State women's volleyball post-tournament odds and ends

Here's some loose odds and ends from the 2021 CCCAA Women's Volleyball Championship

(Duncan the Goat (left) and Ramsy the Ram were on the scene for both of Fresno City's titles in 2016 and 2021)

Mascots Occupy Fresno Bench

When state champion-winning, Fresno City College head coach Kieran Roblee took over the women's volleyball program in 2016, she thought it would be fun to get a little stuffed animal mascot of a "Ram." 

"I ordered this stuffed animal on Amazon and when it arrived I got excited because I could feel it inside the package. So I opened it up, and out comes not a Ram, but this stuffed goat. It had a tag on it so it was called Duncan the Goat. At first, I thought send it back but I then I felt like maybe this was some sort of sign, so I kept it and then ordered and eventually got what we called Ramsy the Ram.

"Duncan and Ramsy have been on our bench since 2016, but this year we decided to give them the first bench chair at matches. The idea behind the mascots was just to make it fun, give a little levity for the players. Then one day, a player put a knee pad over Duncan. Then when someone got an injury we put tape over a knee or on an ankle of the two little guys. If we weren't playing well, we would turn the mascots around on the bench (she demonstrated on scene to great hilarity) to show that they wouldn't tolerate poor play. They just ended up being regulars at matches."

And certainly good luck charms for Fresno, now winners of two state titles in a span of five seasons.

State Final Coaches Started At Santa Barbara City College

The 2021 state title final featured a Santa Barbara City College connection in the two head coaches. FCC's Kieran Roblee, a member of the SBCC Hall of Fame, was 1988 Western State Conference MVP and All-State selection. WVC's Armen Zakarian played on the 2005 SBCC men's team that reached the state semifinals. Zakarian was also an associate head coach for the SBCC women's team in 2011-2013 and a WSC Coach of the Year as head coach of the Vaqueros men's team in 2011.

Close and Closer

West Valley and Fresno City played in four matches this year, going 2-2 v. each other. The final point count was super close as the Rams outscored the Vikings, 317-308, while the sets were even at 7-7. What is interesting is West Valley won six of the first seven sets, then Fresno did the same to the Vikings, winning the last six sets of seven played. 

Fresno finished with the most aces of all state teams at 377 but its final 3.37 per sets average fell slightly behiind Pasadena City (3.43), who led the state in average.

With two outstanding setters playing in the state final in All-Tournament selections Sydney Rogers of West Valley and Fresno's Julia Pagani, the two teams ended up 1-2 in state set assists averages with Fresno at 13.05 assists and West Valley 12.11.

Although no liberos made the All-State Tournament Team, there were some of the best pass and serve receive specialists out there in Feather River All-American Madison Gray, Fresno's Ali Santoyo, West Valley's Flor Porras, American River's Aubrey Miller, and Grossmont's Rylee Suggett, to name several. In the semifinals, Porras had perhaps the save of the tournament when a serve spiraled off a WVC teammate and at the last second she raced back, extended a one-hander with her back to the net just past the backline that was volleyed into a kill point for the Vikings. 

Dominance of Fresno, West Valley, Feather River

The combined season records for the North's Big 3 of Fresno, West Valley, and Feather were 88-10, for a .898 winning percentage. If you take away the wins-losses each had v. each other, the winning record is 80-2 and a phenomenal .976 percentage. The only non-trio losses for the three teams were both by West Valley, one v. UC Santa Cruz and the other a 5-set loss v. Cabrillo on Nov. 10. No wonder the triple threat finished 1-2-3 at state. 

Editor's Note--special thank you to the Central Valley Conference coaches who worked the event and on-site director and Fresno CC assistant athletic director Rhonda Williams, who was behind the scenes with fellow FCC staff to make the '21 championship a smooth and fun experience.

2021 State Tournament Statistical Individual Leaders

Total Kills-Lexi Pagani, Fresno, 44 (4.0 avg.), Taylor Tullo, West Valley 41 (4.1), Diamond'Nique Young, Fresno, 39 (3.5), Awelina Fakalata, American River, 35 (5.8).
Hitting Percentage--(minimum 45 attempts)--Young, Fresno, .392 *also-Courtney Oilar, Feather River, .421 (38 attempts)
Total Blocks--Monika Martinez Leon, West Valley, 12 (1.2 avg)
Total Set Assists--Julia Pagani, Fresno, 124 (11.3 avg), Sydney Rogers, West Valley, 104 (10.4)
Total Aces--Lexi Pagani, Fresno, 8 (0.73 avg), Shanaley Iakopo, American River, 6 (1.0)
Total Digs--Tullo, West Valley, 35 (3.5 avg), Ali Santoyo, Fresno, 32 (2.9)

Single Match Highs, 2021
Total Kills-Fakalata 20, American River v. Bakersfield, quarterfinals
Hitting Percentage--Cami Marion .571 (13 k, 1 e, 21 attempts), Bakersfield v. American River
Total Blocks--Martinez Leon, 8 (4 solos, 4 assists), West Valley v. American River, semifinals
Total Set Assists--Julia Pagani, 50, Fresno v. West Valley, finals
Total Aces- Iakopo, 6, American River v. Bakersfield
Total Digs--Fakalata, 14, American River v. West Valley

Release by Robert Lewis, CCCAA/CCCWVCA State Championship SID