RIPON — Rachel Sausedo knows how to turn things around.
Sausedo toed the service line Monday night in the first set with fifth-seeded Ripon trailing No. 12 Orestimba, 18-22. Seven consecutive service points later, including two two aces, the Indians were able to steal Game 1 and trailed only one more time on the way to a 25-22, 25-15, 25-17 opening-round win in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs.
“Knowing that we lost our first match in the playoffs last year and we were about to lose the first set tonight, I didn’t want that to happen,” Sausedo said. “So, I stepped up with my serves and focused on that.”
Sausedo tallied 15 assists along with six digs, three aces and four kills, and she snuck those kills in when the Warriors (19-15) thought she was going to set the ball.
“I knew that their back row was paying attention to our hard hitters,” Sausedo said. “So, I saw where there were holes and I dumped it.”
In the pivotal first game the Indians (21-10) trailed 21-15 when Jordynn Russell (three kills, three digs, two aces) got a kill followed with an ace by Deven Stokes (seven digs, two assists, two aces). Orestimba got one more point before the Warriors hit the ball into the net, setting up Sausedo’s winning run.
“I think we just came out a little lackadaisical,” Ripon coach Tyler White said. “It was playoff game No. 1. It has been a year since we were in this situation and this is a far different team than we had last year and I think we weren’t quite ready.
“It takes a little bit of time to flip that switch and get it going but they did it — I can take a breath and it’s OK. They pulled it out, came together, played as a team and didn’t let anything drop. They had passion and heart that I haven’t seen in a while and they were excited about playing together. I think their teamwork is what pulled it out for them tonight.”
Mia Van Lewen tallied 16 digs, but her normally intimidating net game was silent until the end of the night when she got three of her five kills in the Indians’ final seven points. She finished with three aces and closed the night out with two consecutive aces. 
“I knew I wasn’t hitting the ball a lot,” Van Lewen said. “And this was my last game here at home so I wanted to step it up. I started hitting harder and started gaining more confidence.
“And on those last two aces I served it where the coach told me to.”
Sydney Thomason led Ripon with nine kills and two blocks with two assists and two aces.
“I just battled,” Thomason said. My setters were on tonight and they were giving me good balls to hit.”
Brooke Kaiser (four kills, two aces, dig, assist), Shannon Johnson (six assists, three digs) Molly Ysit (four digs), Caryssa McKeon (three kills) and Alyssa Barrios (two kills, block) rounded out the Indians attack.
Ripon travels to El Dorado on Thursday to face No. 4 Union Mine (17-9) in the quarterfinals.