Seventeen became seven. Seven became four. Now, there’s only one.
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section girls volleyball playoffs have reached the championship round, and Ripon is the last San Joaquin County team standing.
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Tuesday’s semifinals on Nov. 3 ended the section title hopes of Ripon Christian, Escalon and St. Mary’s, leaving the Indians alone in the hunt.
Their next opponent? The same team that knocked out rival Ripon Christian. Ripon will play for the section championship Saturday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m. at Cosumnes River College.
But don’t close the book on the other three just yet. Ripon Christian, Escalon and St. Mary’s will have another shot at postseason glory when the state playoffs begin Tuesday, Nov. 10.
So how did Ripon advance? What went wrong for the other three? And how did the semifinals unfold?
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Here’s an in-depth look at every semifinal matchup involving a San Joaquin County team.
Division I
St. Mary’s girls volleyball team poses for a team photo after defeating Downey 3-0 in a home CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff quarterfinal match on Oct. 29, 2026.
No. 2 Rocklin 3, No. 2 St. Mary’s 0
Not all sweeps tell the whole story. Especially when the opponent is Rocklin, a program that won the Division II section championship last year and finished ranked No. 27 nationally and No. 8 in California by MaxPreps. The Thunder haven’t missed a beat in Division I, collecting their 38th win while sitting No. 12 in the state, with their losses coming against some of the nation’s best competition. Yet St. Mary’s, ranked No. 78 in California and boasting 14 section championships, came within a few points of turning the match around before falling 25-21, 27-25, 27-25. Junior Athena Flynn led with 11 kills and 19 digs, senior Shea Hardcastle added 10 kills, senior Pelenani Danielson had 17 assists and 10 digs, and junior Victoria Keller contributed 14 assists and three aces.
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Division III
Ripon head coach Gregory Soliz, center, talks with his team during a timeout during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III volleyball championship against Christian Brothers at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento on Nov. 8, 2025. Christian Brothers won 3-2.
No. 2 Nevada Union 3, No. 6 Ripon Christian 0
What a difference a year can make. Last season, Ripon Christian was playing for a state regional championship against the eventual state champion. This year, the Knights entered the postseason coming off their first losing regular season since 2009. But a program with 19 section titles wasn’t about to disappear quietly, reaching the semifinals despite losing much of that regional finalist roster. Nevada Union, however, showed why it has 35 wins and sits No. 101 in California by MaxPreps, well ahead of Ripon Christian at No. 358. “Nevada Union played well, and unfortunately we didn’t have an answer for their team,” coach Kayla Kootstra said. “We are using it as a learning tool to prepare for the NorCal tournament next week.” Junior Kylie Koolhaas had four kills, senior Alyssa Hofman added three, senior Rhian Heuvel had six assists, and senior Lauren Mouw collected 12 digs. The Knights now turn their attention to next week’s NorCal tournament.
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No. 1 Ripon 3, No. 4 Roseville 0
Maybe there’s something about even-numbered years for Ripon. Section champions in 2022 and 2024, runners-up in 2023 and 2025. Coincidence? Perhaps. But the Indians are making another championship look possible, sweeping Roseville 25-16, 25-13, 25-15 for their 27th win without dropping a postseason set. Freshman Lilia Tuputala, who wasn’t part of those previous runs, led with 14 kills. The seniors brought the experience, with Jorie Eskes posting 11 kills and four aces, Kennedy Everhart collecting 21 digs and Alayna Sprinkle distributing 33 assists. Now comes the chance to make it three titles in five years.
Division IV
The Escalon girls varsity volleyball team celebrates winning over Kelseyville in the quarterfinals of the 2025 CIF State Girls Volleyball Championships Divi. V at Escalon High School in Escalon on Nov. 13, 2025. Escalon won 3-2.
No. 2 Placer 3, No. 3 Escalon 2
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Twice Escalon fell behind. Twice the Cougars answered. But after forcing a decisive fifth set on the road, their bid for another section championship appearance ended against Foothill Valley League runner-up Placer. Escalon fell 25-16, 13-25, 25-14, 17-25, 15-9, missing an opportunity to return to the championship stage it conquered in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Junior Emma Strong powered the offense with 25 kills, 10 digs and two aces, while senior Aniston Hunt distributed 33 assists to go with eight digs, four kills and two aces. Sophomore Avery Bartelink added 21 digs, nine kills, three aces and two blocks, and senior Brynn Caton had 18 digs and an ace. “It truly was a battle on both sides, but ultimately, we just couldn’t hang on long enough to pull out a win,” coach Stephanie Ceja said. “I’m super proud of this group, and not disappointed in the loss itself, so much that we couldn’t experience sections together, because these girls truly deserve it. I’m hoping for a good seed and a strong state run as well.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County girls volleyball semifinal playoff scores, recap
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
