ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona’s
Sarah Ybarra earned CCAA Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season, highlighting the 2026 All-CCAA Volleyball Team and individual awards.
Fresno Pacific collected three individual honors in its first CCAA season, with
Mikayla Weiss voted as Setter of the Year,
Devyn Castaneda named Libero of the Year and
Rylee Pitney earning Newcomer of the Year. Cal Poly Pomona’s
Paige Bowyer received Freshman of the Year honors, while Cal State San Bernardino’s
Kim Cherniss was named CCAA Coach of the Year.
Sarah Ybarra added another milestone to her Cal Poly Pomona career, becoming the first Bronco to earn CCAA Volleyball Player of the Year honors twice. The senior right-side hitter from La Habra, Calif., paced the conference and ranked sixth in NCAA Division II with 4.25 kills per set. She was even higher on the national points leaderboard, ranking fifth with 4.91 per set and leading the CCAA by 0.31 points. Ybarra totaled 395 kills and 36 service aces while helping the Broncos finish the regular season 21-4.
Ybarra earned AVCA Division II National Player of the Week honors after leading CPP to wins over three nationally ranked opponents at the Bronco Classic. Her selection gives Cal Poly Pomona three consecutive CCAA Player of the Year recipients and four of the last five.
Samantha Campion earned the award in 2024, while
Daisy Duke received the honor in 2022. Ybarra also collected her third consecutive first-team All-CCAA selection.
Mikayla Weiss helped Fresno Pacific make an immediate presence in the CCAA, directing one of the most efficient offenses in NCAA Division II. The graduate setter from Clovis, Calif., led the conference and ranked 14th nationally with 10.63 assists per set, totaling 935 assists. Her passing helped the Sunbirds lead the CCAA and rank fourth nationally with a .302 hitting percentage, while their 14.01 kills per set ranked 13th in the country. Weiss was also an offensive threat of her own, hitting .359 to rank 53rd nationally. She collected four FloCollege/CCAA Setter of the Week awards.
Devyn Castaneda gave the Sunbirds a standout performer on the backline, leading the CCAA and ranking third in the NCAA Division II West region with 4.64 digs per set. The junior from Visalia totaled 408 digs and helped Fresno Pacific finish the regular season 24-1, with a 12-1 conference record to share the CCAA championship. Castaneda delivered one of her biggest performances against the team that would eventually share that title. She recorded 42 digs over five sets in Fresno Pacific’s victory over Cal State San Bernardino, averaging 8.4 digs per set. That effort helped earn her first FloCollege/CCAA Defensive Player of the Week award.
Rylee Pitney wasted little time becoming a difference-maker in her first season at Fresno Pacific. The Eastern Arizona transfer led the CCAA and ranked fifth in NCAA Division II with a .425 hitting percentage. She put down 196 kills with just 40 attack errors in 367 attempts. The junior middle blocker from Palmer, Alaska contributed on both sides of the net, adding 79 blocks and ranking fifth in the conference with 0.93 blocks per set. Pitney's efficiency gave Weiss another reliable option in a Sunbirds attack that helped carry the program to a conference title in its first CCAA season.
Paige Bowyer stepped into the Cal Poly Pomona offense and helped keep the Broncos among the nation’s most productive teams. The freshman setter from Bakersfield averaged 8.92 assists per set, ranking fourth in the CCAA. Cal Poly Pomona led the conference and ranked ninth nationally in assists per set (13.08) and seventh in kills per set (14.16). Bowyer also contributed 72 digs and 17 blocks while earning second-team All-CCAA recognition. She gives the Broncos consecutive Freshman of the Year recipients, following
Kacie Caoili in 2025.
Kim Cherniss continued to build on her conference coaching legacy, collecting her CCAA-record 11th Coach of the Year award. She guided Cal State San Bernardino to a 23-2 overall record and a share of the program's 18th regular-season championship with a 12-1 conference mark. The Coyotes finished the regular season with 12 consecutive victories. Cherniss’ team combined an efficient attack with the conference’s strongest block. CSUSB led the CCAA and ranked 15th nationally with 2.41 blocks per set, while its .278 hitting percentage ranked 14th. The Coyotes also held opponents to a conference-low .148 hitting percentage.
Cal Poly Pomona, Fresno Pacific and Cal State San Bernardino tied for the conference lead with four first- or second-team selections each.
Alexia Athans and
Elle Walker joined Ybarra on the Broncos’ first-team contingent, with Bowyer earning second-team honors. Athans ranked 28th nationally with a .377 hitting percentage, while Walker ranked 34th with 3.70 kills per set.
Madelyn Feramisco joined Pitney and Weiss on the first team for Fresno Pacific, while Castaneda earned second-team recognition.
