St. Anthony girls’ volleyball setter Isabella Bareford took her official recruiting visit to the University of California, Berkley this month, and it only solidified the juniors commitment to continue her athletic and academic career as a Golden Bear. Bareford verbally committed to Cal in May.
“It’s obviously one of the top academic schools in the country, and it’s in the Pac-12 so I will play a high level of volleyball every single week,” Bareford said. “The coaches are amazing, and the girls coming in with me are awesome. It just felt like home.”
Bareford said she wants to study medicine and psychology at Cal. She also had interest from schools such as Oklahoma, UC Irvine, Princeton, Harvard and Yale.
“In the future I want to work with children as a pediatrician or a child psychology,” Bareford said.
“She has everything on lock,” St. Anthony coach Alicia Lemau’u said. “It’s hard to believe she’s only 17. She’s means a lot to the school and community. She’s out there for St. Anthony.”
Bareford is a member of multiple organizations at St. Anthony including ASB and President’s Ambassadors.
“I chose St. Anthony because it’s a combination of excellent academic and a faith-based education,” Bareford said. “I also wanted to go to a school with my sister Antonia for two more years and grow with her as a person before we go off to college.”
Freshman Antonia Bareford is the starting libero after switching positions to fill a team need.
“It’s been so much fun playing together,” Bareford said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Bareford, who is also a soccer player, has only played volleyball since sixth grade.
“I’ve always been a setter,” she said. “My club coach Tony Rodriguez saw me set one ball at a $5 clinic and told me I was going to be a setter, and I’ve never played another position.”
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