Not bad for a first-time partnership.
San Marcos grad and Pepperdine-bound Anika Wilson combined with Torrey Van Winden to win the California Beach Volleyball Association Cal Cup 18-under division title on Saturday at Manhattan Beach. They defeated Skylar Caputo and Maddie Roh in the final, 28-22.
Wilson and Van Winden became a team just a few days before the tournament.
“It’s a testimony to Anika and how long she trains,” the UCLA-bound Van Winden, a senior at Vintage High in Napa who won two CBVA women’s open tournaments this summer (Santa Barbara and Zuma Beach) with her cousin Katie Spieler of Santa Barbara and captured a youth tournament in Doheny to qualify for the Cal Cup, told the CBVA. “I don’t train that much. She’s seriously so killer. We never even met before this. It was a blessing.”
Having a 6-4, athletic partner was a treat for Wilson, who is an outstanding passer and defender
“Torrey is awesome at the net. We really complement each other really well. Torrey is great hitter and a great blocker, so we kind of matched well together.”
Wilson was recently recognized as one of the eight honorable mention choices on the American Volleyball Coaches Association High School Beach All-American team. Caputo was chosen to the four-player All-American team.
Wilson, Caputo and Roh are going to be teammates at Pepperdine. Van Winden is graduating early at Vintage High and will enroll at UCLA in the spring.
“I didn’t expect this,” Van Winden said of winning the state title. “I knew how amazing (Anika) was as a partner, (but) it was last minute. It was really cool.”
