Senior Spotlight: Sienna Young and Crash Parker
4/23/2020 12:26:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
Twice weekly we will highlight spring sport senior athletes on their careers at Saint Mary's
In recent years, when Saint Mary's Volleyball is brought up on the hardwood or the sand, two players instantly stand out: Sienna Young and Alexsa "Crash" Parker. A pair of teammates for the last two years, both Young and Parker have made huge impacts on both volleyball programs the last two seasons. While their senior beach season was cut short, that does not take away the accolades they racked up over time.
A Pleasant Grove High School graduate, Young arrived to Saint Mary's with a lot to prove after helping the Eagles to back-to-back 30-win seasons as a junior and senior. She stepped in and made an immediate impact for the Gaels, including earning time during beach season with fellow freshman Crash Parker. The two would reunite again during their junior years, going 19-10 on the sand courts, a year where the Gaels finished third in the West Coast Conference. Young finishes her beach career with a mark of 42-36.
A standout in the classroom as well, Young was a regular honoree by the West Coast Conference on their All-Academic teams, earning honorable mention honors during her sophomore seasons, and being named a first-team recipient during the indoor portion of 2019 as a senior. She capped off her senior season of indoor with her third-straight year of 200+ kills, while also racking up a career-best 72 block assists.
There are a lot of things that Young will miss about her time as a Gael, but arguably the most important thing she felt was a sense of family amongst Gaels. "A standout characteristic is the sense of community the school and athletic department provide," Young mentioned about Saint Mary's. "I have always felt supported in my four years here."
And while she and the Gaels enjoyed a large amount of success during indoor and beach season, Young recalls simpler moments as ones that stand out to her. "My favorite memory is getting to be a part of eight different teams and developing relationships with every teammate," Young says. "My greatest accomplishment is the life-long friendships that I take with me."
The success was similar for Young's beach teammate Crash Parker, but she only spent three seasons with the Gaels indoor team. A native of Santa Clara (in Utah, not California), Parker transferred after one semester and season with New Mexico State, arriving in time to take part in four seasons on the beach. In four years (including one redshirt season), she went 41-25, including that stellar year with Young in 2019.
As it turns out, the beach was actually a large part of the reason Parker found Saint Mary's so desirable. No, not the actual beach, though that probably helped. "That was a huge draw for me because I hadn't really played since I was like 12 so having the opportunity to come play indoor and beach was something I couldn't pass it up," Parker recalled. "Another thing that I really liked was the size of the school. I liked that I would be able to get to know my professors personally and that they would actually know my name when they saw me."
Despite the indoor struggles for the Gaels in 2019, Parker was able to turn it into her best season, making the All-WCC team with an honorable mention selection. She tallied 677 assists and became the program's all-time leader in service aces with 136, best the mark that was put up by her assistant coach, Mandy Bible. In all four of her collegiate seasons, she put up at least 540 assists with 30 or more aces.
And again, despite the struggles the Gaels endured, Parker feels that brought the team closer together. "We had to struggle first this time which was something we never had to deal with before," said Parker. "So I think because of those struggles we became closer as a team and as friends. The number of laughs and good times we had this year are some that I'll never forget. I think this is my favorite team I've had so far.
Be sure to tune in on Tuesday for the next rendition of Senior Spotlight!
In recent years, when Saint Mary's Volleyball is brought up on the hardwood or the sand, two players instantly stand out: Sienna Young and Alexsa "Crash" Parker. A pair of teammates for the last two years, both Young and Parker have made huge impacts on both volleyball programs the last two seasons. While their senior beach season was cut short, that does not take away the accolades they racked up over time.
A Pleasant Grove High School graduate, Young arrived to Saint Mary's with a lot to prove after helping the Eagles to back-to-back 30-win seasons as a junior and senior. She stepped in and made an immediate impact for the Gaels, including earning time during beach season with fellow freshman Crash Parker. The two would reunite again during their junior years, going 19-10 on the sand courts, a year where the Gaels finished third in the West Coast Conference. Young finishes her beach career with a mark of 42-36.
A standout in the classroom as well, Young was a regular honoree by the West Coast Conference on their All-Academic teams, earning honorable mention honors during her sophomore seasons, and being named a first-team recipient during the indoor portion of 2019 as a senior. She capped off her senior season of indoor with her third-straight year of 200+ kills, while also racking up a career-best 72 block assists.
There are a lot of things that Young will miss about her time as a Gael, but arguably the most important thing she felt was a sense of family amongst Gaels. "A standout characteristic is the sense of community the school and athletic department provide," Young mentioned about Saint Mary's. "I have always felt supported in my four years here."
And while she and the Gaels enjoyed a large amount of success during indoor and beach season, Young recalls simpler moments as ones that stand out to her. "My favorite memory is getting to be a part of eight different teams and developing relationships with every teammate," Young says. "My greatest accomplishment is the life-long friendships that I take with me."
The success was similar for Young's beach teammate Crash Parker, but she only spent three seasons with the Gaels indoor team. A native of Santa Clara (in Utah, not California), Parker transferred after one semester and season with New Mexico State, arriving in time to take part in four seasons on the beach. In four years (including one redshirt season), she went 41-25, including that stellar year with Young in 2019.
As it turns out, the beach was actually a large part of the reason Parker found Saint Mary's so desirable. No, not the actual beach, though that probably helped. "That was a huge draw for me because I hadn't really played since I was like 12 so having the opportunity to come play indoor and beach was something I couldn't pass it up," Parker recalled. "Another thing that I really liked was the size of the school. I liked that I would be able to get to know my professors personally and that they would actually know my name when they saw me."
Despite the indoor struggles for the Gaels in 2019, Parker was able to turn it into her best season, making the All-WCC team with an honorable mention selection. She tallied 677 assists and became the program's all-time leader in service aces with 136, best the mark that was put up by her assistant coach, Mandy Bible. In all four of her collegiate seasons, she put up at least 540 assists with 30 or more aces.
And again, despite the struggles the Gaels endured, Parker feels that brought the team closer together. "We had to struggle first this time which was something we never had to deal with before," said Parker. "So I think because of those struggles we became closer as a team and as friends. The number of laughs and good times we had this year are some that I'll never forget. I think this is my favorite team I've had so far.
Be sure to tune in on Tuesday for the next rendition of Senior Spotlight!
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
VB | Highlights at Pepperdine, 11-29-25
Saturday, November 29
MBB | Highlights vs. Vanderbilt, 11-28-25
Friday, November 28
MBB | Randy Bennett Postgame vs. Vanderbilt, 11-28-25, Presented by University Credit Union
Friday, November 28
MBB | Highlights vs. Virginia Tech, 11-27-25
Thursday, November 27
