Turlock upset in volleyball playoffs

Turlock volleyball coach Amber Castillon was at a loss for words.

Following her team’s 25-20, 25-22, 20-25, 25-20 upset loss to Tracy in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs Thursday night, the fifth-year coach agreed that her team looked out of sync from the outset of the match.

Asked if she could explain the second-seeded Bulldogs’ uneven performance against No. 7 Tracy, Castillon paused.

And paused.

Finally, after careful reflection, she conceded that she didn’t have the answer.

“Well, that’s a million-dollar question.

“We had the right game plan, and felt strong in our strategies, but we were just out of sync and didn’t do what we needed to do to win.”

As a result, a postseason that began with so much promise, ends before it really got started.

In truth, the Bulldogs (32-10) began their postseason with the final game of the regular season, when they beat crosstown rival and five-time Central California Conference champ Pitman, ending the Pride’s 58-game league winning streak.

After gaining a share of its first league title since 2006, Turlock won a coin flip to determine who got the CCC’s No. 1 playoff berth. The No. 1, the Bulldogs were given a second seed in the D-I playoff bracket, while Pitman was seeded fourth.

On paper, the reigning section and Northern California champion Pride had the more treacherous path to the final, but easily dispatched Enochs and Tri-City Athletic League champ Lincoln.

Perhaps Turlock overlooked Tracy, the TCAL runner-up it beat 18-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-22 in Tracy on Sept. 17?

“Honestly, yes,” said Castillon.

Nevertheless, Castillon believes her team, which will only lose two seniors to graduation, can use this next season.

“It’s a bitter pill,” Castillon said. “But we can take this and tuck it in our back pocket.”

Pitman 3, Lincoln 1 in Turlock – The Pride had little trouble with the champions of the Tri-City Athletic League, winning 25-14, 12-25, 25-16, 25-19. With the victory, Pitman (27-6) will travel to El Dorado Hills to play top-seeded Oak Ridge (35-2) in the Division I semifinals on Tuesday. The Trojans overwhelmed Rodriguez 25-13, 25-8, 25-9 in a quarterfinal match Thursday.

For the Pride, outside hitter Whitney Barnes had 17 kills, setter Kiyanna Torres had 34 assists and libero Lauren Solis had 22 digs.

Sonora 3, Colfax 0 in Sonora – The defending CIF Division IV state champions easily handled the Falcons 25-10, 25-11, 25-20 to earn their fourth consecutive trip to the section semifinals.

The top-seeded Wildcats (29-4), winners of the past two D-IV section crowns, got 32 assists from setter Kiana Pisula and 15 kills from hitter Riley Patterson. Riley Henington added 12 digs and three ace serves while Kelsie Evans chipped in with three blocks.

Hilmar 3, Calaveras 0 in Hilmar – The No. 2 Yellowjackets (35-6) cruised to a 25-20, 25-21, 25-19 win over the Redskins (15-6) and are just one win from a third consecutive trip to the D-IV title game, where they’ve lost to Sonora the past two seasons.

Up next for Hilmar is third-seeded Bear River (38-3), which needed five games to beat No. 6 Escalon, 25-17, 26-28, 25-22, 14-25, 15-12.

Ripon 3, Woodland 2 in Woodland – The Indians defeated the Wolves 25-13, 25-17, 24-26, 21-25, 15-12 and advanced to the D-IV semis where they’ll take on defending state champion Sonora. Outside hitter Sam McCreath had 26 kills, setter Lauren Weibe had 55 assists and libero Ashlyn Eisenga had 44 digs. Middle blocker Breana Barrios had seven blocks and two ace serves.

Vista del Lago 3, El Capitan 0 in Folsom – The Gauchos ended their season with a 25-12, 25-17, 25-17 loss to the No. 3 seed in the Division III playoffs. Grace Lemmo led the Eagles with eight kills. El Capitan finished the season at 18-8.

Le Grand 3, Golden Sierra 2 in Garden Valley – The No. 13 seed Bulldogs survived their second five-game thriller on the road with a 22-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 15-10 win over No. 12 Golden Sierra. Katie Farnsworth (11 kills, 38 digs) and Arisbeth Ceja (10 kills, six blocks) led the Bulldogs (12-8), who will face top seed Vacaville Christian in the Division V semifinals on Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Turlock upset in volleyball playoffs."