Varsity Volleyball: Five Local Teams in Playoffs
Oct 31, 2024 09:56AM ● By Alejandro BarronELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - With the conclusion of the girls volleyball regular season last week, five local teams have qualified for playoffs including one team that is undefeated in league.
Division I Bracket
Cosumnes Oaks: The Wolfpack enter the playoffs as the No. 11 seed and will travel away to face off against the Pitman Pride from Turlock on Oct. 29, after press time.
They finished with a 20-11 overall record and a 9-3 Delta League record where they finished in second place behind the undefeated Eagles, a team they lost to in both their league matchups.
Senior setter Kassidy Blomberg ranks second in the Delta League in assists with 384 total
On the attacking side, sophomore outside hitter Amiyah Sullivan and senior outside hitter and middle blocker Quiya Wells ranked fourth and fifth in the Delta League in kills with 142 and 138, respectively.
Junior outside hitter Zala Ahmadzai ranked fourth among the Delta League in serving aces with 39.
As for defensive statistics, senior middle blocker Olivia Smith ranks sixth in the Delta League with 26 blocks while senior defensive specialist Caylie Morrison ranks fifth in the league with 156 digs.
Their opponents had a 28-6 overall record while they were 10-0 in league and prior to their playoff matchup had swept in their past three matches.
The winner of this match will move on to the quarterfinals which will be played on Oct. 31, after press time.
Franklin: The 16-14 overall record and 8-4 Delta League Franklin Wildcats have the No. 12 seed and will travel to take on the No. 5 seed Oak Ridge Trojans, who finished 22-13 overall and 10-4 in league.
The top performers across the league include senior outside hitter Joyce Wang who ranks third with 45 serving aces.
For top performers for their team, senior outside hitter Maelyn Ramirez led the team with 98 kills, Wang with 45 assists, Ramirez with 83 digs and freshman setter Noelani Ramirez with 174 assists.
The Trojans are currently riding a three-game winning streak heading into their playoff matchup where the winner will go on to the quarterfinals between the Pleasant Grove Eagles or Inderkum Tigers on Oct. 31, after press time.
Pleasant Grove: The Delta League champion Eagles with a 12-0 record and 25-5 overall record enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed and will take on the No. 13 seed Inderkum Tigers.
They will host the Tigers who were 17-15 overall and 5-7 in their league.
The Eagles have top performers across the Sac-Joaquin section and in the Delta League as junior setter Aubrey Tripp had 474 assists which ranks sixth among the section and first in the league.
In the league, senior outside hitter Isis Castille ranks third in kills with 152 and Tripp ranks second in serving aces with 45.
The Eagles currently have a five-game winning streak including three sweeps in their last three matches.
Last season, the Eagles crashed out in the quarterfinals, a stage they are trying to reach where they could potentially face off against the Oak Ridge Trojans or Franklin Wildcats.
Division II
Laguna Creek: The lone Elk Grove team in the Division II bracket is the No. 13 seed Laguna Creek Cardinals who ended their regular season against the 16-14 overall record and 7-5 Delta League record as the newest addition to the league.
They will be taking on the No. 4 seed Del Oro Golden Eagles who finished with an even 13-13 overall record and 8-6 league record.
Junior Emma Lucchesi ranks ninth in the Sac-Joaquin Section with 354 kills while freshman Averi Oldram ranks eighth in the section with 87 total blocks.
Lucchesi among the Delta League ranks first in kills, first in serving aces with 67 and junior Lola Dang ranks third in the league with 271 assists.
The Cardinals dominate in total blocks and digs in league play with Oldram first with 87, senior Salayah Moore ranked second with 66 and Lucchesi ranked second with 51, while Lucchesi ranks first in digs with 284 and sophomore Jaysa Crable ranks second with 174 digs.
This match is set for Oct. 29 (after press time) at Del Oro with the winner set to face off against either the No. 5 seed El Capitan Gauchos of Merced or the Manteca Buffaloes in the quarterfinals.
The Cardinals are looking to break their two-game losing streak from their last two regular season matches and get into the quarterfinals.
Division V
Bradshaw Christian: The Pride are the No. 2 seed in the Division V bracket as they finished the regular season with an 18-11 overall record and a 7-7 record in the Sierra Valley Conference.
Their opponent at their home playoff game are the Rio Vista Rams, who are the No. 15 seed and finished their regular season with an even 10-10 overall record and 9-5 league.
Senior setter Sophia Rios ranks second in the SVC in assists with 550.
Senior libero and outside hitter Emmerson Patterson leads the team with 224 kills, as well as 52 serving aces. Senior middle blocker Chloe Lester leads with 51 total blocks and Rios leads with 281 digs.
This is the first test for the Pride in the playoffs as they won the section last season and went on a regional final run where they lost in a 3-0 sweep, coming up just short of reaching the state finals.
The winner of this match will take on the Futures Knights or Buckingham Charter Knights of Vacaville on Oct. 31 in the quarterfinals, after press time.