Tigers lead All-IVL team selections in Girls’ Volleyball
Special to this Newspaper
Following a 2023 volleyball season in which the Imperial Valley League found itself with Co-Champions, the two teams placed a combined nine players on the All-IVL first and second teams.
For the Brawley Wildcats, who went 25-13 under coach Lindsay Rubin, and Imperial Tigers, who went 28-11 under coach Jill Lerno, their only
IVL loss was to each other and ironically each won as the visiting team.
Both teams competed well in the CIF San Diego Section 2023 Girls’ Volleyball Division III Playoffs, third-seeded Brawley losing in the quarterfinals while fourth-seeded Imperial lost in the semi-finals to eventual D-III champion to San Pasqual High in Escondido.
For Lerno, leading her Tigers to an IVL co-title in 2023 garnered her Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her eight seasons as Imperial head coach.
“I am so honored by this award, I feel that I try to go over and beyond my duties and I’m happy to see that all the coaches see that,” Lerno said. “We have an amazing group of coaches at Imperial and everyone on our staff is deserving of this award.”
Imperial led the 2023 AllIVL team selections with six players selected amongst the first and second teams and added the 2023 All-Imperial Valley League Girls’ Volleyball
Player of the Year, Tiger junior Donna Garnica-Sanchez.
Garnica-Sanchez, who played on the 2022 Division IV Imperial team that captured the school’s first-ever CIF-SDS volleyball championship, said the POTY award was somewhat bittersweet.
“Personal achievements are always good and I’m happy to be recognized for the hard work that was put in this season,” Garnica-Sanchez said. “However, I would change all of that for a team championship as my teammates and I worked hard to win CIF...unfortunately we fell short.”
A complete volleyball player, for the 2023 season, Garnica-Sanchez led the Tigers in set assists with 594 and in
Jill Lerno.
serving aces with 105 which put her in fourth place for the entire CIF-San Diego Section.
In addition, Garnica-Sanchez was second for the Tigers in kills to fellow All-IVL first team performer senior Georgia Gomez and second in defensive digs to Imperial senior All-IVL second team selection Andrea De La Trinidad.
It should also be noted that two of Garnica-Sanchez’s skill sets, serving and setting, are vital to any team despite the inevitable pressure they bring.
“As a setter, I love how I can set the tone of the game and motivate my team and the excitement my teammates get when they get a kill,” Garnica-Sanchez said. “I really try to focus on my serves because when serving I can always help the score such as making it a tie or getting more points and I want to prove a setter can play all around.”
Garnica-Sanchez’s description of herself as an all-around player is how Tiger coach Lerno views her as well.
“I feel Donna is the whole package and that’s why she was chosen...she not only played the entire rotation but she was one of our captains,” Lerno said. “Donna has great court awareness and is very deserving of the award.”
For the Tigers, Garnica-Sanchez and Gomez were 2023 All-IVL Volleyball first team selections while named to second team were De La Trinidad, as well as Imperial juniors Nayeli Cardona and Laylani Carrillo, and sophomore Maddie Magdaleno.
The co-champion Brawley Wildcats placed senior Jazzlyn Zendejas and junior Breauna Rebollar on the 2023 All-IVL Volleyball first team with senior Tamara Carranza named to the second team.
Overall, the IVL’s fourthplace Holtville High Viking volleyball team had the most All-IVL Volleyball first team selections for 2023 with seniors Brooke Strahm, Vanessa Gonzalez, and Lillian Strahm, while fellow senior Jasmine Garewal was a second-team selection.
Noteworthy for the Vikings, Lillian Strahm also competed for the Holtville girls cross-country team that competed in the 2023 CIF-State Meet and was the IVL’s Runner of the Year.
Rounding out the 2023 AllIVL Volleyball second team was Calexico High Bulldog junior Amy Garcia.