Girls volleyball history was made in Santa Barbara this season as two schools won CIF-Southern Section division championships.
Santa Barbara High claimed the Division 6 title and Bishop Diego captured the Division 7 crown.
And with the titles come individual honors.
Santa Barbara’s Emma Zuffelato and Bishop Diego’s Eliana Urzua were named CIF-SS Players of the Year in their respective divisions.
The last player of the year from the area was Phoebe Madsen of Laguna Blanca in 2015.
Zuffelato, a senior outside hitter and all-around player, led top-seeded Santa Barbara to its first girls volleyball title since 2008, and is the program’s first player of the year since Natalie Guerra the same year.
The last Bishop Diego girls volleyball player to win the award was Heather Hafner in 1978, ending a run of honorees: Nancy Craig in 1975 and Diane Sebastian in 1977.
Urzua made a huge impact at Bishop Diego in her freshman year. Her all-around steady play helped the Cardinals win their first CIF title since 1979 as they captured the Division 7 crown with a three-set sweep over top-seed Capistrano Valley Christian.
Bishop Diego didn’t lose a set during its Southern Section playoff run.
The Cardinals had three players named to the All-CIF Division 7 team: Senior opposite Alina Urzua, senior setter Amy Mancinelli and junior libero Emma Coglizer.
Bishop’s Dillan Bennett was honored as the Division 7 Coach of the Year.
Zuffelato was a leader of a Santa Barbara High team that caught fire in the second half of the Channel League season and kept rolling through the postseason. She had a double-double of 10 kills and 14 digs in the title-match sweep over El Rancho.
The Dons placed two players on the Division 6 All-CIF team: senior libero Carolina Koceman and junior outside hitter Shae Delany, who had a team-high 16 kills in the final.
Adelaida Picon, who guided El Rancho to its first CIF girls volleyball final, was named the Coach of the Year.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.