Ripon Christian’s journey through the California Interscholastic Federation Division IV state playoffs started with two trips to the City by the Bay and a 3 ½-hour expedition to Shasta County.

After a pit stop back on their home turf, they’re now headed for sunny Southern California.

“We’ll take it this time,” Ripon Christian coach Kayla Kootstra said in jest.

Slighted by their No. 9 seed for the NorCal Regional, the Knights (34-6) grew to embrace this new underdog role and are now in the state final for the second time in program history after downing No. 11 Head-Royce of Oakland 25-15, 25-19, 15-25, 25-21 Tuesday.

On Saturday, they’ll end the season playing the same opponent it started against. Ripon Christian will get reacquainted with Central Valley Christian (26-14) of Visalia at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. The Knights swept the season opener at home. The rematch starts at 11 a.m.

The 18-time Sac-Joaquin Section champion Knights knocked out three other section champs along the way:

·        No. 8-seeded Lowell, the San Francisco Section Division I titlist, 25-20, 25-15, 24-26, 25-17.

·        Top-seeded Urban, the Division V winner of the North Coast Section, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23.

·        No. 4 West Valley of Cottonwood, the Northern Section Division III champion, 22-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 15-12.

Head-Royce is the Division IV runner-up out of the NCS.

Getting to finally host a NorCal match for the regional final was a treat for the Knights, who rallied back from a 16-7 deficit to end the match in four to the delight of their rambunctious home crowd.

The reward is a trek that is almost as far as the previous three combined. After logging about 775 roundtrip miles in NorCal contests, the Knights are travelling roughly 720 to Orange and back

Not that these Knights mind.

“Yeah, but it’s fun,” Ripon Christian junior outside hitter Jordan Vander Veen said after Tuesday’s thriller. “Going to Southern California is fun.”

Central Valley Christian is not as road weary, being the top seed in the SoCal bracket. In the second round, Holtville travelled 400 miles from near the Mexico border to face the Cavaliers, losing in four sets. CVC’s other victims in the regional playoffs were United Christian Academy of Rancho Cucamonga, Santa Ynez and Palisades, which it defeated 25-16, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20 in the SoCal final. 

Ripon Christian beat Central Valley Christian 25-10, 25-17, 25-22 back on Aug. 19 before the two schools’ football teams faced off.

The Cavaliers have since finished second in the Tri-County Kings County League and lost in five sets to Buchanan in the Central Section Division II final. CVC was the CS Division I runner-up year.

Six-foot-1 junior outside hitter Lilinoe Spencer (452 kills, 61 aces, 41 blocks, 356 digs) leads CVC’s towering front line that includes 6-foot senior middle Karlee de Groot (322 kills, 61 blocks. 253 digs) and 6-2 sophomore middle Lola Highstreet (136 kills, 90 blocks). Grace Van Groningen (371 digs, 74 aces) is the Cavaliers’ libero, and 5-10 junior Sophia Fields (632 assists, 166 digs, 50 aces) stars at setter.

Central Valley Christian is vying for its first state championship after losing its previous two CIF finals in 2007 (Division V) and 2013 (Division III).

Ripon Christian is in the state final for the second time. Coach Kootstra was the standout player for the 1999 team that dispatched Saint Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano in four games.