River Islands played its final match as a member of the Central California Athletic Alliance on Thursday with a chance to go away with at least a piece of its first league title.
The more experienced Ben Holt College Prep Academy is keeping the crown for itself after sweeping 25-21, 25-14, 25-20 for a third consecutive outright championship. It’s actually the fifth straight overall title for the Bobcats (10-0 CCAA, 20-6 overall) of Stockton, which earned two of them in the Mountain Valley League.
Holt’s five seniors are all starters, spearheaded by outside hitter Zabella Saleh-Beas and middle blocker Zallianna Sales-Beas (two blocks, three aces). The twins each had 11 kills, while fellow senior Gabriealah Saeteurn racked up three kills, 17 service points and two aces.
“They have cohesiveness and a great system,” River Islands coach Rhiannon Genilla said. “They’re coached well and they push each other, and that’s something that our team continues to strive for. Keep trusting in our training and trust the fundamentals.
“Tonight, it was just the little things, like a couple missed balls on our side of the court that they get because of their experience. They capitalize on that, and they’re not going to just let us win.”
Conversely, River Islands (8-2, 11-13) starts three underclassmen — setter/opposite Corley Simoni (six kills, 15 assists), outside hitter Leighann Ruiz (14 kills) and freshman Skylar Ellis (four kills) — which bodes well for the team, as it moves into the more competitive Mother Lode League next year.
“I’m really excited for all the growth for the seasons to come,” Simoni said. “We have a lot of good, young hitters and defensive players coming back.”
The Riptide do have three seniors, who were all honored before the match. All three also had their moments during the match. Makaylah Kai Samoranos split setting duties with Simoni and had seven assists. Libero Isabella Carrillo kept multiple plays alive with diving, one-armed digs. And Aaliyah Smith was on the line for the ’Tide’s best service runs, finishing with nine points and two aces.
“All three have been rocks on the team,” Genilla said. “Steady in their mindset, steady in their approach to volleyball and balanced all-around. They’re our foundation. We’re really going to miss them, their attitudes, their presence and, of course, their skills.”
Holt Academy took big leads in the first two sets but nearly squandered the opener. The Bobcats scored the first five points of the match and were ahead 12-5 before River Islands picked up its play.
The Riptide rallied to take its first lead at 16-15 after Jaselle Cliatt and Simoni combined to block Zabella Saleh-Beas’ tip. Carrillo later served an ace to push River Islands ahead for the final time at 20-19, but Holt Academy recaptured control and scored six of the final seven points that included a solo stuff and a kill from middle blocker Aubrielle Burchard (six kills).
Holt jumped out to a 12-3 advantage in the second set and again closed on a 6-1.
River Islands threatened to extend the match with its hot start in the third game, leading 8-2 at one point. Holt Academy coach Sierra Davis called a timeout, and her Bobcats responded by scoring eight unanswered points and never trailing again.
“In the beginning, we gave them a lot of points and let them take over the game,” Simoni said. “I think if were to just play our game like we normally do, we would have done a lot better. That’s OK, every team has an off day.”
The good news for the Riptide is that the season is not over yet for them. As runners-up, they qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs for a third straight year. Brackets are released today.
“’Keep it simple’ has been my philosophy all year,” Genilla said. “Fundamentals and defense wins games, so I just hope to see them do all the little things, focus on fundamentals and not question themselves. Just go and attack and have fun.”
