RIPON — The Sac-Joaquin Section volleyball playoffs are familiar territory for Ripon High.
No, the Indians are not the top team in Division IV as that of the previous years. They finished third in the Trans Valley League – rival Escalon took the league crown – after seeing their string of five straight years of dominance snapped.
No problem.
Adrienne Uecker, Ripon High’s first-year varsity coach, said after Wednesday’s three-game sweep of Orestimba (25-13, 25-23, 25-19) that her team appears more than ready to go for the postseason.
“That’s when the real season begins,” she said. “As far as our work goes, we’re not even close to being done.”
The Indians (8-3, 12-12) enjoyed a last hurrah of sort for their seniors against Orestimba. Uecker went with the group consisting of Katherine Ratto, Tyler White, Paige Horwood, Madison Allen, Rose Beeler, Mariah Cardenas and Bridgette Gall for the first two sets.
“We came in pumped up,” said Allen, who dished out 20 assists and two service aces.
Horwood got Ripon started by serving up seven straight points. The Indians jumped out to a 13-3 advantage thanks to the front line play of Cardenas and Gall – both had one block and a kill each – and never looked back.
In the second set, Orestimba (4-9, 10-20-1) capitalized on Indian mistakes early on, jumping out to a 16-6 lead. Alyssa Briones had four aces and a kill to pace the attack.
Ripon slowly closed the gap. White had three blocks along with a spike and a tip shot. Cardenas also delivered on a tip shot.
Later, Allen’s no-look tip cut into the Warriors’ lead, 23-20.
Orestimba made two crucial out-of-bound hitting errors that translated into points for Ripon. Gall’s two aces helped complete the comeback.
Uecker opted to mix up her lineup in the third set filled with several momentum changes.
The Indians took an early lead only to see the Warriors rally back to tie things up on five different occasions.
Beeler’s tip coupled with the two aces served up by Lizzy Nizzoli put Ripon ahead for good. Siera Daggett, White and Chelsea Loppini also chipped in will kill shots.
Horwood finished with 10 digs and four kills; Cardenas chipped in with six digs, five kills, and a pair blocks; and Ratto came through with 23 digs and a service ace.
Ripon now awaits a first-round playoff opponent yet to be determined..
“We’re confident,” said Allen. “We have a coach who is very motivating.
“As a team, we’ve made improvements throughout the season.”
Sophomores
Ripon 2, Orestimba 0
The Indians claimed the TVL title while staying unbeaten during the season. They took three-out-of-five-set match in two games, 25-13, 25-12.
Freshmen
Ripon 2, Orestimba 0
The Indians took both games rather easily, 25-11, 25-14.
They also took home the TVL crown, going undefeated during the regular season.
Valley Oak League
Kimball 3, Lathrop 0
The Jaguars spoiled senior night for the Spartans with a (25-13, 25-22, 25-21) win in the finale.
“All of our girls played tough and they ended the season working hard and supporting each other,” said Lathrop coach Nicole Unrein.
Briana Lopez helped out with six service points and five digs and Monica Brambila had four kills.
Cherubine Consul, who worked the net with good blocking, tallied six kills while Anselma Rodriguez contributed with four digs, four service points, and three aces.
In addition, Janel Butler came through with 10 assists, six service aces and five tips at the net.
