The El Capitan girls volleyball team hosted Christian Brothers High School for the first round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division ll girls volleyball playoffs on October 27. The Gauchos entered the match with a 27-7 overall record and an undefeated 10-0 league record. The Gauchos earned the 8th seed in the Division ll bracket. Christian Brothers, from Sacramento, entered the contest with a 15-16 record ranked as the 9th seed.
Both teams opened the first set with energy and excitement, trading points as Christan Brothers took an early lead. El Capitan responded by tying the game, building momentum and pulling ahead. El Capitan looked to be on the verge of winning the first set after pulling ahead 21-16. However, mistakes late in the set allowed Christan Brother to regain the lead and close out the first set, 26-24.
El Capitan regrouped and came out stronger in the second set, playing with greater intensity and taking control of the scoreboard. However, Christian Brothers refused to go away. During the second set, the lead continued to swing between teams. After being tied at 15-15, El Capitan gained the lead and stole the momentum on a kill by Annabella Solis that extended El Capitan’s lead to 19-16. El Capitan did not look back after that. The Gauchos finished the set 25-19, drawing even with the Falcons at one game apiece.
Christian Brothers responded in the third set, taking the early lead before El Capitan worked to close the gap and tie the set at 6-6. However, shortly thereafter, El Capitan errors allowed Christian Brothers to take the lead 11-7, prompting a Gauchos timeout. After the timeout, the Gauchos rallied to make the score 11-10, but they couldn’t take back the lead. The Falcons responded by going up 18-14 before the Gauchos needed another time out. After regrouping, the Gauchos rallied again, but Christian Brothers refused to give up the lead, despite El Capitan tying the set at 19-19. The Falcons’ athleticism paid off towards the end of the set as the Gauchos were unable to close out the Falcons. The Falcons front line propelled their offense as they hung on to win the set 25-22.
The fourth set began with Christian Brothers riding their momentum to an early 6-2 lead. The Gauchos looked tired and out of sorts by the fourth set. However, the Gauchos did not go away without a fight. They tied the game at 10 apiece after trailing by three, and later kept the score tied at 17-17. However, Christian Brothers’ front line, once again, allowed them to gain the advantage with a hard spike and soft tip that gave them a 21-18 lead. Christian Brothers was able to close out the set 25-20, giving them the victory and advancing them to the second round of the playoffs.
“I think the biggest factor of today’s victory was our hearts. We had a long bus ride here, the odds were against us. We were the lower seed and we came in and worked really hard.” said Falcons’ senior captain Sophia Del Castillo after the game. Del Castillo also reflected on how the Falcons responded after the Gauchos tied the game at one set each. “I think the mindset was just that we have nothing to lose, like to go all out. Make it a quick game… and just have fun while doing it,” said Del Castillo.
Christian Brothers Head Coach Katie Riecks discussed how the Falcons adjusted during the game, “we didn’t pass as well as we should have in the second set, and we made a few serving errors as well…That [adjustment] really made a difference in the third and fourth sets.” Riecks also credited the Falcons confidence and poise for helping the team regain control.
Christian Brothers’ victory advances them to the quarterfinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division ll playoffs. The Falcons will play against their own rival team, St. Francis High School, who are seeded as the one seed. As for the El Capitan Gauchos, this marks the end of their season that included a sixth consecutive CCC league championship and an undefeated league record. The Gauchos finished the season with a 27-8 overall record.
- Photos by Yoanna Morales. ↩︎
