Women's Volleyball State Championship Preview: North field best ever, South presents mystery
CCCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
FRESNO - The 44th edition of the CCCAA Women's Volleyball Championship tournament features the toughest North Region 4-team field in NorCal history. What the South Region brings with its four qualifiers to Fresno City College Friday-Sunday, Dec. 3-5 is certainly four battle-ready teams but it's anyone's guess as to which ones will actually step up to contend for this year's crown.
All matches will be broadcast live by BAOSN. Links for each match, as well as links to live stats, photos and more, are available at the Tournament Headquarters website here.
Feather River College, the defending state champion from 2019, hasn't let a year lost to the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of returning to the 8-team dance behind the spirited head coaching efforts of NorCal Coach of the Year Sarah Ritchie. The North #1 seeded Golden Eagles were ranked No. 1 in the final regular season CCCWVCA State Top 25 and is the favorite to repeat with a sparkling 31-1 record and a current 22-match win streak.
West Valley, NorCal's #2 seed thanks to two victories over #3 Fresno CC at the start of the season, is playing its best volleyball since those first few matches with blowout regional sweeps over #15 Cosumnes River and #7 San Mateo. But #3 and tourney host Fresno seemed to have passed the Vikings by with a sweep over WVC in a third encounter between the teams at the early-season San Joaquin Delta Classic. FCC (30-3) also handed Feather River its only loss on the same day--Sept. 11. The day before the Rams beat as well what turned out to be the North's #4 seed American River (a #5 seed at regionals). That started a dominating 17-match win streak for Fresno as it won 47 consecutive sets between Sept. 11-Oct. 23 and topped the #1 state ranking for six straight weeks.
A rematch with Feather River (in a classic played at Delta) ended the sets and win streak as the Golden Eagles outlasted the Rams in five sets, rallying from 2-1 down to win the last two games, 25-23 and 15-13. FRC has been on top of the rankings ever since and recorded a stunning victory over NCAA Division III and nationally 24-ranked UC Santa Cruz during its current streak. Fresno, a state champ in 2016, could very well be Feather River's biggest threat and with home advantage as well. American River (25-6), the 2018 state champions, is on fire with nine straight wins including a sweep over Big 8 champion Sierra in the regional finals on Nov. 27.
And what about the South? Well, between monster upsets by lower seeds and a season recovered by one qualifier after it received a forfeit, the one constant appears to be South #1 seed Bakersfield. At #4 in the final regular season rankings, The Renegades (22-1) have won 19 in a row and have been steady under the direction of SoCal Coach of the Year Carl Ferreira. Bakersfield would like to end a stretch in which the North has won four of the last five state tournaments.
San Diego Mesa, the new #2 seed (#3 in regionals), looked like its season was over when it was shockingly swept by #14 Long Beach City College in Round 1, but unfortunately for the Vikings they had to forfeit the match for using an ineligible player. The Olympians (22-4) seized the moment of redemption by knocking off #6 Moopark in four sets on Monday to reach their first state tourney since 2006. Mesa also happens to have wins over each of the other three South qualifiers, including handing Bakersfield its only defeat in a sweep on Sept. 4.
Grossmont, a #13 seed, proved giant slayer with upsets over #4 Cypress (a sweep) and #5 Santa Barbara City (four sets). The Griffins (19-4), who split their two conference matches v. PCAC champ Mesa, have won eight of their last nine and return to the state tourney as a #3 South seed after appearing at the 2019 championships. Grossmont finished that year tied for third place and pushed Feather River to five sets before being eliminated in the semifinals. The Griffins also are the only South team here to have won state titles, winning in 1987 and 1989.
Finally, Cinderella story College of the Canyons, the original #15 seed, grabbed the #4 South state seed thanks to three victories during the regionals. The Cougars needed five sets to beat #18 Mt. San Jacinto in the Play-In Round, then rocked the volleyball world by sweeping #2 Pasadena City, a team that had been ranked #3 in the state and tops in the region for nine weeks while ending the Lancers' 20-match win streak. After starting the season at 2-8, COC finished off the improbable trip to state by rallying from 2-1 sets down and a 20-18 deficit in the third set to defeat #10 Ventura in the regional finals.
