Escalon volleyball sweeps Liberty Ranch to open 2025 postseason
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- Escalon swept Liberty Ranch 3-0, propelled by 14 team aces and 30 assists.
- Emma Strong led offense with 12 kills; Hunt delivered 30 assists and six aces.
- Escalon faces No.5 El Dorado Thursday; a win secures NorCal berth and semis bid.
A 7-0 run in the second set of Escalon’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV first-round matchup against Liberty Ranch showed third-year head coach Shaylynn Beam what her team can accomplish this postseason.
The run included a kill and a block on back-to-back points by junior Peyton Houser-Keaton, a pair of blocks by sophomore Emma Strong and an ace by junior Brynn Caton to help seal a 25-20, 25-18, 25-10 sweep to send Escalon to the D-IV second round.
Escalon fell behind 5-6 early in the first set, but an 11-4 run that included back-to-back Avery Bartelink aces and a Houser-Keaton kill put the Cougars ahead 16-10 midway through the frame, forcing a Hawks timeout. Escalon rode that momentum to a first-set victory thanks to late kills from Strong and seniors Marissa Terry and Chloe Green.
The seven unanswered Cougars points in the second frame were part of a larger 10-4 run that gave the team momentum through the rest of the match.
Escalon never let Liberty Ranch gain momentum in the third set, taking an early 10-5 lead and opening up a 17-7 advantage. Liberty Ranch cut Escalon’s lead to single digits at 18-9, but the Cougars responded with a 7-1 run, highlighted by one kill from Payton Abbott, an ace from Haven MacKinnon and three kills from Strong, including the match point.
Strong finished with 12 kills, Green added 10, and Houser-Keaton and Terry added five and four kills, respectively. Junior setter Aniston Hunt had 30 assists and six aces.
As a team, Escalon finished the match with 14 aces, representing one of the pillars of the Cougars’ success all season. “Serving and serve receive are half of the game,” Beam said, “so we try to hone in on those skills.”
After competing in the Division III bracket the past few seasons due to continued success and after not making the semifinals the past two seasons, the Cougars are now competing in the Division IV bracket. They earned their third straight first-round win, one in each of Beam’s first three seasons as varsity head coach, and now shift their focus to the quarterfinals. A win Thursday not only secures the Cougars a spot in the semifinals, it also guarantees they advance to the Northern California regional tournament for the first time under Beam.
Despite a first-round sweep, Beam knows the Cougars’ next opponent, No. 5 El Dorado, will be more of a challenge. The Cougars from Placerville finished first in the Sierra Valley Conference and have a pair of league wins over Liberty Ranch in four and three sets.
They’ll need to clean up their back row passing on defense, but that is what practice on Wednesday is for. Then they have the quick turnaround to Thursday’s 6 p.m. home game against El Dorado.
“We’re trying to get to the semis,” Beam said. “There’s excitement. Everyone’s in the same boat. I told our girls today, no one wants to lose, no one wants to go home, so continue to do your job and work hard. We had moments tonight when we didn’t, but we did the job in set three.”
2025 Sac-Joaquin Section first round scores
Division I
No. 8 Davis Sr. 3, No. 9 Turlock 0: The Bulldogs’ season ends with a 22-11 record after their first round 25-21, 25-23, 25-23 loss on the road to Davis Sr. High School.
No. 5 Pitman 3, No. 12 Franklin 2: Pitman claimed its sixth straight win in Tuesday’s first-round matchup against Franklin in a five-set 25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-9 thriller. The Pride travel to Stockton on Thursday to play St. Mary’s in a No. 4 vs No. 5 matchup.
No. 7 River City 3, No. 10 Downey 2: Downey was competitive on the road in Tuesday’s Division I first-round matchup. After dropping the first two sets, the Knights rallied back, taking the third and fourth before running out of steam in the fifth set, 25-23, 25-14, 21-25, 18-25, 15-7. The Knights finish the season 25-12 overall and were the CCAL’s third-place team.
Division III
No. 1 Ripon 3, McNair 0: The three-time undefeated Trans-Valley League champion and defending section champion, Ripon won 25-17, 25-20, 25-13 in a first-round matchup against McNair. The top-seeded Ripon hosts Stanislaus District foe Oakdale on Thursday.
No. 8 Oakdale 3, No. 9 River Valley 2: The Valley Oak League co-champion, Oakdale won a thrilling five-set home match in the first round of the D-III playoffs . The Mustangs travel to top-seed and defending section champion Ripon Thursday.
No. 2 Ripon Christian 3, Twelve Bridges 0: Ripon Christian got better as its first-round matchup against Twelve Bridges went on Tuesday night, winning 25-21, 25-13, 25-11. The Knights look to continue their postseason at home Thursday against No. 10 Los Banos.
Division IV
No. 5 El Dorado 3, No. 12 Central Catholic 0: The Raiders fell in the opening round of the D-IV postseason in a road match against El Dorado, 25-16, 25-21, 25-22. El Dorado travels to Escalon in a 5 vs 4 matchup Thursday.
No. 3 Hughson 3, No. 14 Casa Roble 0: The Huskies went from 15 wins last season to a top-three seed in the D-IV bracket. Hughson won its 25th game this year with a three-set 25-17, 25-6, 25-11 opening-round victory over the Rams. The Huskies host No. 6 Union Mine on Thursday at 6 p.m.
No. 2 West Campus 3, No. 15 Orestimba 0: Orestimba fell in the first round of the postseason, 25-6, 25-5, 25-15 and finish the season 11-21 overall.
Division V
No. 2 Hilmar 3, No. 15 Leroy Greene Academy 0: Defending NorCal champion and state championship game qualifier Hilmar kicked off its 2025 playoffs with a 25-11, 25-3, 25-16 win over the No. 15 Lions. The Yellowjackets host seven-seed Futures in the second round of the section playoffs.
Division VI
No. 1 Big Valley Christian 3, Esparto 0: The Lions earned their 25th overall win and stayed perfect at home on the season, winning 25-10, 25-11, 25-10 over Esparto. The Lions host eight-seed Stone Ridge Christian, a rival dating back to when the two teams where in the Central California Athletic Alliance prior to league realignment.
Monday Play-in Scores
Division I
Tokay 3, Grace Davis 0
Division III
McNair 3, Beyer 0
Division VI
Esparto 3, Vanguard College Prep 0
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 11:08 AM.
