Roundup: Pitman back in D-I section volleyball final; Hilmar, Sonora meet for D-IV crown for third consecutive season
It seems unlikely that a team could advance to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I volleyball final, lose its best player to the University of Oregon and still find a way to get back there again the next season.
Apparently, it’s not all that unlikely.
Fourth-seeded Pitman (28-6) upset No. 1 Oak Ridge 25-21, 18-25, 25-16, 19-25, 15-6 in El Dorado Hills to earn a rematch with No. 3 Pleasant Grove (36-4), a 25-23, 25-14, 25-15 winner over Tracy.
Pitman (Lindsey Vander Weide) and Pleasant Grove (Sumeet Gill) each lost its best player to the Pacific-12 Conference university.
Yet, here they are again, and they’ll play Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Tokay High School in Lodi.
The Pride, which rode its section title all the way to a berth in the CIF State Championship match, relied on that recent big-game experience against favored Oak Ridge.
“I think the returners had a real sense of confidence in this game,” Pitman coach Kristen Pontes-Christian said. “There was not only a confidence but a kind of calmness. They played very relaxed.”
Sophomore Whitney Barnes, a freshman on last year’s Northern California championship squad, played what Pontes-Christian called “an amazing match” with 14 kills.
“She really stepped up,” the coach said.
Yisel Perez contributed 13 kills, while middle blockers Kaylin Randhawa and Katie Willett had five blocks apiece. Setter Kiyanna Torres had 30 assists, and libero Lauren Solis had 22 digs.
“Our defense and our blocking were great tonight,” Pontes-Christian said.
Another rematch – The Division I final won’t be the only rematch Saturday at Tokay. For the third consecutive season, No. 2 Hilmar will take on top-seeded Sonora, the two-time defending section champion and reigning state titleholder. The teams square off at 2:30 p.m.
Hilmar (36-6) beat Bear River 25-18, 25-17, 25-18 in one semifinal, getting 24 kills and 12 digs from Pacific-bound Emily Baptista. The Yellowjackets also got 29 assists from setter Hannah Pearce and 19 digs from libero Avery Martin. Defensive specialist Sara Theodozio had 14 digs.
In the other semfinal, Sonora (30-4) topped Ripon 25-9, 25-20, 25-15, getting 31 assists and three aces from setter Kiana Pisula, while outside hitter Riley Patterson had 17 kills. Bella Patterson had 19 digs and Kelsie Evans had four blocks.
For the Indians (16-10), libero Ashlyn Eisenga had 30 digs, with outside hitter Sam McCreath contributing 12 kills and two aces. Breana Borrios had six blocks, and Lauren Weibe and Stephanie Petlansky had nine assists each.
This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 3:58 AM with the headline "Roundup: Pitman back in D-I section volleyball final; Hilmar, Sonora meet for D-IV crown for third consecutive season."