SACRAMENTO — Top-seeded Ripon sailed through the first two sets with No. 2 Liberty Ranch in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls volleyball championship, trailing by just one point once in the first set and not at all in the second on Clark Court at Cosumnes River College.
The third set was a different story, with the Indians not taking the lead until 19-18 and battling through two more ties before sweeping Hawks from Galt 25-13, 25-14, 25-21 for the seventh SJS blue banner in program history.
“They were here for a reason,” Ripon coach Gregory Soliz said. “Trying to put a match away in three against a good team is not the easiest thing to do. That coach is fiery, and he was going to get them going.
“After the second set, I told them that it wasn’t over and that we still had to win three. I was just trying to get us to settle down, calm down and breathe. I told them little by little, one point at a time, that we would work our way back in. And we did that.”
Adriana Dorn was a force for the Indians (30-2) with 14 kills, five aces and four digs. She tallied three kills in a row down the stretch and made a huge dig to keep the match-point rally alive.
“We have been working hard this season,” Dorn said. “Sometimes, other teams can get momentum and we can get down. Bur we focus on if we do get down, we get back up.
“That is exactly what we did. We were able to keep our momentum, and it worked out well for us.”
Jorie Eskes formed a tough defensive wall with Dorn, pounding out 10 kills and six blocks.
“It was really fun,” Eskes said. “We knew this game was going to be big, not only because it was for the section championship, but because their team was very strong.
“Running a faster offense and working to be aggressive is what we tried to do.”
Ripon libero Amelia Lara tallied seven digs and three aces.
“They had some fabulous hits,” Lara said. “Our team has been working so hard for this. All we do in practice is pretty much defense, serving and hitting.
“I think our defense was better, and we came through with the win.”
Katelyn Bogetti dished out 29 assists for the Indians.
“I was focused on keeping it clean and putting it in a good spot for my hitters so they could rip on it,” Bogetti said. “It was an important match, and it was all about setting the hitters up for success.”
Rachel Smith posted eight kills and four aces for Liberty Ranch (34-5), and Paityn Snow added six kills.
Both teams will participate in the NorCal championships beginning Tuesday with the pairings to be announced on Sunday.
“We will work hard at practice this week and prepare for NorCals,” Solis said.
