Ripon caps perfect TVL championship season with sweep of Hilmar
Ripon High girls volleyball capped one of the best regular seasons in program history Thursday with a 25-20, 25-16, 25-13 sweep of second-place Hilmar to claim its 26th win.
The Indians finished perfect in Trans-Valley League play for the second straight season and dropped just one set this season. They outscored their league opponents 36-1.
“It felt good,” Ripon coach Gregory Soliz said of the team’s season. “But we talk about it every day in practice, we come every day and talk about our goals. We talk about how we haven’t done anything yet. We take it one game at a time. The wins have been there, but we’re still knowing we still have to focus on other teams.”
Thursday’s matchup was one between two of the top 15 teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section, with the Indians ranked No. 5 and the Yellowjackets No. 15. Ripon’s talented one-two punch of junior Adrianna Dorn and sophomore Jorie Eskes finished with 15 and 10 kills, respectively, and senior setter Katelyn Bogetti finished with 22 assists. Dorn also added six aces.
Ripon (26-2, 12-0 TVL) got ahead early in the first set Thursday night, taking a 10-8 lead early that expanded to 16-10 midway through the frame, forcing a Hilmar timeout. Ripon continued to take advantage of its strong offense, taking a 20-13 advantage before the Yellowjackets responded. They went on a 6-0 run, cutting Ripon’s lead to just one point before closing the opening set.
Strong serving from senior Finley Rosa powered the Yellowjackets back from a 4-1 hole to a 10-8 lead in the second set. Ripon played from behind early, but once it found its groove, it was dominant. The Indians took control of the second set and rolled the rest of the way, getting better as the match went on. In the third set, Ripon took 12-6, 14-8 and 16-11 leads. It outscored the Yellowjackets 9-2 to finish the match.
Both teams qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs after playing in arguably one of the deepest volleyball leagues in the section. The Indians and Yellowjackets were tested each league game by former section and state champions and teams looking to make deep playoff runs.
“Every game was like a playoff game, it didn’t matter who you were playing because the teams are so good,” Hilmar coach Patti Harris said.
The brackets will be released by the section office Friday afternoon and these two teams could meet again in the postseason as Ripon is the top team in Division IV and Hilmar is listed on MaxPreps as the No. 3 team.
Volleyball
Orestimba 3, Escalon 1: The Warriors won their first TVL and their 15th overall contest Thursday evening. While they advanced to finish the season at .500, the Cougars fell to 11-12 to finish the regular season.
Ripon Christian 3, Sonora 1: Ripon Christian finishes off the regular season 17-15 overall and 7-5 in TVL play, good for third place, after winning the season finale 25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22. The Knights enter the postseason with wins in five of their last six matches.
Flag Football
Riverbank 38, Gustine 24: The Bruins finish the season 4-4 in Mother Lode League play and 6-12 overall after earning the win Thursday. Riverbank finishes third in the league.
Manteca 14, Patterson 12: Patterson ended its second season 6-6 in Valley Oak League play after narrowly falling in Thursday’s contest to the league’s third-place team. Patterson finishes the regular season 7-13 overall and Manteca posted a 12-12 record.
Sierra 26, Oakdale 0: Sierra quarterback Maitland Kohoutek and receiver Janessa Barnes combined for 152 yards and two touchdowns through the air as the Mustangs were unable to earn their fifth VOL win this season. The Mustangs came away with an interception but threw two of their own in the regular season finale.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 10:15 AM.
