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VOLLEYBALL: Section champ Ripon gets 12th seed NorCal D3 playoffs
RC going for third straight state title; seeded No. 5 in D4
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 Ripon completed a dominant campaign in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs on Saturday.

Its reward for the next stage of the postseason? A low seed at a higher division and a first-round trip to the South Bay.

The Indians, however, don’t need to look far for inspiration.

Their friends from nearby Ripon Christian were the No. 13 seed in Division III last year and rolled to a second straight state championship.

Both Ripon and Ripon Christian are back in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regionals, which begin tonight. Both of their matches start at 6 p.m.

Now, it’s Ripon (30-2) that must compete with larger-school opponents in Division III. The seven-time SJS champion Indians are seeded 12th with a first-round match at No. 5 Aragon (19-17) of San Mateo. Meanwhile, Ripon Christian (19-16), after getting eliminated in the SJS Divsion III semifinals, will host its Division IV NorCal opener as the No. 5 seed against No. 12 West Valley (22-12) from Cottonwood.

The NorCal Division III bracket is against stacked with teams that played at higher levels in their respective sections. Top-seeded Branham (25-6) of San Jose, for example, is a Division I semifinalist out of the Central Coast Section.

Ripon’s opponent placed third in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division and is the CCS Division II runner-up. Aragon is making a third straight NorCal appearance, competing in Division II the past two years. The Dons boast a balanced attack spearheaded by third-year varsity senior outside hitter Sophie Rubinstein and freshman Poppy McKenzie.

The winner plays Thursday against No. 4 Salinas (24-10), the CCS Division I champion, or No. 13 Vista del Lago (19-10) from Folsom.

The team Ripon beat for the SJS Division III title is the No. 1 seed for the Division IV state tournament. Liberty Ranch (34-5) of Galt has been awarded a first-round bye and could meet Ripon Christian in the NorCal semifinals.

Ripon Christian owns an SJS-high 19 section championships and three overall state titles, taking the Division IV crown in 2022 and Division V in 1999.

The Knights’ first obstacle is battle-tested West Valley, the Northern Section Division III titlist. The Eagles are making a 217-mile trip from Shasta County.

This is the fourth encounter between the two teams in as many years. Ripon Christian won the previous three, including a five-game thriller in the 2022 NorCal Division IV semifinals. They nearly collided in the NorCal Division III final last year, but the Eagles were ousted in the semis. Their previous two meetings were in best-of-three tournament matches.

Like RC, West Valley graduated its top talent from its deep 2023 run. Outside hitter Rainessa Matthews, now a junior, was heavy contributor for that senior-heavy squad.

The winner faces No. 4 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (26-9) of Vallejo or No. 13 Yreka (28-10-1), which finished as NS Division III runner-up to West Valley. St. Patrick-St. Vincent took third in NCS Division III.

The regional finals are on Nov. 19 and will be followed by the state championships on Nov. 22-23 at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.