The Sac-Joaquin Section high school volleyball championships came to a close last night as local teams took the court at the University of California, Davis for the right to be called champions.
Some finals were battles, others were lopsided, but all were decided, giving victors a title and a banner to hang proudly on the school wall.
Division I:
Oak Ridge didn’t have its best season this year, but when it counted, the Trojans found a way to win. Finishing 27-11 overall was a shift from the 41-4 season Oak Ridge had the year before, but the Trojans learned to overcome tough losses and rebound with big wins, and when it mattered most, Oak Ridge stepped up and spiked it home, claiming another section title with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 28-26 victory over Nevada Union (34-10) on Nov. 19.
It was less than a month ago that Nevada Union knocked off the Trojans in the St. Francis Super 8 tournament, 2-0. Sweeping the Trojans on Halloween left a bad taste in Oak Ridge’s mouth, and when it got the chance for revenge in the section championship, it dominated with a sweep of its own.
Oak Ridge stormed through the Division I bracket en route to the championship, coming in as the No. 1 seed and knocking off No. 16 seed Chavez on Nov. 10, 3-0 (25-8, 25-9, 25-23), No. 8 seed Edison on Nov. 12, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-5), and No. 12 seed Pleasant Grove on Nov. 17, 3-2 (20-25, 25-13, 25-18, 15-25, 15-13). Top seeds in the bracket fell early and often, and after No. 11 seed Nevada Union upset No. 2 seed Napa in the semifinals, the Trojans got their shot at redemption.
Oak Ridge became the first school in section history to win volleyball titles in three different divisions. The Trojans won the Division II title last year and in 2005 and won the Division III title in 2002.
For photos from the Division I championship, view the slideshow below.
Division II:
After losing in the section championship to Oak Ridge a year ago, St. Francis (36-6) worked hard for an opportunity to win the section title again. On Nov. 19, the Troubadours got it, knocking off No. 1 seed Rocklin (31-8) in the championship game at UC Davis, 3-0 (26-24, 25-14, 25-21).
St. Francis had a tough road to the title. Coming in the bracket’s No. 2 seed, the Troubadours got the best seed it could in each matchup along the way. After beating No. 15 Rosemont in the first round on Nov. 10, 3-0 (25-8, 25-8, 25-9), St. Francis beat No. 7 seed Roseville on Nov. 12, 3-2 (25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 22-25, 15-4), then beat No. 3 seed Atwater on Nov. 17, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-21), before finishing with No. 1 seed Rocklin. It looks like the Troubadours earned a solid banner.
For photos from the Division II championship, view the slideshow below.
Division III:
The story of the night came in the Division III playoffs, though, as No. 3 seed El Camino (31-6) shocked the local volleyball world with a 3-0 sweep over perennial powerhouse St. Mary’s in the championship on Nov. 19.
While St. Mary’s breezed through earlier competition, beating No. 16 Ceres, 3-0, No. 8 Oakdale, 3-0, and No. 5 Placer, 3-0, El Camino methodically made its way through the bracket to face the favorite in the championship. El Camino beat No. 14 Woodland in Round 1, 3-0, survived a battle with No. 6 Del Oro in Round 2, 3-2, and beat No. 2 Sonora in the semifinals, 3-0.
It was an impressive run beating the top two seeds in the bracket in back-to-back matches, but the 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 win over St. Mary’s (18-8) takes the cake as one of the upsets of the year.
It was El Camino’s first volleyball section title. The school’s only other appearance in a section final came in 1995 in Division II.
Division IV:
What looked like was going to be easy cruising for Christian Brothers (27-10) turned out to be a championship scare, as the top-seeded Falcons edged out No. 3 seed Ripon (38-10) in the Division IV championship, 3-2 (25-14, 25-20, 14-25, 23-25, 15-12).
A year ago, the two teams met in the championship game, where Christian Brothers easily swept Ripon to claim the title. This year, Ripon put up a fight, but ultimately, the result was the same.
The Falcons went up two games to none before Ripon fought back to take the next two and even it up. It took a tough game five to decide the winner.
Christian Brothers beat No. 16 seed Hilmar on Nov. 10, 3-0, No. 8 seed Le Grand on Nov. 12, 3-0, and No. 4 seed Escalon on Nov. 7, 3-0, to advance to the championship game.
Division V:
The Division V bracket saw a big upset as well, as No. 10 seed Ripon Christian knocked off top-seeded Bradshaw Christian, 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-22). Coming in as the defending champs from a season ago, though, Ripon Christian could hardly be considered a true underdog, and took control early.
Ripon Christian beat No. 7 seed Valley Christian in Round 1, 3-0, then beat No. 2 seed Big Valley Christian in Round 2, 3-0, before beating No. 6 seed Forest Lake Christian in the semifinals.
Comments