Ripon High volleyball advances to second straight section final after semis sweep
Kylee Fullmer won’t play volleyball in college while pursuing a nursing degree from Grand Canyon University, so she is determined to make her final few matches count.
Last season as a junior, she helped lead Ripon to its first volleyball section title since 2016. This season, in her senior year, she’s determined to help her team get back to the top of its division.
“This is my last year playing volleyball,” she said. “It really motivates me that this is my last season ever playing, so I really want to win back-to-back section championships. We already won league, so I want to win (a section title) again.”
Tuesday in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals, Fullmer did her part to keep the team alive. No. 1 seed Ripon swept visiting No. 4 West Campus, 25-14, 25-16, 25-19, to advance to its second straight Division IV section championship game. It will be played Saturday at a time and location to be determined by the section.
“We are feeling great,” said Fullmer, who finished with 11 kills, two aces and four digs. “We have a great team. I love this team. This is one of my favorite teams I’ve ever played on. We have really great chemistry and I’m really glad that we were able to get back.”
By beating West Campus in straight sets, Ripon finished a three-game stretch in which it swept its way to the final. It beat Amador and Hilmar in the first two rounds of the postseason in three sets. Over the past three weeks, Ripon has won eight straight matches. They have dropped just one set in the win streak.
“I told the girls from the beginning that we had to focus on the team in front of us,” coach Greg Soliz said of the team’s playoff success.
Ripon took early leads in the first two sets, jumping ahead 10-6 in the first and 12-7 in the second. A 6-0 opening set run gave Ripon a 16-6 lead. During the run, kills leader Adriana Dorn put away four of her team-high 16 kills. A pair of aces later in the set helped Ripon take a 20-13 advantage, and a back-row kill a few points later finished off a dominant first set. The second was more of the same. An early lead gave them enough of a cushion to coast to victory.
The third was more challenging as West Campus took an early 8-7 lead. After that, there were eight lead changes in a back-and-forth affair. After tying the game at 17, Ripon outscored the visitors 8-2 to finish the match.
Like the team did all season, Ripon remained calm under pressure Tuesday. The Indians credit a lot of the success in their 30-win season to the fact that they returned eight players from last season’s section championship team.
“I think last year was an introduction to everything,” said Dorn, a sophomore in her second varsity season. “Last year being in the playoffs helped us with this year because we know what to expect.”
To take down the fourth seed in D-IV, Ripon had to shut down a trio of Warriors. Margo Melgoza, Kamea Ayin and Sophia Barnes each entered the semifinal match with over 140 kills.
“We watched a lot of film on where they like to hit,” Dorn said of the team’s defensive preparation, “and we set up our block and our defense based on that. We practice (defense) a lot and I think that really shows in the game with us going for every ball.”
Ripon advances to the title match, where it faces second-seed Ripon Christian, which also swept its way through the first three rounds, beating Highlands, Hughson and El Dorado
“I think the city is going to be excited for it and I think it’s going to be a battle,” Soliz said.
2023 playoff scores
Volleyball semifinals
Christian Brothers 3, Beyer 0
Central Catholic 3, Placer 1
Ripon Christian 3, El Dorado 0
Bradshaw Christian 3, Big Valley Christian 0
Girls Water Polo
McClatchy 13, Davis 6
Rocklin 16, Pitman 7
Turlock 19, Lincoln 2
Merced 16, Johansen 4