In an interesting quirk, only the Western State Conference South Division (two) and Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (two) have representatives at this year's state tournament. For the first time in six years and just the third time ever, no Orange Empire Conference team advanced to state. The WSC North Division saw all three of its tri-champions eliminated, two on home court, in the regional finals. The South Coast Conference won't have a participant for the first time since 2017.
This year, seven members of the 12-player All-State Team made it to the state tourney, including six All-Americans. Three of the last four state champion programs, Feather River-2019, American River-2018, Fresno-2016, are back in the state tourney in 2021. All three head coaches for those respective schools are still at the bench for their programs. Both Fresno and ARC have each advanced to their third consecutive state tournament.
Here are capsules on the Elite Eight Teams at the 2021 State Tournament:
NORTH SEEDS
N1-FEATHER RIVER
31-1 RECORD
Golden Valley Conference Champions
HEAD COACH: Sarah Ritchie
ROAD TO FRESNO: swept #16 Hartnell, swept #9 San Joaquin Delta
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA 1st Team All-American, All-State opposite Courtney Oilar, 2nd Team All-American, All-State libero Madison Gray
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 22 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 2-0
SWEEPS: 22
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2019 (state champions)
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 4, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019
FUN FACTS: Feather River is 66-3 since the start of the 2019 season. In 2018, FRC last lost a playoff match in the regional final v. Gavilan. The three other teams to reach the '18 state tournament? Then #8 seed West Valley, #6 Fresno, and #5 American River (who won the title). FRC was the #10 seed that year.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. S4 Canyons, Friday, 7 p.m.
N2-WEST VALLEY
21-4 RECORD
Coast Conference South Division Champions
HEAD COACH: Armen Zakarian
ROAD TO FRESNO: swept #15 Cosumnes River, swept #7 San Mateo
KEY PLAYERS: 3rd Team All-American, All-State OH Taylor Tullo, 2nd Team All-American, All-NorCal Region setter Sydney Rogers
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 4 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 1-1
SWEEPS: 18
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2018
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 5, 2002, 2003 (highest finish-tie 3rd), 2005, 2006, 2018
FUN FACTS: The Vikings have won 6-of-10 sets v. N3 seed Fresno, who are 89-5 in sets v. everyone else. In WVC's two regional sweeps, the average set score margin was 25-14.5. Feather River topped that in their two regional sweeps at 25-13.5.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. S3 Grossmont, Friday, 1 p.m.
N3-FRESNO CITY
30-3 RECORD
Central Valley Conference Champions
HEAD COACH: Kieran Roblee
ROAD TO HOME: swept #14 De Anza, swept #6 Cabrillo
KEY PLAYERS: 1st Team All-American, All-State MB Diamond'Nique Young, 3rd Team All-American, All-State RS/OH Leah Pagani
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 7 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 0-1
SWEEPS: 28
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2019
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 7, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016 (state champions), 2018, 2019
FUN FACTS: Fresno is the fourth different college in the last seven championships to advance to host a state tournament. The others were Cabrillo (2014), Canyons (2015), and Pierce (2016). El Camino was the only host-college state champ back in 1981. Forty-years later, Fresno will try to match the feat.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. S2 San Diego Mesa, Friday, 4 p.m.
N4-AMERICAN RIVER
25-6 RECORD
Big 8 Conference, 2nd Place
HEAD COACH: Carson Lowden
ROAD TO FRESNO: As #5 seed, beat #12 Solano in 4, swept #4 Sierra
KEY PLAYERS: All-State OH Awelina Fakalata, setter Sabrina Bigley
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 9 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 2-1
SWEEPS: 21
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2019
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 9, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2013, 2018 (state champions), 2019
FUN FACTS: In 2018's state title run, ARC was 0-2 v. Big 8 rival Sierra in conference play, and then as the #5 seed upset Sierra in Round 2 of the regionals. The exact scenario happened again this year. Deja vu, anyone?
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. S1 Bakersfield, Friday, 10 a.m.
