2018 Season in Review- COD Women's Volleyball

The complete list of All-Pacific Coast Athletic Confernece North & South Division honorees can be found HERE

The 2018 season was the seventh year for co-head coaches Marion Champion and Detlev Rothe as Desert ended the season with a record of 20-5 overall and 7-3 in Conference, the first season since 2007 to collect 20 or more wins, finishing third. 

The 2018 season was truly a season of firsts for the Roadrunners including: knocking off MiraCosta for the first time since 1984, sweeping Palomar for the first time ever, going undefeated throughout the month of September, winning 11 straight matches from Sepetmber 5th through October 3rd and winning 17 consecutive sets during that time.

On the court, team captain, sophomore setter Ashtyn Lyneis (Palm Springs H.S.), was named to the all-Southern California first team in addition to the first team all-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference–North Division (PCAC-North). She finished 1st in Conference and 4th in state in both assists per set and overall assists. Averaging 10.29 assists per set with a season total of 916 assists. She finished 5th overall in conference with 328 digs. Lyneis had a season high 49 assists at Palomar on October 19th, improving from her last year season high of 44 assists. In 2017, Lyneis was also named first team all-PCAC-North.

The complete list of All-State & All-Region honorees can be found HERE

Also named first team all-PCAC-North was sophomore outside hitter Baylie Dashner (La Quinta H.S.), who finished 1st in Conference and 25th in the state in kills with 312. Dashner was 1st in Conference and 17th in state for kills per set averaging 3.86. She collected a season high of 24 kills in a Conference match at Palomar on October 19th. In 2017, Dashner was also named second team all-PCAC-North.

Sophomore middle blocker Nicole Svoboda (La Quinta H.S.) was awarded a spot on the second team all-PCAC-North. She finished 11th in state and 1st in conference in blocks per set with a 1.00 average, she finished 5th in state and 1st in conference for total blocks with 51. Svoboda performed well at the Mt. San Antonio Invitational versus Cuesta on September 29th with 6 blocks and 4 block assists. In 2017, Svoboda was also named first team all-PCAC-North.

Also named to the second team all-PCAC-North was freshman outside hitter Kelsey Smith (Delta, BC South Delta Secondary). Smith was an offense and defensive weapon for the Roadrunners, collecting 7th place finish in Conference in kills with 223 and digs with 236. At home, against East Los Angeles on September 5th, she collected a season high with 16 kills.

The first to receive honorable mention was sophomore middle blocker Mckenzie Bartlett (Redmond, OR Ridgeview) who finished 15th in conference in kills, with 130 and 14th in conference in kills per set averaging, with 1.83 and starting in all but one match on the season.

Freshman opposite Kendal Campbell (White Rock, BC Semiahmoo Secondary) and sophomore libero Emily Sundback (Rancho Mirage H.S.) also received honorable mentions. Campbell contributed 113 digs, 17 service aces and 13 block assists on the season. Sundback led the team with 389 digs and collected 50 assists on the season.

Honorable mention was also awarded to sophomore defensive specialist Brooke Topliff (Rancho Mirage H.S.) and sophomore middle blocker Naomi Garcia-Marquez (Rancho Mirage H.S.). Topliff finished the season with 26 service aces and 78 digs as Garcia-Marquez finished with 31 kills and 33 digs.

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For additional information, please contact the COD Sports Information Office at 760.423.6641.

Information and Photos provided by COD Sports Information. Story by Ebony Macias (COD Sports Information)