Sara Hibbs Bella Vista – Volleyball

Sara Hibbs is the SportStars of the Week for our Sac-Joaquin edition. She is the middle blocker/outside hitter who paced the Broncos to a 12-game winning streak that included a 3-1 win over defending Capital Valley Conference and Division III section champion Oakmont-Roseville. The captain has led the team to a 22-9 record with a perfect 4-0 mark in league play through an Oct. 14 victory over Del Campo-Fair Oaks.

See the three athletes who were named Honorable Mention for Sac-Joaquin…

   The middle blocker/outside hitter paced the Broncos to a 12-game winning streak that included a 3-1 win over defending Capital Valley Conference and Division III section champion Oakmont-Roseville. The captain has led the team to a 22-9 record with a perfect 4-0 mark in league play through an Oct. 14 victory over Del Campo-Fair Oaks. This has all come despite the Broncos graduating five starters from their 2012 roster. 

   The lone loss suffered by Bella Vista since Sept. 24 was a 2-0 setback to Div. II power Gregori-Modesto in the Carmichael Invitational Tournament (CIVT). As a junior, Hibbs was the team’s second-leading hitter with 209 kills in a 31-9 season that finally ended in the section Div. I semifinals with a loss to champion St. Francis-Sacramento. She has picked up where she left off despite the roster turnover and a new head coach in Zara Budenbender.

   IN HER OWN WORDS: “We like being the underdog. We feel like we have nothing to lose and just go out and give it our all every game. The team has come together and we are just going out and having fun.”

   WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW: The San Jose State commit admits to having a “weird obsession” with sloths, the slow-moving, tree-dwellers from the jungles of Central and South America. A friend even gave Hibbs a unique birthday gift of an adopted sloth through the World Animal Foundation. 

HONORABLE MENTION

Marcus Gilbert —The Inderkum-Sacramento senior rushed for a season-high 166 yards and scored twice in a 27-18 victory over Yuba City. Gilbert scored on a 3-yard run and added a 15-yard touchdown catch in the league showdown.

Nicolette Pinkney — The Granite Bay senior helped the undefeated Grizzlies win the Nor Cal Classic with a 5-0 mark that included a 2-0 victory over Presentation-San Jose in the final. The outside hitter had 39 kills, 17 digs, and 5 aces to earn all-tournament honors.

Aaron Kropp —The senior QB for Consumnes Oaks-Elk Grove returned from a three-game absence with a broken wrist to lead the Wolfpack to a 63-0 rout of Galt. Kropp was 7-for-8 passing with three completions going for touchdowns.