CIF NorCal regional volleyball championships
Division III
No. 1 Sequoia 3, No. 2 Lincoln-San Francisco 2
Sequoia became the lone Bay Area team to win a NorCal regional volleyball title by overcoming a 2-1 deficit to come back and beat Lincoln 25-20, 18-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10.
“The comeback kids did it again,” said Sequoia coach Bryant Tran, whose team won three consecutive five-setters – trailing in the fourth set or later in all three matches – to win the championship.
As expected in a tight five-setter, several Sequoia players put up big numbers. Katalina Tuipulotu posted 17 kills, 14 digs and four aces. Samantha McMurtry finished second on the Ravens (25-15) with 15 kills, a mark she shared with Kiera Winters.
Joslin Fiel compiled 22 digs and four aces.
Sequoia advances to face the top seed in the SoCal Division III bracket, Academy of Our Lady of Peace, on Saturday afternoon at Santiago Canyon College in Orange. The SoCal winner (21-11) dispatched third-seeded Mission Vista 25-21, 25-18, 25-10 on Tuesday night in San Diego.
Division I
No. 1 Woodcreek 3, No. 7 James Logan 1
James Logan’s Cinderella run to the Division I championship game ended unceremoniously on Tuesday in Roseville as the top seed took down the Colts 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-22.
Logan (29-9) had won three consecutive NorCal games to reach the title match, including victories over local power Carondelet (3-1), Sacramento-area standout No. 2 Del Oro (3-2) and third-seeded Buchanan of Clovis (3-2). But despite winning the opening set, the Colts ultimately weren’t a match for the No. 1 Timberwolves, who advance to the Division I state championship with a record of 42-6.
Chelsea Branley led the Colts with 24 kills (.327 hitting), and McKenzie Anderson added 21 (.315). Emma Tran led Logan with 30 digs, followed by Branley with 21. Anderson chipped in nine.
Leann Jung paced the Colts with 43 set assists. Branley added a pair of service aces.
Open Division
No. 3 Rocklin 3, No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 2
In a stunning turn of events, Rocklin coached by legendary former Mitty coach Bret Almazan-Cezar, stormed back from a 2-1 deficit to win its first NorCal Open title in school history on the same court where Almazan-Cezar made history for two decades with the Monarchs. Christian Babcock was in San Jose and has the full story here.