Editor’s note: We prohibit the use of bots and any other artificial methods of voting. Suspicious activity could lead to the disqualification of candidates and a permanent suspension of the Athlete of the Week poll. No voting by email: Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls Athlete of the Week poll.
For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.
This week, we consider performances from Sept. 9-14.
Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.
Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.
Scroll to the bottom for the poll.
Winners are announced each Friday online and in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.
Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.
We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.
On to the nominees:
Gracie Armato, Heritage volleyball: Armato, who ranks second among North Coast Section players in kills this season, compiled 21 across two matches as Heritage swept Millennium and Deer Valley. She hit .500 against Millennium and .250 against Deer Valley.
Dyuthi Chandrashekar, San Mateo girls golf: Chandrashekar, a freshman, shot a nine-hole total of 43 to help lead San Mateo to a five-stroke victory over Menlo-Atherton.
Elise Chen, Menlo School tennis: Playing at No. 1 singles, Chen defeated Los Gatos’ Alison Chen 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 to lead the Knights to a narrow 4-3 win over the Wildcats.
Samantha Gould, Notre Dame-Belmont water polo: Gould, a senior goalkeeper for the Tigers, collected 20 saves in a loss to Burlingame.
Zoe Hendricks, Carlmont tennis: Hendricks, a freshman, played at No. 3 singles against Menlo School and dominated without dropping a game, winning 6-0, 6-0. Hendricks’ shutout win helped Carlmont take down Menlo 6-1.
Tuleen Ikkawi, Los Gatos tennis: Ikkawi eked out a gritty win against Menlo School on Thursday, defeating the Knights’ Izzy Klugman 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) at No. 2 singles.
Yesenia Moffett, Pittsburg water polo: Moffett starred at the Sierra Shootout Water Polo Tournament at Sierra College in Rocklin held Sept. 13-14, scoring 15 goals and earning five assists and one steal. She led her team in victories over Oakdale and Del Oro. In a loss to Freedom, Moffett had three goals and added two assists.
Ana Sedic, Presentation flag football: Sedic scored six touchdowns in a four-game stretch, accumulating over 370 yards of offense during the week. She posted 29 receptions and three two-point conversions to go with her six TDs. Sedic was crucial in securing a win over Watsonville and helped the team battle in a tough loss to Hollister and an OT loss to Salinas.
Tessa Smith, Castro Valley volleyball: Smith, the North Coast Section’s leader in kills, led Castro Valley with 18 kills and hit .268 in a 3-0 sweep of American.
Samantha Tow, Carlmont flag football: In a game against Menlo School, the sophomore compiled two catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, two tackles and one pass deflection. Against Sacred Heart Cathedral, she rushed once for 32 yards and a TD, caught seven passes for 31 yards, three scores and a two-point conversion, and added two interceptions (21 return yards) and two pass deflections on defense. Against Hillsdale, she caught four balls for 19 yards and added five tackles, an interception (17 return yards) and three pass deflections defensively.
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