Protect this house: Escalon volleyball stuns rival Ripon

On the evening’s penultimate point, Kylee Irwin-Paz leaned forward out of her back row position and clapped her hands together, willing her teammates to the finish.

“We got this,” the Escalon senior said. “This is our house.”

Moments later, the Cougars showed their Trans-Valley League rival the door, completing a thrilling five-game victory over Ripon, 18-25, 25-21, 15-25, 25-21, 15-9.

The Cougars (8-8, 2-0) trailed 2-1 and looked out of sorts in front of their home fans, but a strategic lineup change provided just the spark.

Escalon coach Kayla Kootstra moved struggling setter Taylor Laugero to the back row, where’s she accustomed to playing for her club team, and asked Cydney Keener to run the offense.

The Cougars never looked back, repelling their longtime rival for the ninth straight time.

“It brought a breath of fresh air,” Kootstra said of Keener’s presence on the floor. “She really stepped up and stepped into a role I hadn’t asked her to play in a little bit. Props to her because I felt like that was the turning point for us.”

After a rough-and-tumble non-conference season, the Cougars beamed after wresting a victory away from the Indians (8-5, 1-1). Kootstra said the Cougars, who have juggled their lineup because of injury, needed to know they could win a marathon match against a playoff-caliber opponent.

“We’ve been up and down all season, and tonight we were up and down. It was great to see the perseverance the girls had, to push and fight after being down 2-1,” Kootstra said. “It was a great mental victory, as well as a great actual victory.

“We now know we can come back against a good team and win. We’ve been talking a lot about mental fortitude and perseverance, and I felt like girls came out and showed that.”

Ripon coach Adrienne Beltrami hasn’t beaten Escalon since taking over the program in 2011, and the intensity of another five-match loss collected in her eyes afterward.

The Indians, powered by sisters Samantha and Madison McCreath, had victory within their treach, only to see it slip away in the fourth and fifth games.

Like Irwin-Paz, Beltrami leaned forward and issued a message of her own: See you at our house.

“I believed we should have finished in the fourth set. We had the momentum in the third. Going five is always hard, especially in this environment,” Beltrami said. “We definitely showed a lot of our strengths and what we can do. I think we let it be known that when they come to our house … it won’t go five.”

Samantha McCreath finished with a match-high 19 kills. The hard-hitting junior lifted the Indians to a 2-1 lead with five service points, a series of booming kills and one very poignant assist to her sister midway through the third game.

After Sarah DeFreitas extended a point with a pancake, Samantha flipped a pass to Madison, who finished along the wing to give the Indians a 12-6 lead.

The momentum was fleeting, though, as Kootstra acted on desperation before Game 4. She shuffled her lineup, hoping to settle her team and establish a rhythm. Keener calmed the offense, while Laugero helped shore up the defense.

And just like that, Escalon was on the attack.

Irwin-Paz led the Cougars with 12 kills, while Nicole Sarkozy finished with 10. Despite her struggles, Laugero had 26 assists. Natalie Bianchi tallied 20 digs, while Reily Rocha, Laugero and Irwin-Paz had one block apiece.

Escalon closed the match with an 8-2 run, sealing the win with a tip after another long rally.

Lauren Wiebe had 39 assists, Ashlyn Eisenga 37 digs and Breanna Barrios eight blocks for Ripon, smarting from its third straight five-game loss to Escalon.

“This is my fifth year and every single year we’ve lost to Escalon. I don’t think it’s a lack of talent or ability. Escalon is just used to beating us,” Beltrami said. “So as soon as we make that change, I think we’ll have more confidence.

“When we got into a situation when it was neck and neck, we started doing things we hadn’t done all night. Escalon went on a run in the fifth set, and when you’re playing to 15, you can’t let that happen. There’s no margin for error.”

Ripon Christian-Ripon canceled

Ripon Christian will not play Ripon this season. Ripon Christian athletic director Kevin Tameling said the nonconference meeting on Oct. 14 has been canceled because of a scheduling conflict.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Protect this house: Escalon volleyball stuns rival Ripon."