S1-BAKERSFIELD
22-1 RECORD
Western State Conference South Division Champions
HEAD COACH: Carl Ferreira
ROAD TO FRESNO: Won in 4 v. #17 Fullerton, swept #9 Orange Coast
KEY PLAYERS: 1st Team All-American/All-State MB Aly Dees, OH Kami Marion
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 19 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 3-0
SWEEPS: 13
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2018
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 3, 1993 (highest finish-4th), 2009, 2018
FUN FACTS: Since the start of 2016, Bakersfield has become a dynamo in the South with a record of 116-20 (.853 win percentage). This includes a 9-0 mini 2020 season played in early 2021 as part of a 6-team Central Cali Bubble. This year in counting matches, the Renegades are a combined 31-1 between the two seasons.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. N4 American River, Friday, 10 a.m.
S2-SAN DIEGO MESA
22-4 RECORD
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Champions
HEAD COACH: Bobbi Jo Stall
KEY PLAYERS: All-SoCal Region MB/Opposite Isabelle Bakken, All-SoCal OH/Opposite Hailey Henderson
ROAD TO FRESNO: As #3 seed, won by forfeit over #14 Long Beach (reversed 3-0 loss), won in 4 v. #6 Moorpark
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 13 matches (1 by forfeit)
5-SET MATCHES: 2-1
SWEEPS: 12
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2006
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 3, 1994, 2004 (highest finish-state runner-up), 2006
FUN FACTS: Fifteen years ago, Stall played for SD Mesa at the '06 state tournament at Fresno Pacific University. She had a high of 23 kills (No. 36 on the state tourney's all-time kills list) in one of the Mesa wins during then a double-elimination, 8-team tourney. The Olympians and now Stall make a return to state and to Fresno but this time with Stall directing the team on the SD Mesa bench.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. N3 Fresno City, Friday, 4 p.m.
S3-GROSSMONT
19-4 RECORD
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, 2nd Place
HEAD COACH: Brooke Callahan
KEY PLAYERS: MB Alexcis Morris (2017 All-SoCal Region/PCAC MVP/2019 individual pairs state beach champ), libero Rylee Suggett
ROAD TO FRESNO: As #13 seed, swept #4 Cypress, won in 4 v. #5 Santa Barbara City
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 6 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 2-2
SWEEPS: 15
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2019
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 9, 1987 (state champions), 1988, 1989 (state champions), 1990, 1992, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019
FUN FACTS: Serving as interim head coach in 2019, Callahan directed Grossmont to a third place state finish, and then returned the Griffins this season to a second straight state appearance. Back in 2015, Callahan was an All-State selection at MB for the Grossmont. At the 2014 Cabrillo-hosted state tourney, Callahan made the All-State Tournament team in helping the Griffins take third place. She hit the clinching kill in a 5-set win over Feather River.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. N2 West Valley, Friday, 1 p.m.
S4-CANYONS
16-10 RECORD
Western State Conference South Division, 2nd Place
HEAD COACH: Clay Timmons
KEY PLAYERS: OH/Opposite Damani Harvey, setter/libero Abby Sherman
ROAD TO FRESNO: As #15 seed, won in 5 over #18 Mt. San Jacinto, swept #2 Pasadena City, won in 5 over #10 Ventura
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 10 matches
5-SET MATCHES: 4-2
SWEEPS: 7
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2017
PREVIOUS STATE TOURNEY APPEARANCES: 3, 2007, 2015 (highest finish--tied 3rd), 2017
FUN FACTS: COC has won its last four matches all v. conference champs--IEAC's Mt. San Jacinto, South Coast's Pasadena, and twice over WSC North Tri-Champ Ventura. In the regular season, Canyons difficult schedule resulted in its 10 losses coming against the eventual #1 (twice),3,4,5,6,7,10,11, and 14 seeds. COC's only seed wins coming into the playoffs were against #13 Grossmont and #10 Ventura in the reg. season finale. The Cougars were 11-0 v. everyone else.
Quarterfinal Matchup: v. N1 Feather River, Friday, 7 p.m.
Preview by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID/CCCAA State Women's Volleyball Championship SID, rmlewis@pasadena.edu