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Sierra volleyball, tennis teams get No. 1 seeds for SJS playoffs
SJS Spring Playoffs ADV
Sierra No. 2 singles player Ashton Hillard competes in a Valley Oak League dual match with Manteca. - photo by Wayne Thallander

 Sierra’s boys volleyball and boys tennis teams were both awarded No. 1 seeds for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Brackets were released by the Section on Friday, and the postseasons for both sports begin next week.
All six area schools will be represented in the boys volleyball playoffs.

Valley Oak League champion Manteca (19-3) is seeded third in Division II and plays host to No. 14 Merced (20-5) in the opener next Thursday, May 2. The Buffaloes enter the postseason as the highest-ranked squad in the area at No. 7 overall in the SJS, according to MaxPreps.

VOL runner-up Sierra (21-8) is the top seed in Division III. The Timberwolves are matched with No. 16 Orestimba (13-8), the Southern Athletic League runner-up.

Three area schools join Sierra in the D-III bracket.

Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop (23-5) is seeded third and will face a familiar opponent in No. 14

SJS Spring Playoffs ADV
Lathrop’s Marco Palomares reaches above the net to defend the tip against East Union in a non-league volleyball match on Feb. 27.
East Union (13-14). The Manteca Unified rivals previously met Feb. 27 in a non-league match won by Lathrop in four sets.

Two-time SJS Division IV champion Ripon Christian (18-7) has been moved up to the more challenging D-III bracket. The SAL champ is the No. 7 seed and taking on No. 10 Wheatland (16-4), which placed second in the Pioneer Valley League.

Trans-Valley League co-champion Ripon (21-9) is the big dog in Division IV, in terms of school enrollment. The Indians are seeded fifth and have a first-round date with No. 12 Sierra Academy (12-11) of Nevada City.

All championship matches will take place May 11 at Cosumnes River College.

Sierra’s first-time Valley Oak League champion boys tennis team tops the eight-team, Division-IV bracket and will take on No. 8 Beyer next Wednesday.

VOL co-champion Oakdale and third-place Manteca are in Division III. Manteca will hit the road as the No. 6 seed and squares off with No. 3 West Park of Roseville. Oakdale is seeded second.

In coed tennis, Ripon is No. 8 in Division I and will welcome No. 9 Lindhurst next Thursday. The winner takes on top-seeded Amador.

Ripon Christian is the fifth seed in Division II and travels to No. 4 Bear River in the opening round.

The tennis posteason includes individual tournaments on May 13-14. The SJS Divisions I-II individual boys tournaments are hosted at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville, while the coed competitions return to Oak Park Tennis Center in Stockton.