Ripon Christian pulled off an incredible reverse sweep of visiting Sonora on Tuesday, and it had little to do with any tweaks to tactics and lineups.

“I think it was a change in mindset,” Knights coach Kayla Kootstra said after her team dominated the final three sets of the 22-25, 21-25, 25-15, 25-8, 15-6 Trans Valley League victory.

Previously swept in Sonora, Ripon Christian (4-7 TVL, 9-11 overall) appeared to be on the way to a repeat of that result after the Wildcats (4-7, 13-15) to claimed the first two sets in the rematch.

“Those first two sets, we were a little flat,” Kootstra said. “I felt like when we made mistakes, or when they did something good, we looked deflated, rather than being able to bounce back and turn it around. In between sets 2 and 3, I just said, let’s just go out there, be aggressive and have fun. Remember why you play this game, and then lets see what happens.

“I think they took that to heart, and that’s what you saw when they came out for set 3.”

With the energy raised on the court, the home crowd followed.

Perhaps no player exemplified the switch in spirit and play better than sophomore Bailey Brayton on a night that was meant to honor the seniors.

The 5-foot-8 outside hitter struggled to get going on the attack in the first two sets and had four hitting errors late in game 3 when the Knights led by as much as 15, 22-7. She persisted and got one down for the final point of the set, and she was only getting started.

Brayton was virtually unstoppable in the last two sets, ringing up 11 of her 15 kills — a new season-high. She also tied libero Lauren Mouw for the team-high in digs with 17, while serving 12 points.

“I think it’s important to have the team that I have around me,” Brayton said. “They’re always encouraging me, being the only sophomore on the team. They build me back up, and my coach continues to give me opportunities no matter what. Probably the most important part is just putting it in my brain that I can do it, no matter what.”

As Brayton found her groove, the of the attack opened up. Opposite hitter Alyssa Hofman, one of seven seniors recognized, was getting her spikes down from either pin and the back row, finishing with a match-high 16 kills. She also racked up 16 digs.

Annika Jung contributed eight kills, Kylie Koolhaas had six kills and three blocks, and Maddie Sabala netted five kills and three blocks.

“Both (Brayton) and Alyssa were hitting well, and Alyssa was on fire hitting out of the back row,” Kootstra said. “That just opens up our pins, and our middles were getting involved.

“When Bailey is playing with confidence, it’s a game changer for us. She has the ability to be a very effective player, and I think as a sophomore playing on varsity, that confidence wavered throughout the year, so I was really proud of her for bouncing back tonight. She was a factor for us today.”

Ripon Christian’s setters facilitated the attack and pitched in defensively. Six-footer Brooklyn Postma handed out 26 assists but also had three kills and three blocks. Rhian Heuvel accumulated 21 assists, eight digs, 13 service points and four aces. She had three aces during a five-point service run that helped change the tide early in the third set, giving the Knights a 10-3 lead. They did not trail again until Sonora jumped ahead 4-1 in game 5.

Defensive specialist Bella Blanco contributed 11 digs, 12 service points and two aces.

Sonora outside hitter Taylor Moore had her way in the opening set when she crushed seven kills. She was held to just six more the rest of the way.

“Yesterday in practice, guess who we worked on blocking?” Kootstra joked. “She actually hurt us quite a bit the first time we played them, as well. We worked on bringing our block inside, (but) I don’t know if we adjusted as well in the first set. For the rest of the match, even if we weren’t blocking her, we were able to get touches, slow her down and redirect the ball to where the defense was. It made a difference.”

Although the match means little for either team in terms of their standing in the highly-competitive TVL, it may have ramifications for postseason placement.

Coming into the week, Ripon Christian was 10th in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III MaxPreps rankings, which are used as a starting guide for seeding purposes. Ripon (11-0, 23-4) and Hughson (10-1, 23-8) already have two of the TVL’s three automatic playoff berths, but teams can also gain at-large bids by finishing with a top-15 ranking in their postseason division.

Ripon Christian closes the regular season Thursday at Hilmar (5-6, 15-16), which previously lost to the Knights in four sets.

“I don’t know if we can drop any further than the 10 seed we’re already, but to move up and get a home match would be great. More importantly, it’s big for our confidence and the level of play that we’re capable of. Playoffs is where you want to be playing your best volleyball, so I think to come out and get a win after being down 0-2 shows a lot of what we’re capable of moving forward and hopefully brings us a lot of confidence as we go into playoffs.”