Escalon advances to third straight section final with thrilling win over Ponderosa

When the ball hit the floor out of bounds and the whistle blew signaling a win for Escalon in its Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinal match against Ponderosa, Cougars outside hitter Emily Vickers burst into tears of joy.

She wasn’t alone in her exuberance.

Setter Rylie Lattig hugged coach Teresa Williamson, their teammates jumped up and down on the sidelines and members of the student section spilled off the bleachers, some running onto the court.

The top seeded Cougars came out on top after a five-set slugfest with the No. 4 Bruins, 25-18, 13-25, 25-19, 20-25, 16-14, advancing to Saturday’s section final where they will play last year’s Division III runner up, Christian Brothers.

“You could just tell walking in that both teams wanted it so bad,” said Vickers. “Whoever loses doesn’t get to go to sections so it was a really big deal.

“(Winning) feels so good, I’m so happy right now. When that last point hit, I started crying because I was so happy.”

Escalon advances to its third straight section title game. They took home back-to-back Division IV titles in 2019 and 2021. This is the first time it will play for a blue banner in Division III.

“I feel like us being a D-4 team but moving up to D-3 for playoffs, we are the underdog even though we’re seeded first,” said Williamson. “I think that puts a lot of pressure on us but this is the team I want to play in D-3 with.”

They played tougher competition in their preseason and at local tournaments, but nothing can prepare a team for a playoff atmosphere. After sweeping their way through the first round and quarterfinals, the Bruins proved to be the best team Escalon played this postseason.

“They showed a lot of heart and character and they never gave up all the way through the fifth set,” said Williamson. “It was about who was going to make the least errors.”

Escalon pulled ahead 2-1 but Ponderosa looked like it took momentum back in the fourth. An early five-point lead prompted a Cougars time out and though they were able to pull within one point at 16-15, the Bruins opened it up with five unanswered capped by two straight blocks at the net, making it a 21-15 game.

Ponderosa’s defense was good at the net and even better in coverage. The Cougars had to adjust.

“We knew that the tip wasn’t open … so we just had to swing,” Vickers said. “It was hard because the block was big. It felt like stuff that we were doing wasn’t working, but I think just staying mentally tough helped a lot.”

The fifth set was back and forth. Ponderosa would go up one, Escalon would tie. The Cougars only led twice in the set. First at 7-6, then at 15-14. They scored the game’s final two points.

Their veterans came up big when the team needed it most. Lattig finished with 51 assists, 16 digs and three aces. Senior Faye Hernandez tallied a team-high 27 digs and junior Macie Vickers added 13 digs.

“In the beginning we were kind of down because we would be making plays, they were just putting it away,” said Vickers who finished with a 20-kill, 20-dig double double. “I think just coming together as a team really helped us in the end.

“It was intense but it’s definitely a moment that you want to be in. It’s something you wouldn’t trade for the world. It’s such a good feeling, especially pulling it out.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 10:46 AM.

Quinton Hamilton

The Modesto Bee

Quinton Hamilton covers high school sports for The Modesto Bee. He is a Southern California native and received his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College and a master’s in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Quinton has worked at the Record-Journal in Meriden and helped on projects at Hearst Connecticut.