Allison Legates and
Kacie Pedersen represented Cal State San Bernardino on the first team, with
McKenna Edwards and
Sarai Ross joining them on the second team. Legates led the CCAA and ranked 28th nationally with 1.13 blocks per set.
San Francisco State placed
Aidan Goodrich and
Alana Larson on the first team and
Grace Witcher on the second team. Cal State East Bay also had three selections, all on the second team:
Barakat Adekola,
Pi’ilani Carvalho and
Kale’a Kuamo’o.
Cal State LA’s
Samarah DaCoud and Cal State Monterey Bay’s
Malia Peterson completed the first team. DaCoud ranked 14th nationally with 4.13 kills per set and 18th with 4.58 points per set. She joined Goodrich, Pedersen and Walker as repeat first-team selections from 2025.
Amber Walker earned second-team recognition for Cal State LA. Cal State San Marcos’
Addison Kranz, Menlo’s
Fuka Kikuchi and Cal Poly Humboldt’s
Graysen Trupp rounded out the second team.
The CCAA Volleyball Tournament will continue with the semifinals, and championship rounds on Nov. 13-14 in Hayward.
| 2026 CCAA Volleyball All-Conference Team [PDF] |
| Player of the Year: Sarah Ybarra, Cal Poly Pomona |
| Libero of the Year: Devyn Castaneda, Fresno Pacific |
| Setter of the Year: Mikayla Weiss, Fresno Pacific |
| Newcomer of the Year: Rylee Pitney, Fresno Pacific |
| Freshman of the Year: Paige Bowyer, Cal Poly Pomona |
| Coach of the Year: Kim Cherniss, Cal State San Bernardino |
| All-CCAA First Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Alexia Athans-^^ |
Sr. |
MB |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Chino Hills |
| Samarah DaCoud-#* |
Jr. |
OH |
Cal State LA |
Long Beach |
| Madelyn Feramisco |
So. |
OH |
Fresno Pacific |
Clovis |
| Aidan Goodrich-^* |
Sr. |
OH |
San Francisco State |
Fresno |
| Alana Larson |
Jr. |
RS |
San Francisco State |
San Diego |
| Allison Legates-^^ |
Sr. |
MB |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Los Altos |
| Kacie Pedersen-* |
Sr. |
OH |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Riverside |
| Malia Peterson |
Sr. |
OH |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
Redondo Beach |
| Rylee Pitney |
Jr. |
MB |
Fresno Pacific |
Palmer, Alaska |
| Elle Walker-* |
So. |
OH |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Brentwood |
| Mikayla Weiss |
Gr. |
S |
Fresno Pacific |
Clovis |
| Sarah Ybarra-** |
Sr. |
RS |
Cal Poly Pomona |
La Habra |
|
| All-CCAA Second Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Barakat Adekola-* |
Sr. |
OH |
Cal State East Bay |
Aurora, Ill. |
| Paige Bowyer |
Fr. |
S |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Bakersfield |
| Devyn Castaneda |
Jr. |
L |
Fresno Pacific |
Visalia |
| Pi'ilani Carvalho-^ |
Sr. |
S |
Cal State East Bay |
O'ahu, Hawaii |
| McKenna Edwards |
Jr. |
S |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Santa Clarita |
| Addison Kranz-# |
Sr. |
OH |
Cal State San Marcos |
Anaheim |
| Fuka Kikuchi |
Sr. |
OH |
Menlo |
Iruma, Japan |
| Kale'a Kuamo'o-* |
Sr. |
L |
Cal State East Bay |
Keaukaha, Hawaii |
| Sarai Ross |
Jr. |
OH |
Cal State San Bernardino |
San Bernardino |
| Graysen Trupp-^ |
Sr. |
OH |
Cal Poly Humboldt |
Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Amber Walker |
Jr. |
RS |
Cal State LA |
Tigard, Ore. |
| Grace Witcher-# |
Sr. |
OH |
San Francisco State |
Bakersfield |
|
| Honorable Mention |
| Itzel Aguayo (FPU), Lilly Bandle-^ (CSUMB), Jazmine Banks (UCM), Isabella Barrios (CSULA), M'Kera Drake-## (CSUSB), Ruby Ennis (CSULA), Fallon Freeman (STAN), Addisen Hamilton (FPU), Lauren Hamilton (STAN), Melanie Hewlett-^ (SFSU), Addi Knight (CPP), Lamona Lauhingoa (CSUEB), Hazel Livingston-Jones (CSUSM), Kyra Miller (UCM), Michelle Mlikan (MENLO), Renee Nachtigall (CPP), Kassandra Nall (CHICO), Gianna Navarro (CSUEB), Claire Nordeen-^# (CHICO), Kisa Sagiao (CSUSB), Makayla Smith (FPU), Saniyah Sobers (CSUSB). |
| * - previous All-CCAA first team selection, # - previous All-CCAA second team selection; ^ - previous honorable mention |