PALO CEDRO, CA (MPG) – Heading into a rematch of last year’s Northern Section Division IV title match at Foothill High School last Saturday, the No.1 seeded RedHawks were the favored to do something no one over the last six seasons had done – dethrone defending champion U-Prep.
However, despite beating the No. 2 seeded Panthers back in September, Colusa could not replicate that success and instead suffered an 18-25, 23-25, 23-25 defeat, bringing an end to its quest for the school’s second volleyball section championship.
Although the three sets were tightly contested, U-Prep was able to remain in system more than the RedHawks and as a result was more efficient on the attack, exhibiting a consistency in its play that Colusa could not match.
One of the things making it difficult for the RedHawks was the performance of the Panthers’ outside hitter Rylee Villano, who put away kills when her team needed them the most.
In the aftermath of the match, Colusa coach Kim Roper said the loss did not reflect any lack of effort on her team’s part, but more so that it was unable to dictate the way it was played.
“I have a great group and we’ve had a very good season,” said Roper who is in her seventh year at the helm. “The girls worked hard, studied and did everything they needed to in order to get here. In the end though, we just did not play our game.”
Abby Coronado finished with 11 kills and five digs, Peyton Miller had eight kills and 15 digs, while setters Cindel Oliver and Leyla Avera handed out 13 and 10 assists respectively.
Libero Marlie Berry made 14 digs with Avera pitching in with nine.
Despite the loss, the RedHawks (29-8) earned a spot in the CIF Division IV State Tournament as the No. 13 seed and traveled to San Anselmo on Nov. 10 to face North Coast Section Division III runner-up and No. 4 seeded San Domenico (20-13) in a first-round match.