Manteca (15-8) heads to El Capitan of Merced tonight for what will be its first postseason appearance in four years, and the Buffaloes have a chance to end an even longer streak.
Their three youngest players — freshmen Kacy Bolding, Kaitlyn Morenzone and Payton Reis — were toddlers the last time Manteca won a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff match. It was in 2002 when then-coach Jessica Harty guided the No. 12-seeded Buffs to an improbable run to the Division III semifinals, where they were swept by eventual champion Oak Ridge. To get there, they stunned fifth-seeded Roseville in three sets before toppling Del Oro on the road in five.
“We’ve worked hard to get to this point,” Manteca coach Kevin Bolding said. “We want to prove not only to everyone else but to ourselves that we belong. We want to go as far as we can.”
Seeded 11th, Manteca believes it has the goods to follow the same path the 2002 team did 13 years ago, even with freshmen making up half of the starting roster. The additions of Kacy Bolding, Morenzone and Reis have made the Buffaloes contenders in the Valley Oak League.
“I’m really excited, not only for our team but for Manteca High to finally be back in the playoffs,” said Reis, who leads the Buffaloes with 174 kills.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter is the daughter of Manteca head football coach Eric Reis. Mike Morenzone, Kaitlyn’s father, serves as an assistant to coach Bolding, Kacy’s dad. Their roles were reversed in the 1990s as coaches for East Union, which claimed a section title in 1995.
Each player has carved out prominent roles on a team with one sophomore, three juniors and five seniors, including four-year starter Morgan Miramontes.
“It’s been a privilege to play with the seniors because I’ve watched them since I was a little girl,” Reis said. “It’s kind of surreal. I’ve looked up to (Miramontes) since I was in fifth grade.”
With the Buffaloes losing setter Beth Aschenbrenner to graduation, that opened up the opportunity for both Kacy and Kaitlyn to step in and fill the position. And Bolding couldn’t find a good reason to not bring the hard-swinging Reis along.
Morenzone is the team leader in assists (285), service points (195) and aces (38). Bolding is an all-around contributor with 180 assists, 73 kills, 25 blocks, 93 digs and 30 aces.
“There’s a little bit of pressure coming into high school and not knowing what to expect,” Morenzone said. “Being a starter is just added pressure, but it’s nice having other freshmen there. We’re going to make mistakes, so no matter what we know we’ll be there to pick each other up.”
Bolding said that adjusting to the speed of the varsity game was her toughest challenge at the start of the season. For her father, it was figuring out which combinations of players work best on the court. It’s the deepest team the fourth-year coach has had, and he has found ways to get all 12 of his players in matches.
The trio of freshmen have been tested early and often in their first varsity campaign, which includes three five-set victories over rivals East Union and Sierra and a heartbreaking near-upset of VOL champion Oakdale.
“It’s a lot more intense than in club volleyball,” Kacy Bolding said of playing in rivalry matches. “Everybody is watching you and it’s louder. When we’re at home it really gets us going when the crowd gets loud.”
The future looks bright for the Buffaloes. Joining them for the postseason is promising sophomore Rhiannon Genilla, and 5-foot-10 middle Sarah Inderbitzin, also a sophomore, has been with the varsity all season.
“We want to be in the playoffs all four years,” Bolding said, “but as freshmen we know we’re going to need to get better. Hopefully we can keep improving.”
