Mapuhola Sekona and Kaylin Henderson return for a deep, talented West Valley beach volleyball team slated to open the season in just a few weeks. Sekona, one of the CCCAA's premier players, teamed with Emma Blockhus in 2018 to advance to the round of 16 at the state pairs finals. Henderson, with partner Morgan Wright, also played in last year's state tourney held at West Valley. While Blockhus and Wright have moved on to St. Mary's and Cal, respectively, Coach Armen Zakarian welcomes eight returning sophomores and nine newcomers to his 2019 squad. Claire Danna, Katrina Hochmuth, Emily Mahoney, Elizabeth McGrath, Angelica Reyna and Lizhya Shoomoonof, who all played indoor this year for Zakarian, are back for another year in the sand. 2018 indoor players Audrey Fernandez, Jenna Gomes, Kayla Keller, Emily Paxton, Hannah Reynoso, and Rene Wash will compete for pairs slots along with Gabriela Valencia, who played for Zakarian in 2017, and Mii Vuong. West Valley hosts Feather River and San Jose St. in the 2019 season opener Friday, Feb. 22, starting at 1:00pm.