Ripon Christian was a point away from forcing a fourth set Wednesday in a non-league boys volleyball match at Sierra.
Owen Altadonna had other plans.
The 6-foot-5 junior middle ended the match by scoring the final three points with two kills and a block, as the Timberwolves completed the sweep, 25-13, 25-20, 26-24.
“We all had it in our mind that we wanted to beat this team today,” Altadonna said. “I think we definitely played great tonight. Our passing was amazing, and I think our coverage was also really good. We were able to come from behind and (win a set), which we’ve struggled with in the past. Our hard work really paid off today.”
In fact, it’s Sierra’s first-ever win against the reigning two-time Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV champion. Altadonna and the T’wolves (6-3) are striving to reach heights where the Knights (1-1) have been.
“We have really big goals this year,” Sierra coach Danielle Deerinck said. “They know I have high expectations, but they have high expectations for themselves.”
The defending Valley Oak League co-champions are off to a hot start, with two competitive losses coming against unbeaten Weston Ranch and another to Division I Heritage of Brentwood.
Altadonna led the Timberwolves with 11 kills and three aces. Setter Primo Estandarte racked up 31 assists and contributed four kills of his own, catching Ripon Christian off guard with well-spotted dumps.
Sierra had six players with at least four kills. Santino Flores pounded 10 kills, Landon West added seven, Gurpreet Singh had six to go with three blocks and Samuel Mortenson chipped in four.
“It’s nice, because we can be a lot less predictable,” Deerinck said of her team’s varied attack. “We got a new oppo (opposite) this year who was playing JV last year (West). The position is new to him, but he is stepping into it really well. Having all these (hitting options) really keeps the other team on their toes.”
Bonpatrick Estrella led Sierra’s back-row defense with 17 digs.
Ripon Christian sophomore Mason Tameling led all players with 13 kills. Seniors Preston Zuidervart and Zachary Varni, the Knights’ setter and libero, are other key returners, but RC lost the core of its championship teams to graduation.
With the school’s basketball team making another deep playoff run, Ripon Christian is just starting its season this week. The Knights are next hosting neighboring Ripon tonight.
“We’re young,” RC coach Kevin Tameling said. “We have guys playing in new spots, and we have guys who have played maybe a year or even less than a year of volleyball.
Today, we learned to compete. Sierra is a really good team. … Got to see how we respond when things don’t go well, and I liked the way we competed in the last two sets — we were right there. Volleyball is a game of runs, and Sierra took advantage of their momentum.”
