Women's Volleyball | 11/13/2025 9:19:00 AM

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Yaimaris Garcia was named the Co-Setter of the Year and Co-Freshman of the year as the 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference Volleyball postseason awards were announced on Thursday by the conference office.

Sahara Browning along with Garcia were named CCC First-Team members and Paula Flores was a CCC Honorable Mention player.

Garcia has been a shining newcomer for the Wolves with a fierce serve that leads the NAIA at 0.88 service aces per set. The freshman is second in the CCC with 7.63 assists per set with 549 total in conference play. The Camaguey, Cuba native set program records (since joining the NAIA in 2009) with 74 aces and 652 assists in a single season. Garcia was the first Wolves player to be named a CCC setter of the week.

"Yaimaris Garcia is the quarterback of our team. She is truly one of the most well rounded players I have ever seen," Walla Walla coach Kiana Krumms said. "She contributes to every aspect of the game with her assists, kills, blocks, digs, and aces. Her knowledge and passion for the sport translate into the stats, and she makes her hitters successful with high hitting percentages. She has shown incredible hard work and sacrifice this season, and we wouldn't be where we are without her."

Browning was named to the CCC First-Team for the second season in a row and continues to be the cornerstone of the program. The junior became the first player in WWU history to reach the 1,000 career kills mark and is the all-time leader (since 2009) in career kills, points, aces and digs. Browning leads the team with 392 kills and 433 total points and has a chance to break her own single-season records from last season in the postseason. Her efforts earned her back-to-back NAIA Attacker of the Week honors, the first player to do so since 2020. 

"Sahara Browning is a stud on the court," Krumm said. "She steps up to challenges and has proven herself to be one of the top players in the nation, earning not only First-Team All-Conference for the CCC but NAIA Attacker of the Week twice in a row. She was number one in the conference in kills and in kills per set, and she is a solid six-rotation player that contributes defensively as well."

Flores has been a strong outside hitter this year and is 10th in the conference with 3.01 kills per set and tied for ninth with 3.4 points per set. The sophomore has 253 kills with a strong .227 hitting percentage on the season and has come up big on several occasions. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native has had double-digit kills 11 times including 18 in the wild five-set victory over Southern Oregon in the CCC Tournament Play-In game. Flores was named the CCC Attacker of the Week during the season as well.

"Paula Flores is so dedicated to the sport and her team. She comes into practice everyday ready to work. Her consistency and technique is what really sets her apart," Krumm said. "She is a leader in serving, serve receive, defense, and attacking. She cleans up our game and plays amazing under pressure. She's a player that we can always count on both in the front and back row. Paula is a serious player that knows when to go to work, but also when to have fun and enjoy the sport."

UP NEXT

Walla Walla will take on No. 16 College of Idaho in the CCC Quarterfinals in La Grande, Ore. at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

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