Central Catholic has never won a VOL volleyball title. That may change soon.

Chants of “VOL, VOL” came from the Central Catholic High School student section on Thursday as the Raiders moved closer to their first ever Valley Oak League title with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-21 victory over Manteca at the Mark Gallo Health and Fitness Center.

Central Catholic has a two-game lead in the VOL with three games remaining.

“We knew that it was a big game for us,” Raiders first-year head coach Michelle Springmeyer said. “We keep growing as a team. We were better prepared this time.”

The Raiders needed five sets to beat Manteca in their first matchup on Sept. 11. But they looked every bit the league favorite on Thursday.

Central Catholic jumped out to a 17-8 lead in the first set thanks in large part to the strong play of freshman Abby Castillon, sophomore Hannah Castillon, and senior Cameron Sauls. Abby Castillon led the way with 18 kills and the trio’s passing and blocking was impressive all night.

“Defense is very important to us,” Springmeyer said. “It is one of our strengths and we have a lot of depth. That’s another part of the success.”

The Raiders struggled early in the second set with a couple of unforced errors but bounced back to win. The third set was back and forth and Manteca led 20-18 before sophomore Tessa Gallo hammered home an ace to end the match.

“Their fight is unbelievable,“ Springmeyer said.

When asked if she ever envisioned an undefeated league season in her first season as head coach, Springmeyer said “Not at all.”

Hannah Castillon had 17 assists while Sauls had four blocks.

Central Catholic will play in the Tiger Cup over the weekend before Senior Night next Thursday at home against Oakdale.

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 11:22 PM.