Eliana Urzua shined to kick off her junior season with Bishop Diego Girls Volleyball and Diego Pedroza led the San Marcos rushing attack in a commanding 24-0 football win over Knight High School on Friday.
Those performances earned Urzua and Pedroza the first Athlete of the Week honors of the 2023-24 season at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
Urzua and the Cardinals competed in six matches in one week to open up the season, taking on three non-league opponents and hosting the Cardinal Classic.
In the non-league matchups, Urzua was a dominant force on the outside.
The UCLA commit had 19 kills and six aces in a 3-1 loss to Oak Park, turned in 14 kills against Santa Barbara High and rounded out the week on Friday with a 28-kill, four-block performance in a huge five-set win over Valencia.
Pedroza, meanwhile, was thrust into the lead running back role for the Royals with Nate Jones sidelined – and Pedroza delivered.
The junior carried the ball 12 times for 94 rushing yards and got in the end zone twice. He also played an impactful role on special teams, according to head coach Ralph Molina.
The other female athletes considered for the honor were Halle Rillie (Dos Pueblos Volleyball) and Tessa de Albergaria (Santa Barbara Volleyball).
The male honorable mentions included Ryan Marsh (Dos Pueblos Football), Kaleb Williams (Dos Pueblos Football), Koa Herrera (Santa Barbara Football), Abel Renteria (Santa Barbara Football) and Gabe Villa (Bishop Diego).
The Athlete of the Week award winners are selected by the local sports media. Coaches are encouraged to nominate deserving athletes. Nominations should be sent to sports@noozhawk.com by Saturday at 9 a.m., if possible.
Hop Studios
You must be logged in to post a comment.