OAKDALE — Manteca opened Valley Oak League play on Tuesday with its third straight win over Oakdale, but it did not come easily.
In the fifth set, the Buffaloes staved off match point and rallied for three unanswered for a wild 25-13, 23-25, 13-25, 25-13, 16-14 victory. They’ve now taken four of the last five meetings with the VOL’s longtime perennial contender.
“We were backed up against the wall and hung in there,” Manteca coach Kevin Bolding said. “It’s always a tough place to play.”
His young club, consisting of five sophomores, gained valuable experience and confidence. One of those sophomores, middle blocker Karlie Spohn, led the way with 16 kills and six blocks, while junior Therese Ferral had a busy night at setter delivering 48 assists.
“Karlie may not always have the numbers to back it up, but her play is huge for us,” Bolding said. “Therese has come a long way and kind of had to wait her time the last couple of years, but she has done well. Tonight, she made good choices and put up some nice balls for them to hit.”
Adriana Powell, another sophomore, fired 15 kills for the Buffaloes (1-0, 5-1 overall). Kaylee MacDannald added 13 kills and six blocks, Camrenne Genilla had 10 kills and Julia Moreno seven kills along with 10 digs.
Abbey Kaddilak paced the back row with 25 digs, Olga Perez had 15 and Kyaira Jacobs had 10.
Manteca hosts Sierra on Thursday.

Central Catholic 3, Weston Ranch 0
STOCKTON — The Cougars (0-1 2-7) ran up against the defending champion in their VOL opener, falling 11-25, 10-25, 18-25.
Ashanti Boatman finished with two kills and two blocks for Weston Ranch, Julianna Lassiter turned in 10 digs and an ace. Valeria Aguila contributed five digs.

Ripon Christian 3, Waterford 0
RIPON — Ripon Christian (1-0, 5-3) began its defense of the Southern Athletic League title with a routine 25-10, 25-12, 25-11 sweep of the Wildcats (0-1, 4-5).
Emily Van Groningen led the attack with nine kills, while Morgan Van Elderen and Natasha Smith each rapped eight. Van Elderen also had 15 assists.
Ariel Vander Woude tallied 19 assists and three aces. Samantha Anema pitched in three kills and three aces.

Lathrop 3, Pacheco 0
LATHROP — Jahsita Fa’ali’i managed to pike up 19 kills and nine digs as the Spartans (2-0, 3-2) made quick work of the visiting Panthers (0-2 Western Athletic Conference, 2-8 overall), 25-9, 25-8, 25-19.
It was Lathrop’s final tune-up for its big first match with reigning WAC champion Beyer.
Jennifer Santillan handed out 32 assists, and Hailey Hunter amassed 30 digs and four aces. Sydney Hanks contributed five kills, and Ke’Mya Barnett had three kills and three aces.

Junior varsity
Manteca 2, Oakdale 1
OAKDALE — The Buffaloes’ perfect record was in jeopardy until pulling out the 20-25, 25-19, 15-13 win. They improved to 6-0 overall after taking the VOL opener.
Arielle Chandler and Isabella Pires shared setting duties, putting up 11 assists apiece. They also served eight and 11 points, respectively.
Courtney Washburn highlighted the front row with eight kills and three blocks. The back row was anchored by Ariana Lowery, Ayana Van Staaveren, Caitlynn Wong and Kim Yu.

Lathrop 2, Pacheco 1
LATHROP — The Spartans held on for the 19-25, 25-9, 15-11 win.
Camila De La Garza handed out 13 assists, while LaNicia Ellis and Lylliana Avila pounded down four kills each.

Freshman
Lathrop 2, Pacheco 1
LATHROP — After narrowly dropping the second set, Lathrop coasted to a 25-12, 23-25, 15-2 victory.
Dana Mandanas paced the defense with 14 digs. Alejandra Vazquez registered five assists, and Irais Martinez served four aces while contributing two kills.