After league-championship season, Live Oak’s Laura Coleman stepping down to be an assistant coach at Gavilan
Gabi Cinkova’s big farewell season ended with her receiving the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s highest honor this week.
The Live Oak outside hitter has been named MVP of the Mount Hamilton Division after leading the Acorns to their first league championship in nine years and first Central Coast Section quarterfinals appearance since 2006.
The 6-foot senior led the division in aces (51) and hitting (28.4 percent) and was second in kills (240) and digs (376), respectively, behind teammates Fa Saulala and Allie Unger, who joined Cinkova and Live Oak setter Alyssa Brusaschetti as first-team all-league.
Cinkova’s 46 blocks ranked third on the team.
“All of a sudden, everything clicked this year for Gabi. She had an awesome season,” Acorns coach Laura Coleman said. “It’s been a work in progress with her injuries and stuff over the years.
“A lot of times, when she was younger, the pressure got to her and it got worse. This year, she either handled it or played loose. She was more consistent and, to me, just had the great season to end it on.”
Brusaschetti did as well after honing her offensive and defensive skills during the club season. Her improved sets were a catalyst in Live Oak’s near-perfect run through the Mount Hamilton.
The senior totaled a league-best 548 assists.
“Our hitters really liked her sets and were comfortable,” said Coleman, who was named division Coach of the Year after her team finished 13-1 in league and 22-9 overall. “She really stepped up.”
Saulala is the Mount Hamilton Sophomore of the Year, following an impressive fall in which she scored a league-high 250 kills and 15 blocks at outside hitter.
Unger, a junior libero, led the division with 563 digs and was second on the team in aces (23).
Allison Shedden and Katie Obbema, the Acorns’ towering juniors middle blockers, made second-team all-league after totaling 49 and 45 blocks.
So good was Live Oak’s season, Coleman decided to call it quits after 12 seasons with the Acorns. She has joined Kevin Kramer’s staff at Gavilan as an assistant, ending a prep-coaching career that spanned three decades.
“My goal, when I started, was to kind of quit by the time I’m 50,” she said. “I’m a little bit past that time. I wanted to do different things, and I didn’t want to end on a bad note. I know I’m going to miss this.”
Santa Teresa Division coaches named two Sobrato players to their list of all-league honorees. Senior setter Kayla McElvy made the first team, and sophomore hitter Emily Kyle the second.
Both were vital in the Bulldogs’ 7-7 finish, good for fourth place in league.
“It’s really important to have a leader like Kayla at setter because she dictates the offense. She’s the quarterback,” Sobrato first-year coach Danny Chan said. “Kayla pretty ran our whole team.
Emily was a consistent all-around player. She kept us in a lot of close games with her passing on defense, and her hitting’s come a long way.”
