Cienega finished the season as the 5A state champion, and the region and postseason honors for Southern Arizona boys volleyball were announced to close out the 2026 campaign. The annual selections name top performers across classifications 6A through 3A, recognize coaches, and identify regional champions and semifinalists across the area. The lists include players of the year, coaches of the year, and multi-tiered all-star teams for each division.
Cienega boys volleyball celebrates the 2026 AIA state championship — players and coaches pose on the court with the state-champions trophy and signage.
In 6A, Antonio Sabelli, a junior from Rincon/University, was named the division’s Player of the Year, and Sean Haynes of Rincon/University earned Coach of the Year honors. The 6A first team features a dominance of Rincon/University and Tucson program talent: Antonio Sabelli, Nic Sanchez (Sr., Rincon/University), Samuel Santos (Jr., Rincon/University), Vlad Sanchez-Cervantes (So., Rincon/University), Elijah Gutierrez (Sr., Rincon/University), Aynsley Jones (Sr., Tucson), Vaughan Lancaster (Sr., Tucson), Maddux Neufeldt (Jr., Tucson), Dillon Capa (Sr., Marana), and Timothy Jones (So., Marana). Named to the 6A second team were Nathan Pollack (Sr., Rincon/University), Gabe Sadza (Fr., Rincon/University), Canyon Stark (So., Tucson), Isaiah Tindall (Jr., Tucson), Nathan Robinson (Jr., Tucson), Kylor Blair (Jr., Marana), Kase Caldwell (So., Marana), Jack Elliot (Jr., Marana), Connor Hosp (Sr., Sunnyside), and Rodrigo Olivas (Sr., Sunnyside).
The 5A all-star selections highlight Cienega’s prominence this season. Caiden Mott, a senior at Cienega, was selected as the 5A Player of the Year and Heather Mott of Cienega was honored as Coach of the Year after guiding the program to the state title. The 5A first team is led by Caiden Mott (Sr., Cienega) alongside Chase Briggs (Jr., Cienega), Andrew Keen (Jr., Cienega), Jaden Clark (Sr., Cienega), Ryder Belik (Sr., Cienega), Gabe Montez (Sr., Mountain View), Ty Morrow (Jr., Mountain View), Chase Reidhead (Sr., Mountain View), and Jayce Rooney (Sr., Catalina Foothills). The 5A second team includes Cedric Whetten (Sr., Cienega), Derek Zobrist-Carroll (Sr., Cienega), Caleb Pixley (Jr., Mountain View), Thomas McCraley (Jr., Mountain View), Samuel Guillermo (Sr., Mountain View), Kristopher Klappert (Sr., Mountain View), Connor Daggett (Sr., Catalina Foothills), Vaughn Rooney (So., Catalina Foothills), Gregan Vamos (Jr., Catalina Foothills), Lincoln Maskey (Jr., Flowing Wells), Luis Valdez (Sr., Flowing Wells), and Nhan Tran (Sr., Flowing Wells).
Also recognized in 5A were the third-team selections, rounding out the broader list of contributors across the division. The 5A third team lists Angel Felix (Sr., Flowing Wells), O’Shay Walker (Sr., Flowing Wells), Jaxson Bell (Sr., Buena), Allan Marturello (Sr., Buena), Josiah Canales (Jr., Buena), Elijah Soto (Sr., Pueblo), Ruben Chavarin (Sr., Desert View), Joey Pletnick (Sr., Canyon del Oro), Parker Gilbertson (Jr., Canyon del Oro), and Ryder Thornburg (Sr., Canyon del Oro). These selections complete the 5A all-star rosters and reflect contributions from several programs across the Southern Arizona region.
