ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Although publications like Sports Illustrated have debunked the myth that is hard to beat a team three times within the span of a season, the Pierce Volleyball team may dispute those findings after it was defeated 16-25, 14-25, 20-25 by visiting Colusa in the semifinal round of the Northern Section CIF Division IV playoffs.
Coming into last Wednesday night’s match, the No. 2 seeded Bears had the beaten No. 3 RedHawks twice during Sacramento Valley League play, but even home court advantage couldn’t propel them past a determined Colusa squad.
With a large crowd on hand inside Natalie Corona Gymnasium, this time around the RedHawks came out aggressively and were also able to capitalize on a bevy of errors committed by Pierce.
Playoffs.
Still, the first set remained relatively close until back-to-back kills by Peyton Miller and another by Abby Coronado put Colusa in the driver’s seat at 19-14 and ultimately up 1-0 in the match.
Things were not as close in the subsequent set as the Bears found themselves down 10-17 with nothing seeming to go right.
On the other hand, the RedHawks were firing away and controlling play at the net as a kill and consecutive blocks by Coronado brought an end to the second set.
Fighting to stay in the match, Pierce took an early lead in the third set, but with the score tied 16-16, Colusa surged ahead with Coronado, Miller and Cecilia Mitchum leading the attack before a block by Kendall Marengo set up match point.
Miller had a huge game for the RedHawks finishing with 16 kills, five aces and 17 digs, while Mitchum also came up big with 12 kills and 14 digs as did Coronado whose stat line included seven kills, three blocks and 13 digs.
In facilitating Colusa’s offense, setter Cindel Oliver handed out 31 assists as the RedHawks outhit the Bears 37-24 equating to subsequent hitting percentages of .236 and .059.
Providing another boost for Colusa was the assertive play of Marengo in the middle as her two kills and three blocks came at timely junctures.
Arbuckle on Oct. 30.
In explaining the difference in their squad’s performance in the third meeting between the two rival teams, coaches Kim Roper and Annie Lay pointed to preparation and a growing confidence.
“We used the last couple weeks to watch film and work on some things,” said Roper, while Lay added that, “They knew that they could beat good teams and they’ve began to believe in themselves. They just put their heads down and worked hard.”
To be sure it was a particularly disappointing night for the six Pierce seniors as they looked to return to the championship game for the second straight year.
Bears’ coach Lauren Ornbaun summed up her squad’s performance in the match by saying, “The last two weeks we struggled with hitting errors and serve/receive. However, in my mind our practices looked like we were improving. It just didn’t carry over into the game.”
It what was potentially their last match for Pierce, Leah Charter ended the night with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Magali Jauregui dished out 18 assists and made 12 digs.
Fellow seniors Charlie Wayman and Destany Martinez contributed 20 and 10 digs respectively.
Also for the Bears, Rylie Delepierre tallied nine kills and four blocks, while Leslye Velasquez made 14 digs.
As Pierce (24-10) now waits to see if they receive a berth in the CIF State Tournament, the RedHawks (24-12) make a return to the title match for a showdown with University Prep, the five-time defending champions.
Colusa and U-Prep also squared off in 2021 and 2022 with the Panthers prevailing on both occasions.
The 2025 NSCIF Division IV championship match is set for 11:00 am on Nov. 8 at Foothill High School in Palo Cedro.