State women’s volleyball tourney brings in the old with the new

For the first time since 2013, none of the final four from the previous season return, and only one school is back in the field of eight for the 2017 California Community College Athletic Association State Women’s Volleyball Championships at Solano College Dec. 2-3.

State women’s volleyball tourney brings in the old with the new
November 28, 2017

Tournament Central (watch, live stats, recaps, photos)

FAIRFIELD, Calif. - For the first time since 2013, none of the final four from the previous season return, and only one school is back in the field of eight for the 2017 California Community College Athletic Association State Women's Volleyball Championships at Solano College Dec. 2-3.

From the South region, state No. 1-ranked Irvine Valley puts a perfect 24-0 record on the line as its joined by No. 2-seed MiraCosta, No. 3 College of the Canyons and a Cinderella qualifier in No. 4 San Diego City College, a program that was seeded No. 13 and is making its first-ever appearance at a state tournament.

The North region features historically familiar faces in state No. 2 and top seed Cabrillo, the only returner from last year's tourney, No. 2 Feather River, No. 3 San Joaquin Delta, plus a newcomer in second-year upstart program—No. 4 Folsom Lake.

The North hopes to keep its streak alive of state titles, now at two in a row, while the South's stranglehold on state crowns has become a distant memory. Cabrillo, the 2013 and 2015 state champion (and 2014 runner-up), is a logical favorite along with '14 state champ Irvine Valley, the only SoCal team to win in the previous four years.

The state quarterfinals take place Saturday: 9 am--S4 San Diego City v. N1 Cabrillo; 11 am--N3 San Joaquin Delta v. S2 MiraCosta; 1 pm--S3 Canyons v. N2 Feather River; 3 pm--N4 Folsom Lake v. S1 Irvine Valley. The semifinals follow at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The championship final is a stand-alone match for the crown on Sunday at 3 p.m.

State Tournament Bracket

  • STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY FUN FACTS
  • This is the 41st year of the state tournament.
  • Solano College is the first host of a state tourney that didn't make it to the championship event since 2013 as Cabrillo ('14), Canyons ('15) and Pierce ('16) all hosted and advanced as far as the state tournament.
  • This is the second year that the tournament is being run as an 8-team, single-elimination after many years of 8-team and 4-team, double-elimination formats.
  • The Big 8 Conference has two participants, and neither won the conference title in second-place Delta and third-place Folsom Lake.
  • The other six in the state field were all conference champions.
  • Cabrillo is making its fifth straight state tourney appearance, the longest current streak of any school (also six of last seven).
  • For the second straight year, all six AVCA First and Second Team All-Americans will be in action at the state tourney.

Here are mini capsules on the State Tourney participants:

NORTH 1-CABRILLO
29-1 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 2
Coast Conference North Division champions
HEAD COACH: Gabby Houston Neville (North Region Coach of the Year)
ROAD TO STATE: swept #16 West Valley; swept #8 De Anza
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA First Team All-American MB Rebecca Lee, All-NorCal libero Alyssa Nelson, OH Jolie Samuelson
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 17 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2016 (tied 5th)
STATE APPEARANCE (including this season): 12th#
STATE TITLES: 2, 2013, 2015
#-in 1978-79, Cabrillo participated in the state Small Schools division, winning in '78. While it is a state title, it is not recognized as part of the traditional Large Schools state titles due to the fewer colleges that were part of the SS division. That division was discontinued in 1982 and all teams have competed for one overall state crown since then. 1978 recognized state Large Schools champ is Orange Coast.

NORTH 2-FEATHER RIVER
26-5 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 5
Golden Valley Conference champions
HEAD COACH: Sarah Ritchie
ROAD TO STATE: beat #15 Hartnell in 4; swept #10 Butte
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA Second Team All-American MB Cyan Blackdeer, libero Katie McKay, setter Precious Helakahi
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 4 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2014 (4th place)
STATE APPEARANCE: 3rd
STATE TITLES: None, highest finish 4th place in 2008

NORTH 3-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA
23-4 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 10
Big 8 Conference, 2nd place, original #5 North seed
HEAD COACH: Molly Mordaunt-Hummel
ROAD TO STATE: beat #12 Gavilan in 4; beat #4 Fresno City in 5
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA First Team All-American OH Amilya Thompson, setter Mika Fithian, OH Kylee Irwin-Paz
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 2 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2009 (7th place tie)
STATE APPEARANCE: 18th
STATE TITLES: None, highest finish 2nd place in 2002, 2005

NORTH 4-FOLSOM LAKE
24-4 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 14
Big 8 Conference, 3rd place, original #6 North seed
HEAD COACH: Matt Torrez
ROAD TO STATE: beat #11 CC San Francisco in 5; upset #3 Sierra in 4
KEY PLAYERS: All-NorCal OH Kylie Haverson, setter Samantha Hegseth, opposite Kate Nicknig
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 3 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2017 is its first appearance

SOUTH 1-IRVINE VALLEY
24-0 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 1
 Orange Empire Conference champions
HEAD COACH: Tom Pestolesi (South Region Coach of the Year)
ROAD TO STATE: swept #16 Orange Coast, swept #8 Grossmont
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA First Team All-American setter Megan Ramseyer, Second Team All-American OH Olivia Aguilar, OH Taira Ka'awaloa
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 24 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2014 (state champs)
STATE APPEARANCE: 8th 
STATE TITLES: 1, 2014

SOUTH 2-MIRACOSTA
26-6 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 3
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference North Division champions
HEAD COACH: Kristen Wright
ROAD TO STATE: swept #15 Pasadena City, swept #10 Long Beach City
KEY PLAYERS: AVCA Second Team All-American setter Hayley Huntsman, MB Reilly Bosworth, libero Jazleigh Ortiz
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 19 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2017 is its first appearance$
$-For five straight years from 1977-81, MiraCosta played in the Small Schools division and won two state titles (1980, 1981). See further explanation in Cabrillo capsule. NOTE: 1982 to present, all colleges have played for one state title. The recognized state champs "Large Schools" were Orange Coast in 1980, El Camino in 1981.

SOUTH 3-COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS
24-5 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 4
Western State Conference South Division co-champions
HEAD COACH: Clay Timmons
ROAD TO STATE: swept #14 Golden West, swept #11 El Camino
KEY PLAYERS: All-State OH Emily Burns, setter Rachel Perez, MB Morgan Ferguson
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 4 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2015 (3rd)
STATE APPEARANCE: 3rd
STATE TITLES: None, highest finish 3rd place in 2015

SOUTH 4-SAN DIEGO CITY
23-3 RECORD, State Top 25 Rank: 20
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference South Division co-champions, original #13 South seed
HEAD COACH: Dede Bodnar
ROAD TO STATE: upset #4 Cypress in 4, upset #5 Pierce in 5
KEY PLAYERS: OH Lyssette Serna, OH Brielle McKinnon, MB Shatha Julima
CURRENT WIN STREAK: 3 matches
LAST APPEARANCE AT STATE: 2017 is its first appearance

(Release by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID/CCCSIA/for CCCAA rmlewis@pasadena.edu)