Clemente, CA | UCLA |
| Jaden Whitmarsh | WAVE Volleyball Club / Torrey Pines High School | Rancho Sante Fe, CA | UCLA |
2018 AVCA HIGH SCHOOL BEACHย SECOND-TEAM ALL-AMERICA
| ย Player | High School/Clubย | City, Stateย | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Blacker | WAVE Volleyball Club | San Diego, CA | Arizona |
| Abby Carroll | Southlake Carroll High School / Beach 10k | Southlake, TX | South Carolina |
| Madelyn Delmonte | Ocean Lakes High School / Nothin' Drops Volleyball | Virginia Beach, VA | Georgia State |
| Abbie Hughes | Ohio Valley Beach Volleyball Academy / Next Level | Mason, OH | FIU |
| Jenna Johnson | NVL Academy | Stuart, FL | Florida State |
| Morgan Kuchar | Blessed Trinity High School / Southern Select Sand | Roswell, GA | Florida State |
| Laurel Kujan | Valley Girls Beach Club | Santa Barbara, CA | USC |
| Alexandraย McKeown | Laguna Beach High School / Elite Beach Volleyball | Aliso Viejo, CA | Florida State |
