SB’s Skinner earns triple-A; Wilson captures pair of gold medals

Kyle Skinner enters his senior year at Santa Barbara High as a “AAA-rated”  beach volleyball player.

Skinner and partner Gage Worsley, of Moraga, won the California Beach Volleyball Association Hermosa Beach AA over the weekend, beating Jay DeSchaaf, of Malibu, and Tim Storey, of San Diego, in the final. Worsley is a sophomore at Campolindo High.

Skinner, an outside hitter for the Dons, played in several  CBVA tournaments during the summer. He finished second at the Ocean Park Men’s A and placed third in the Santa Barbara Men’s A. His previous best finish in a AA tournament was a fifth at Marine Street in Manhattan Beach.

ROYALS WIN MEDALS

With the New York skyline in the background, Cassidy Drury-Pullen digs a ball during the AAU National Classic in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

With the New York skyline in the background, Cassidy Drury-Pullen digs a ball during the AAU National Classic at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

San Marcos volleyball players Anika Wilson won a gold medal while Cassidy Drury-Pullen took a bronze at the AAU National Classic in New York City last month.

The girls represented the Los Angeles-based AAU Junior Beach Elite squad at the national competition, held at the newly built sand courts at Brooklyn Bridge Park. They played with different doubles partners in the two-day event and helped Junior Beach Elite capture the overall team title.

Wilson is entering her senior year at San Marcos while Drury-Pullen is a sophomore. She was the youngest player on the 18-under team at age 15.

Wilson went on to compete for a USA sand team at an AAU tournament on the island of St.Barthelemy in the French West Indies. She and earned another gold medal with partner Isabelle Carey.

BEKSA EARNS “AA”

In other beach volleyball news, Santa Barbara High junior Jessyca Beksa earned a California Beach Volleyball Association “AA” rating by finishing third at the Hermosa Beach AA. There were 45 teams in the tournament. Beksa played with Veronica Sams of Oaks Christian