Pitman volleyball falls to Oak Ridge in 2022 Sac-Joaquin Section playoff rematch
Every team has one game that sets the tone for the rest of its season and for the Pitman High volleyball team, that could have come Thursday when the Pride hosted reigning section champion Oak Ridge in a rematch of the 2022 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal.
Pitman entered the match the No. 2 ranked team in the section by MaxPreps while Oak Ridge was No. 17. On paper it was an upset, but the Pride knew what they were dealing with when they scheduled the match with six seniors and a number of returners who experienced last season’s playoff run.
The Pride looked every bit a top five team in the section after jumping out to a quick two set lead, but as the match progressed Oak Ridge never went away. The Trojans took early leads in the third and fourth sets en route to tying the match at 2-2, forcing a 15-point fifth set.
Pitman fell into an eight point hole in the fifth and though they rallied, fell to the Trojans, 17-25, 25-27, 25-19, 25-20, 15-10.
“I really wanted to win this game, but we will hopefully have playoffs where we’ll have a chance to play them again.” said senior Ella Sniezek, who finished with a team-high 16 kills and 12 digs.
The biggest lesson they learned: consistency.
When things went well, the Pride were covering holes defensively and attacking with hard swings offensively. When Oak Ridge gained momentum, energy slowly dwindled on Pitman’s side of the net.
“We started off strong, we had a plan we executed, we played well defensively and in serve receive,” Pitman coach Kristen Pontes-Christian said. “Then they picked it up and on our side we started not doing the things that we worked on. Defensively we weren’t covering our corners, we weren’t getting to base and they used that to their advantage. They served tough and their go-to hitter was good.”
Pitman’s 13 wins to start the season makes it one of just nine teams in the section’s Top 25 with 10 or more victories. Of their wins, they swept 11 opponents and never played in a five set match.
“We talked about being assertive from the beginning, being confident. When they (Oak Ridge) started playing really well and hitting spots, we just kind of froze up versus playing,” Pontes-Christian said. “We haven’t had these tough matches much this year so this is good for us. We put it all out there that first and second set and we were tired in the third, fourth and fifth. So we’re going to work on that.”
The Pride knew their top defensive assignment was keeping senior Elle Weaver in check.
Weaver, a Brown University commit, was the Trojans kills leader last season and had a game-high 15 kills and 14 digs in the semifinal match. She entered Thursday’s match with 40 kills in her team’s first three contests.
As the match went on, Weaver and the Trojans got stronger. Weaver was dominant in the final three sets, putting points away from the front and back row. She led the Trojans to an 8-0 lead in the fifth set, putting away four early kills.
“We talked about cheating over to her on the block and finding her, but she was still successful, especially towards the end,” Pontes-Christian said. “She still found those spots and our block was not effective and not quick enough to her. She even got points from the back row.
“It’s huge to be able to have a six rotational hitter.”
The Pride and Trojans could likely match up again this postseason. If the two sides meet, it will be the eighth time in 10 seasons. Pitman won three of the first four contests with all three wins coming in the Division I section playoffs, but hasn’t beaten Oak Ridge since 2016. The Trojans lead the series 3-4.
“We have a lot of history,” Pontes-Christian said. “This is good for us, we need to see this competition. We can definitely see them in the playoffs again.”
The Pride will play Mariposa County, Los Banos and Yosemite of Oakhurst in the Central California Classic this weekend and take on Ripon Christian Monday in their final non-league match before starting Central California Athletic League play Wednesday against Gregori.
“I wanted to front load us and get us some more matches in the beginning. This one was a big one. I wish I could have pulled it off but that’s okay,” Pontes-Christian said. “That’s what we want. We want to be playoff ready.”
This story was originally published September 8, 2023 at 11:27 AM.
