Lopez: 10 things to watch during the high school volleyball season
The High School Girls Volleyball Season has officially returned as teams are wrapping up their second week of games.
Central Catholic, Escalon, Hilmar, and Ripon all qualified for the CIF State playoffs in 2018.
There is also one notable transfer who should make the Central California Athletic League even tougher.
Here are 10 players, teams, and things to watch during the upcoming season:
1: Hilmar
After winning two straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Division IV Section titles, the YellowJackets have moved up from Div. IV to Div. III under a section rule that allows the Executive Committee to recommend a move for a school if they have been a section semifinalist or finalist four or more years in a row with at least one section title. Schools automatically move a division up if they win three titles in a row. Hilmar has played in six straight section championships.
The YellowJackets, who lost to San Luis Obispo in the CIF State Division IV Championship, return virtually their entire starting lineup including junior outside hitter Mikela Labno, who had 521 kills in 2018. Senior Olivia Peterson, the Trans-Valley League’s Most Valuable Player in 2018, also returns.
Hilmar beat Pitman in four sets in a foundation game on Monday with proceeds from the match going to scholarships the section gives out at the end of the year. Labno had 17 kills in the win.
2: Olivia Keller transfers from Beyer to Gregori
The big offseason volleyball news was the transfer of Keller, a two-time MaxPreps Underclass All-American.
An outside hitter who has received interest from Oregon, Pepperdine, TCU, Texas, and USC, according to ragevball.com, her club team’s website, Keller is one of the best players in the area and her arrival is a big get for the Jaguars.
In the school’s first seven years, the Jaguars lost a maximum of two games in league in each year before struggling at 5-5 in the first year of the Central California Athletic League.
Keller, who was named Most Valuable Player in the Western Athletic Conference in 2018, had 460 kills and 237 digs for the Patriots.
Keller will be eligible to play on Sept. 24 due to a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section rule that requires a sit-out period and will miss the first two league games against Turlock (Sept. 18) and Pitman (Sept. 23).
3. Pitman
After losing their first league game in 2018, the Pride won their last nine en route to a CCAL title. The three-time Div. I section champions will lack experience this year as coach Kristen Pontes-Christian said in early August there will be a lot of new faces on varsity with only three seniors. Pitman will have to replace its top five kills leaders from last year but junior setter Haley Freeman returns.
Pontes-Christian also said this is one of her smaller teams with not one player taller than 5 feet, 10 inches.
4. Turlock
The Bulldogs played (won in 2017) in the last two Div. I championships before last year’s 14-18 season. Turlock played spoiler in the CCAL and beat Modesto to allow the Bulldogs’ rival to win the title.
Turlock was young last year with only three seniors but they return senior Jazymn Tubbs, the CCAL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018. Senior outside hitter Mary Padilla (179 kills) and junior outside hitter Ava Chiesa (174 kills) also return.
5. Ripon
The Indians lost to Hilmar in the Div. IV Semifinals before advancing to the CIF State Div. V NorCal Championship where they lost in five sets to Washington Union. Washington Union beat El Camino Real in straight sets to win the state title.
Tyler White, a 2011 Ripon High graduate who was on the 2010 Div. IV section title team, is in her second year as coach of the Indians.
6. Central Catholic
After falling to Vanden in the Div. III championship and Aragon in the first round of the CIF State Div. II playoffs, the Raiders return two First-Team Valley Oak League selections (senior Grace Mathias and junior Tessa Gallo) and sophomore Abby Castillon.
Castillon was named the VOL’s MVP as a freshman and made the MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team. She led the team with 583 kills.
Central Catholic beat Ripon in four sets on Monday.
7. Modesto
The Panthers won 59 games in 2017 and 2018 and are entering a transitional year after the graduations of Alyssa Cover, Hannah Scott, and Sara Thornberry.
Also gone is Tori Galloway, the Bee’s Volleyball Player of the Year in 2018. Galloway is a freshman at Cal State Los Angeles and the Golden Eagles were recently selected to finish second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division. Stanislaus State was picked to finish second in the North Division.
Sophomore Kate Cover, who was third on the team with 262 kills last year, is one of the captains for the Panthers.
8. Games to Watch
Here are some games to watch with most of them being key league matchups:
Gregori at Central Catholic (Sept. 5), Escalon at Hilmar (Sept. 11), Central Catholic at Pitman (Sept. 12), Hilmar at Ripon (Oct. 2), Pitman at Gregori (Oct. 9), and Pitman at Turlock (Oct. 21).
9. Playoff Dates
Playoffs for Div. I-III will begin on Oct. 28 with Div. IV-VI starting the next day.
While sites are to be determined, championships are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 9.
CIF State NorCal playoffs begin the following Tuesday.
10. New facility coming to Ripon
Rage Volleyball Club, one of the premier clubs in the area, is opening a new facility at Mistlin Sports Park in Ripon in November.
The facility is over 28,000 square feet and will have six courts with four sand courts planned in the future.
Some area athletes who have played for the club include: Abby Castillon, Kate Cover, Olivia Keller, and Jazmyn Tubbs.
This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
