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 Oct. 7-12.
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:
Kiyona Brown, Homestead field hockey: The senior scored a hattrick – three goals – in a 8-0 victory over crosstown opponent Monta Vista. Brown has scored seven goals in 10 matches this season
Ava Ellsworth, Washington-Fremont water polo: The senior scored six goals, three in the first quarter, in the Huskies 21-4 victory over Newark-Memorial. This victory helped Washington improve to 8-1.
Mia Ferdinand, Mercy-Burlingame volleyball: The senior had 39 kills, 12 aces and a whopping 23 blocks in victories over Notre Dame-Belmont, Aptos, Santa Cruz and Buchanan.
Zoe Gaffney, San Leandro volleyball: The senior had 16 kills and four aces in San Leandro’s 3-1 victory over Mt. Eden. She has 180 kills and 12 blocks so far on the season as the Pirates improved to 5-0 in league play.
Carla Granados-Perez, Branham flag football: The senior quarterback threw for a combined five touchdowns and ran for two more scores in victories over Lincoln and Andrew Hill. Granado-Perez has thrown for 25 touchdowns in 10 games this season.
Meena Kasirajan, Carondelet volleyball: The junior had a team-high 16 kills and 11 digs in Carondelet’s 3-1 victory over Monte Vista. The outside hitter already has 183 kills on the season.
Tessa Lee, Carlmont golf: The only freshman on the Carlmont team helped lead the Scots to led Carlmont to three league victories this week. She had scores of 41, 42 and 400 against Hillsdale, Aragon and San Mateo.
Marin Lnenicka, Granada flag football: The junior had eight receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-14 victory over Monte Vista. This win improved the Matadors to 9-3.
Mia Macauley, Fremont-Sunnyvale water polo: The senior got a steal in overtime, and then assisted on a goal a few moments later in the 11-9 victory over Wilcox. She also scored a goal against Homestead.
Natalia Valerio, Willow Glen flag football: The senior quarterback had a monster game against Piedmont Hills, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another. Valerio also picked off three passes in the 32-18 victory.