The post-Adriana Dorn Era begins for Ripon tonight when it visits Sierra for the start of the girls volleyball season.
Now at the University of Nevada, Reno, she led the Indians to three straight Trans Valley League championships and four consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section final-round appearances, winning two of them. Dorn was twice named MVP and once crowned as Most Outstanding Player of the TVL.
Ripon has plenty of firepower coming back, however, with an influx of talented underclassmen filling out the roster.
Neighboring Ripon Christian lost its core group to graduation after reaching the NorCal Division IV final, but reinforcements are up from a 21-5 JV team.
Manteca and Lathrop have a slew of returning standouts, as they look to defend their titles in the Valley Oak League and Western Athletic Conference, respectively.
Sierra will look to get back into contention in the VOL while back to full strength after a key player missed much of last season to ineligibility. East Union has the longest postseason drought among area schools, but talent has arrived from the JV team that topped the VOL.
River Islands continues its ascent going into year 3 at the varsity level, but can the Riptide finally overcome two-time defending Central California Athletic Alliance champion Holt Academy?
Here’s an outlook for area teams in 2026:
VOL up for grabs
Could the 2026 VOL championship go through the city of Manteca?
Manteca (10-2, 16-9 overall) shares the title with Oakdale, which lost its top player in league MVP Jaedyn Riley, now at Colorado State. Mountain House and Central Catholic may still have some say after following the co-leaders in the final standings.
Manteca returns three of its front-line stars, including VOL Most Outstanding Player Taimane Tu’uga. The senior outside hitter sustained a midseason injury last year, dropped two league matches to Oakdale and Sierra without her.
All-VOL First-Team middle blocker Trinity Todd and versatile third-year junior Ariceli McBroom rejoin Tu’uga. Seniors Chloe Martin, Maddie Nunes and Arvein Pabla are returning options for the back row.
Sierra (6-6, 7-23) are anchored by heavy-handed hitters in fourth-year senior Hannah Threet, an All-VOL First-Team selection, and third-year junior Delicia Kivalu-Ahio.
Seniors Angelica Arenas Bella Lee, Luna Lopez also have size and experience at the net. Seniors Danett Cesante and Rachael Dole are top candidates at setter and defensive specialist, respectively.
East Union (3-8, 8-20) hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2015 but are prime to end with its promising junior class.
Setter Lucija Dayeh, middle Isabella Martinez-Lopez and Lilyan Frye (setter/opposite) got ample varsity experience as sophomores last year, while JV team finished first in league.
Outside hitter Macie Hall-Anderson was selected to the All-VOL Second Team as a freshman. Senior returners Kennedy McLeod (middle/opposite) and Jocelyn Pena (defensive specialist) add experience for the Lancers. They get a boost from senior pin hitter Jedah Haywood, who returns after missing her junior year.
Ripon, RC reload
It’s not easy replacing a talent like the 6-foot-1 Dorn, but Ripon (12-0, 28-6) will try to do so with an influx of young talent.
Eight of the 13 players on the roster are underclassmen, four of them freshmen. Sophomore middle/outside hitter Alysa Meineke already has varsity experience.
The youngsters join a quartet of accomplished upperclassmen. Setter Alayna Sprinkle, opposite hitter Jorie Eskes and defensive specialist Kennedy Everhart are the lone seniors, and they’re all three-year varsity players. Junior Ashlyn Malone emerged last year as a go-to attacker, joining Eskes and Sprinkle on the All-TVL First Team.
Ripon dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Christian Brothers in the SJS Division III title match last year, then lost in four at St. Francis in the loaded Division II bracket for the NorCal playoffs.
Ripon Christian (5-7, 21-16) was battle tested in the rigorous TVL, which served the Knights well for the NorCal playoffs. Immanuel knocked off the Knights in five in the regional final.
Ripon Christian lost six seniors from that team, however, three of them All-TVL First-Team selections.
Current senior Alyssa Hofman is the top returning hitter, and the back row is seasoned with seniors Bella Blanco and Lauren Mouw. Senior Rhian Heuvel may share setting duties with 6-1 junior Brooklyn Postma.
Seeking playoff success
Getting to the postseason hasn’t been a problem for Lathrop (14-0 WAC, 21-7 overall) and River Islands (8-2 CCAA, 23-5 overall).
Both are still without a playoff victory.
Two-time defending WAC champion Lathrop is 0-7 all-time in the SJS playoffs, while the Riptide is 0-2.
The Spartans have a lot of experienced back, such as senior outside hitter and conference MVP Siliana Fa’ataualofa. Fellow third-year senior Erin Chunn also has all-conference accolades. Junior Malia Fa’ataualofa adds depth in the attack.
All-WAC second-team defensive specialist Jadore Dixon, 6-foot middle Breanna Wiseman and setter/opposite Sariah Hilton were productive as freshmen.
River Islands lost its top player, outside hitter Milyn Morales, to graduation and a few others to flag football, but the Riptide isn’t left without talent.
Back are All-CCAA honorees in senior outside hitter Ada Morales and do-it-all sophomore setter Corley Simoni. They’re joined by senior returners Isabella Carillo (libero), Makaylah Kai Samoranos (opposite) and Aaliyah Smith (outside hitter), as well as some up-and-comers from the first-place JV team.
Sophomore Leighann Ruiz could be a big addition via transfer. She has some varsity experience from her time at James Logan in Union City.