In 4A, the division named two Players of the Year — Tyler Nitka (Sr., Salpointe) and Andrew Evans (Sr., Mica Mountain) — and Salpointe’s Stephen Huff was selected as Coach of the Year. The 4A first team features a strong Salpointe presence with Tyler Nitka (Sr.), Ethan Pinkney (Jr.), Shane Palmer (Jr.), Antony Owens (Jr.), Donovan Leber (So.), and Reyes Gardner-Figueroa (Sr.). Mica Mountain also placed multiple players on the first team, including Andrew Evans (Sr.), Patrick Sapp (Sr.), and Blake Fye Freeland (Sr.). Additional first-team selections include David Gutierrez (Sr., Sahuaro), Riley Chamberlain (Jr., Sahuarita), Ryler Hinkle (Jr., Sahuarita), and Angel Martinez (Sr., Cholla). The 4A second team includes Lehi Rocha (Jr., Salpointe), Thor Haldorsen (Sr., Salpointe), Zackary Yager (Jr., Mica Mountain), Gabriel Munger (Jr., Mica Mountain), Nathan Grusendorf (Sr., Mica Mountain), Gage Lindsley (So., Sahuaro), Ethan Geoffrey (Jr., Sahuaro), Gavin Kawaguchi (Jr., Sahuaro), Armand Sanchez (Jr., Ironwood Ridge), Mason Chupp (Jr., Ironwood Ridge), Matt Hoey (Jr., Ironwood Ridge), and Santiago Felix (Jr., Ironwood Ridge). The 4A third team recognizes Javier De La Ree (Sr., Sahuaro), Sirgeo Flowers (Jr., Sahuaro), Emmanuel Brewer (So., Ironwood Ridge), Ayden Alvarez (Sr., Walden Grove), Javan Bicket (So., Sahuarita), Brogan Whitington (Sr., Sahuarita), Tre Morton III (Sr., Cholla), Alex Trevino (Jr., Cholla), Julian Hernandez (Sr., Cholla), Diego Victoria Cervantes (Sr., Rio Rico), Frank Hernandez (Sr., Rio Rico), Tyree Malone (Sr., Amphitheater), Nathan Hodges (So., Amphitheater), and Aizik Batista (Jr., Amphitheater).
The 3A division singled out Robert Kim (Sr., Sabino) as Player of the Year, with Sabino coach Evie Quintana and Gregory School coach Vanessa Colosimo named Coaches of the Year. First-team selections in 3A include Robert Kim (Sr., Sabino), Benjamin Osborne (Jr., Sabino), Luke Musikul (Sr., Sabino), Lance Moody (Sr., Sabino), Richard Yellott (Jr., Gregory School), Grady Jordan-Nowe (Jr., Gregory School), Alastair Campbell (Jr., Gregory School), Jackson Dickinson (Sr., Gregory School), Zane Parker (So., Pusch Ridge), Frankie Lopez (Sr., Pusch Ridge), Rashad Ortiz (Jr., Palo Verde), and Kristian White (Jr., Palo Verde). The 3A second team names Miles Gerl (So., Sabino), Jakob Gigstad (Jr., Sabino), Spencer Lee (Sr., Gregory School), Matthew Meislin (Jr., Gregory School), Marcus Swenson (Jr., Gregory School), Ben Henninger (Sr., Pusch Ridge), Billy Gill (So., Pusch Ridge), Aaron Kenworthy (Sr., Pusch Ridge), Ethan Graves (Sr., Palo Verde), Kamaiu Ortiz (Jr., Palo Verde), Benjamin Teyechea (Sr., St. Augustine), and Brandon Basurto (Jr., Andrada Polytechnic).
Regional champions and a noted semifinalist close out the seasonal honors. Region champions across classifications included Rincon/University (6A South), Cienega under Heather Mott (5A Southern), Sahuarita led by David Barrett (4A Gila), Salpointe coached by Stephen Huff (4A Kino), and both Sabino with coach Evie Quintana and the Gregory School with coach Vanessa Colosimo in 3A South. Salpointe was additionally listed as a semifinalist in the postseason bracket. These listings accompany the all-star teams and individual awards that recognize the players and coaches who stood out during the 2026 Southern Arizona boys volleyball season.