No other Manteca-area volleyball team had a busier pre-league schedule than East Union, a young squad that second-year head coach Rich Posz hopes gained some valuable experience in the last three weeks.

The Lancers competed in their final tune-up for the Valley Oak League season Thursday at Riverbank.

It fittingly went to the maximum five sets.

East Union did well to bounce back from a tough Game 4 defeat to come out on top, 20-25, 25-22, 25-10, 26-28, 15-6. The Lancers (6-8) had a chance to close out the fourth set with match point, 25-24. Posz was pleased to see the way his players handled the pressure in the defining fifth game.

“We pretty much controlled the whole set,” Posz said. “After letting it slip away in the fourth, they took control right away and took care of business.”

Strong serving helped carry East Union to victory. Taylor Ward racked up 16 points and three aces to go with 12 digs. Dig leader Amy Gann had 19 but added four service aces. Setter Jordyn Posz had 12 service points (two for aces) and 26 assists.

Mariah Jeffrey crushed 13 kills, and Haley England contributed nine.

East Union begins VOL play Thursday with visiting rival Manteca.

“I graduated a lot from last year so this team is still very young, but they’re starting to find their groove,” coach Posz said. “The preseason was tough. We played a lot of playoff teams and time will tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about them is that they love to compete.”

 

Weston Ranch 3,
Chavez 0

At Chavez, the Cougars (4-1) completed their pre-league tour of fellow Stockton rivals on a high note. All five of their nonleague opponents are within city limits, with their lone loss coming against powerhouse Lincoln.

Weston Ranch clobbered the Titans, 25-9, 25-19, 25-15.

Victoria Gulley was the star of the match, finishing with 18 kills and 13 digs. Jazelle Perena and Jennifer Viguerias split setting duties and each had 13 assists. Perena also had four aces, while Janis Sanchez recorded three blocks.



St. Mary’s 3,
Ripon Christian 1

In Ripon, the Knights (7-4) hung tough against one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s premier upper-division squads. They lost 24-26, 25-19, 24-26, 16-25.

Makenna Koslosky and Bailey Silveira helped keep Ripon Christian competitive with their defense, finishing with 17 and 15 digs, respectively. Koslosky also rung up three service aces. Dani Erdelatz led the attack with 15 kills, Lauren DeVries ahd two blocks and Elisabeth Regusci dished out 28 assists.