Escalon volleyball earns sweep in first NorCal Regional win since 2022
When the Escalon High School volleyball team lost to Sonora in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals, there were likely mixed emotions.
During Trans-Valley League play, the Wildcats won each match in three sets, but in the postseason, the Cougars pushed the match to four. While the loss marked them one step short of playing for a section title, the semifinals appearance meant that for the first time under coach Shaylynn Beam, Escalon would advance to the Northern California Regional matches in the CIF state volleyball playoffs. Escalon was awarded the No. 3 seed in the Division V bracket when seeds were announced Sunday, securing home matches for at least the first two rounds.
“It would have been nice to have won and upset (Sonora) but it took a little bit of the pressure off just knowing that win or lose, our season wasn’t over,” the third-year varsity coach said.
In the first Northern California regional appearance for the entire Escalon team and coaching staff, the Cougars (17-15) jumped out to a lead early and never looked back against No. 14 Wonderful College Prep Academy of Delano (28-9-2), sweeping the visiting Wolves, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18, keeping their season alive for one more match. This year’s team is the first to secure a regional postseason berth and win a match since 2022.
“It couldn’t have happened with a better group of girls,” Beam said. “It’s very exciting and I’m very proud of them. … It’s a very big accomplishment and I think we need to remember that.”
Escalon jumped out to a quick 9-2 first set lead, forcing a Wolves timeout. An Avery Bartelink ace, two kills from Emma Strong (eight kills, 17 digs) and a Chloe Green kill were all part of a 6-3 run that gave the Cougars a 16-7 win midway through the frame. A quick 5-0 run cut Escalon’s lead to five points but Escalon allowed just four points for the rest of the set. A pair of late Brynn Caton aces helped seal the opening set win. Green finished with a team-high 14 kills and Bartelink had 13 digs. Setter Aniston Hunt finished with 31 assists and 12 digs
“We were just focusing on playing our style of volleyball. I think we did a good job of realizing who they were and what was open as the match went on,” Beam said.
Both teams played in a back-and-forth second set where the Cougars did not take control until late. After a 20-18 advantage, they finished the frame on a 5-1 run to take a commanding 2-0 match lead. After a 14-14 tie in the third set, a Payton Abbott kill sparked a 7-1 run that fueled the Cougars to a match-sealing victory.
“Last week was really mental for us, it was a tough loss” Beam said. “Everyone wanted to go to sections. We took a day off on Wednesday then it was back to practice on Thursday. To get a win in three and kind of take the pressure off, everyone’s having fun and I think the girls really needed that.”
Beam said she was pleased with how the Cougars played in the first set, maintaining around a 10-point lead for the entire frame, but saw things to work on moving forward before Thursday’s match against what will likely be a better opponent.
Division V No. 6 seed Kelseyville took third place in the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. The Knights lost to eventual champion Urban in the semifinals but beat Montgomery in the third place match in four sets.
The Knights finished 13-1 in the North Central I league and enter Thursday’s match 23-9 overall with momentum after a dominant 25-13, 25-8, 25-14 win over KIPP King.
Stanislaus District first round scores
Division II
No. 2 St. Francis of Sacramento 3, No. 15 Ripon 1: Ripon, the undefeated 12-0 TVL champion, saw its season end in the opening round of the state tournament at the hands of the second-ranked team in the D-II bracket 25-20, 25-27, 25-21. 25-20. Ripon finished the season 28-6 overall.
Division III
No. 8 Bullard 3, No. 9 Hughson 1: Hughson, fresh off winning its first ever section title, fell on the road to Bullard of Fresno in four competitive sets, 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20. The Huskies lost the first two frames but battled back in the third to avoid a sweep before ultimately falling in the fourth. Hughson finishes the season 28-11 overall, the program’s most wins in at least 20 years.
No. 14 Shasta 3, No. 3 Pitman 2: Pitman earned a spot in the state tournament as an at-large team despite losing in the quarterfinals because it was the top ranked team from the Sac-Joaquin Section to not receive an automatic entry. The Pride hosted and fell to No. 14 Shasta 14-25, 25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 16-14. The Pride’s season ends with a 27-11 overall record and another perfect CCAL campaign.
Division IV
No. 1 Ripon Christian — BYE
Division V
No. 2 Hilmar 3, No. 15 Encinal 0: Defending NorCal champion Hilmar started its 2025 state run with a 25-17, 25-23, 25-18 sweep of visiting Encinal from Alameba. They Yellowjackets face No. 7 Palma in the second round after the Chieftains swept Oakland Tech at home Tuesday night.
Division VI
No. 8 Laytonville at No. 1 Big Valley Christian: Will play Wednesday at 6 p.m. Division VI is a regional tournament only, so the Lions will have to win three matches for a NorCal title.
Stanislaus District Round II matches
Thursday, Nov. 13
Division IV
No. 8 West Valley at No. 1 Ripon Christian
Division V
No. 6 Kelseyville at No. 3 Escalon
No. 7 Palma at No. 2 Hilmar
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 8:53 AM.
