SACRAMENTO — After stumbling in the first set Saturday, top-seeded Beyer won three of the next four matches to claim the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III boys volleyball championship 20-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 15-10 over second-seeded Ripon Christian on Clark Court at Cosumnes River College.
“A loss is never easy, but this season has been a blessing for us,” Ripon Christian coach Kevin Tameling said. “We played a lot of matches and had a bunch of wins, but we had a bunch of losses, too.
“It’s been fun to be with the guys. I appreciate the time we have been able to spend together. The good thing is our season still continues, and I am proud of them. Beyer just played better and got more points, so congratulations to them.”
Mason Tameling (21 kills, four digs) came out on fire for Ripon Christian (24-15) in the first set, banging out four kills, two from the back row, three blocks and an ace, accounting for five of his team’s first 10 points.
“Our blocking was there,” Mason Tameling said. “In the beginning, they were scared to hit against us, and we had their offense on their heels, but they started to hit around the block, find more angles.
“They started tooling us off the block. They came out hot in the second set, and they wanted it. We have been to the section championship before, and we knew what to expect. We were ready for the moment, but it didn’t go our way in the end.”
Grant Wentworth (12 kills, five digs, four blocks) and Mason Tameling were both hot in in the third set with seven kills apiece. Wentworth posted a five-point service run he kicked off with a kill, and that brought the Knights from a 13-16 deficit to an 18-16 lead they would not relinquish. “Throughout the match, it really boiled down to just praying to the Lord and keeping my composure,” Wentworth said. “We really got in a groove in that third set ,and Danny (Lambdin) set me some really good balls and I just went out there and swung.
“It was great.”
Lambdin dished out 27 assists, Trevor Van Groningen chipped in seven kills and six digs and Ian Brown added nine digs.
Brett Bird hammered out 13 kills for the Patriots (29-6) of Modesto, with five kills coming in the pivotal fifth set.
“It was quite the fight and we knew it would be,” Beyer coach Carl Wheeler said. “You have to give mad respect to that team over there; they definitely pushed us. I coached some of those guys in club, so we are very familiar with each other, and they played one heck of a game, and I have to give them credit for pushing us to the limit.
“That’s what you want. You want a battle. You want to feel like you earn it, and we definitely earned it.”
The two teams will play in the NorCal championships beginning on Monday.
