For as much success as Lathrop has had in the last decade, it has not translated beyond the regular season.

Until now.

At long last, in their eighth postseason appearance, the Spartans have finally notched their first win in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, sweeping 14th-seeded Twelve Bridges of Lincoln 25-21, 25-18, 25-9 in a Division III opener Tuesday.

With that out of the way, No. 3 Lathrop (27-3), which is riding a remarkable 26-match winning streak, has a chance make more history on Thursday when it welcomes No. 6 Ripon Christian. That’s because one more win would land the Spartans in the semifinal round and a spot in the NorCal Regionals.

“It feels so good to be part of history,” Lathrop senior outside hitter Siliana Fa’ataualofa said. “After losing (in the first round) the last couple years while I’ve been here at Lathrop, this means so much. With so many underclassmen, our team works so well together, and I think that it’s really just a team effort. We couldn’t do this without each other.”

Fa’ataualofa is one of two third-year varsity players for the Spartans, who start three sophomores. She and Erin Chunn were sophomores two years ago when they last faced Ripon Christian. That first-round playoff match ended in three sets and their season.

This time, they’ll meet at Lathrop’s Greg Leland Gym.

“We played them at their school my sophomore year,” Chunn said. “I’m so looking forward to it. Hopefully, we can win that, as well.”

Fa’ataualofa spearheaded the Spartans’ balanced attack on Tuesday, blasting 12 kills. Malia Fa’ataualofa contributed seven kills and eight digs. Sophomore setter Sariah Hilton kept the Raging Rhinos (7-17) off balanced with her ability to score on at the net. She had five kills to go with 28 assists.

Chunn came alive in the second set when she tallied three of her four kills. She also served three aces. Middle blocker Breanna Wiseman chipped in four kills, two blocks and two aces. Libero Jadore Dixon netted 13 digs, 12 service points and three aces.

Dixon scored all three of her aces in the final set, helping Lathrop establish a 12-2 lead with an 11-point service run. Chunn later scored six straight points, getting an ace and kills from Hilton (two), Wiseman and Siliana Fa’ataualofa in the process.

The final set was stark contrast to the opener in which Lathrop battled from behind throughout to steal the win late.

“I don’t know if it was nerves or just excitement, but Twelve Bridges is pretty good,” Lathrop coach Toa Fa’ali’i said. “What do you expect? It’s playoffs, you know what I mean? You could tell that in the first set, things were tight, but by the third set it was clicking and they were having fun. That’s what I told them, ‘Loosen up, relax and the let the game come to us.’

“We were trying to win the first playoff match for the program, and they understood what was on the line. This is why we worked hard throughout the season, to get us a good spot for this to happen.”

Not counting best-of-three tournament contests, Lathrop came into the match having won 21 three-game sweeps in a row. That streak seemed to be in danger at the outset, with Twelve Bridges bringing energy while stunting the Lathrop offense with an effective block and scrappy back row.

Lathrop stayed within reach, however, eventually taking a 17-16 lead on Siliana Fa’ataualofa’s kill. Chunn followed with an ace, forcing Rhinos coach Amber Krieger to call timeout.

There was no slowing down the Spartans at this point. Hilton pushed the advantage to 22-17 with a kill. Lathrop won the set on a ball-handling violation from Twelve Bridges.

Seniors Malea Maxhimer and Ella Haug (three blocks) each had four kills to pace the Rhinos.

Lathrop hosts Ripon Christian (14-15) on Thursday starting at 6 p.m.

“Ripon Christian is going to be tough, but I trust that my team is up for it,” Fa’ali’i said. “We’ll see what Thursday brings.”