PALO CEDRO, CA (MPG) – Making the trip to the Northern Section Division IV title match for the first time since 2018, the No. 1 seeded Bears could not fight off No. 3 seeded University Prep, the five-time defending champion, and as a result fell 22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 11-25.
Played last Saturday at Foothill High School, it was a rematch of the 2018 contest, although unfortunately for Pierce, who had swept the Panthers earlier this season, the outcome was reversed.
While it was far from the Bears’ best performance of the year, they did battle until the end, a positive that Coach Lauren Ornbaun and her team can take away from the experience.
“We knew that U-Prep had gotten better since we played them in August,” said the former Bear in her second year at the helm. “However, our weakness is our own errors. Every game we have lost this season is a reflection of that. That being said, I am proud of the scores and the fight we put up. We struggled, and while there wasn’t a moment of giving up, mental errors affected us.”
Nonetheless, the one constant in the match for Pierce was the play of its libero Macey Myers, who played valiantly in defeat.
In total, Myers fended off the largest share of the Panther barrage making 27 digs and returning 27 serves in addition to serving a team-high four aces.
It was an effort that drew praise from Ornbaun who said, “I told the team before the match that no matter what, they needed to walk out of the gym saying that they did their best. Macey did just that. She’s an exceptional leader and athlete.”
Fellow senior Maicey Hoebel was solid in the middle, hitting at a .450 clip while registering 11 kills, but as a team the Bears committed 23 attack errors, which proved insurmountable.
Charlie Wayman finished the match with 12 kills, 16 digs and 26 service receptions, setters Magali Jauregui and Leach Charter dished out 22 and 17 assists respectively, with Rylie Delepierre adding 11 kills to the total.
Another senior, Jocelyn Ramos, contributed 20 service receptions and nine digs.
Despite the disappointing setback, Pierce (26-8) continues its season having received the No. 1 seed in the 2024 CIF Division V State Championship bracket.
It hosted No. 16 Credo (Rohnert Park), a school of approximately 410 students that was previously seeded No. 2 in the North Coast Section’s Division V, on Nov. 12, with the winner advancing to a second round match on Nov. 14.