Derochie selected for all-division

By Joe Naiman

The CIF Division II girls volleyball coaches selected 20 first-team and second-team players for all-division honors, including Ramona High School junior Mikayla Derochie. Derochie, Ramona’s starting setter in 2011 and 2010, was selected to the Division II second team.

“That’s very, very good,” said Coach Connie Halfaker.

Last year La Costa Canyon, Bonita Vista, and West Hills were in Division I and Canyon Crest was in Division III. This year the four schools were in Division II for playoff and all-division purposes, and all four were among the top six seeds in the playoffs.

All of La Costa Canyon’s starters earned all-division honors with four Mavericks taking first-team berths and the other three receiving second-team recognition. Bonita Vista had two first-team players.

“There were some pretty good names that were out there that didn’t make the team,” Halfaker said. “To be able to have somebody place in the top 20, I was very, very pleased.”

Derochie received second-team Palomar League recognition after a vote of the league’s coaches, but Halfaker was unsure whether she would be selected for all-division accolades.

“I believed she deserved it, especially the way she played against West Hills. It was not our finest hour as a team, but Mikayla played very maturely,” Halfaker said.

Ramona lost its first-round playoff match to West Hills, which received the sixth seed, in three games.

West Hills Coach John Shirk let the other Division II coaches know about having to play against Derochie.

“One of her strong proponents was the West Hills coach,” Halfaker said of Derochie’s all-division selection.

Derochie is expected to play for the Bulldogs in 2012. She is currently playing club volleyball for the Epic club’s 18-1 team.

“Any time you make the ‘1’ team at a local club, that’s pretty strong recognition,” Halfaker said.