Back-to-back championships don't usually happen without a top level player as part of your team, or a head coach guiding the team.
Such is the case for the San Bernardino Valley College women's volleyball team.
Manaia Mamea once again was named the Inland Empire Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, after earning co-MVP honors a year ago. Head coach Robert Vansant was named the conference's coach of the year, after guiding SBVC to back-to-back titles for the first time since 2005-06.
Manaia Mamea, a Fontana Summit High grad, was a consistent force for SBVC throughout the season. She finished the regular season with 299 kills, converting on 28.5 percent of her attempts. She racked up 187 digs and had 34 service aces on the season. Manaia will finish her SBVC career in the top three in kills all-time.
She was joined on the first team by her sister Loleaulelei Mamea and Christina Muller. Lole Mamea led the team with 328 kills on the season, was second on the team with 200 digs, and was third on the team with 42 service aces. Like her sister, she will finish her SBVC career in the top three in kills all-time. Muller, a Redlands East Valley grad, transferred in for her sophomore season and racked up 668 regular season, which puts her in the top-five in a single season in school history - within striking distance of the top three.
Another pair of sophomores earned second-team honors. Emily Valencia (Rialto Eisenhower) was often the Wolverines' third option on offense, and she bested her freshman season with 88 kills in 2024, while also racking up 174 digs on defense. Libero Destiney Parker (Riverside Martin Luther King) earned second-team honors for the second consecutive season, as she led the team with 228 digs - averaging 3.12 digs per set - while also contributing 37 assists.
Honorable mention selections were awarded to Ariana Romero (Redlands) and Annika Ferreras (Grand Terrace).
Vansant was named coach of the year after guiding the Wolverines to back-to-back 11-1 finishes in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference, turning around a team that had not made a postseason appearance in 2006 into back-to-back championships.
The Wolverines are awaiting their playoff fate, with pairings for the California Community College Athletic Association postseason scheduled to be announced Thursday.