Sarah Beth Noriega (Sulentor) (born April 24, 1976) is an American former volleyball player, a collegiate champion, and an Olympic athlete.[1][2][3]
Early life
Noriega graduated in 1994 from Ulysses High School, in the small town of Ulysses, Kansas. There, she played on the volleyball team under coach Courtney Eslick, who described her as the best athlete he had ever coached. Though her high school team did not win any major championships, Noriega became a three-time WAC all-conference athlete, and, while playing for Ulysses High School, was a two-time all-state selection. She helped win Program-of-the-Year honors for her school for the 1992–93 season from the Kansas Volleyball Association.[1][3]
Collegiate and beyond
Noriega played for Loyola Marymount University from 1994 to 1997, helping lead the team to three consecutive WCC championships, and was named the 1997 West Coast Conference Player of the Year.[2][3]
Noriega played with the US National team, participating in the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, the World Games, the 2000 Olympics, and the 2002 World Championships.[3][2]
2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Noriega played for the United States national team as an "outside position player".[4] With her as a starting player, her team defeated the teams from China, Kenya and Croatia before facing the Australia team - with Noriega, by then, having competed in 108 international competitions and three world championships.[1][2][5] Noreiga also participated in the USA defeat of teams from South Korea and Australia; however, two losses to Brazil and one to Russia pushed the team just outside the medals, ranking fourth in the 2000 Olympics.[6][7]
Honors and awards
Collegiate
1997 West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year[2]
1997–98 school year: LMU's Female Athlete of the Year[2]
Extensive details on her performance stats are found at the Loyola Marymount Lions website, in the article about her induction to the LMU Hall of Fame.[2]
