Fresno overcomes injury, downs El Camino in four sets

Rylee Kenitzer stepped up for Fresno City with 17 kills in its quarterfinal win over El Camino, photo by Richard Quinton.
Rylee Kenitzer stepped up for Fresno City with 17 kills in its quarterfinal win over El Camino, photo by Richard Quinton.
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December 6, 2019

(CHULA VISTA)--For two regional playoffs matches and one set of the CCCAA Women's Volleyball State Championship quarterfinals, no player stood out more for North #2 seed Fresno City College than sophomore pin hitter Julie Castleman. Castleman was the team's kill leader (33 combined kills) in two playoff wins and was a perfect 4-for-4 on kills/attempts in the opening set of the Rams match v. El Camino Friday.

But the sophomore rolled her ankle early in the second set and did not return due to the injury. While ECC took set 2 and controlled the momentum during much of the third set, it was Fresno's depth that stood out overall as the Rams advanced with a 25-14, 23-25, 28-26, 25-10 victory. Fresno extended its win streak to 20 matches and improved to 31-2 as four different players reached double digits in kills. 

El Camino was a virtual one-hitter show in Mikayla Clark with 20 kills (66 attempts) as no other Warrior had more than six kills. Kelly Donatucci totaled 29 digs and two aces while twin Caitlin Donatucci set 32 assists and had 10 digs. ECC's season ends at 23-6. 

Fresno had four players reach double digits in kills in Rylee Kenitzer with 17 (hit .417), Marina Gonzalez with 14 (plus 19 digs), and both Taylor Dilley and Kimiah Johnson scoring 10 kills each. Dilley added 13 digs. The Rams hit .263 as a team and setters Brooke Gonsalves (31 assists) and Julia Pagani (24 assists, 12 digs, three aces) complemented each other in FCC's relentless offensive attack.

In a big swing set in third, El Camino led 20-17 and then were at set point leading 24-23. Fresno wouldn't quit and despite two more set point leads on kills by Clark, El Camino ran into a virtual howitzer in Rylee Kenitzer who blasted three consecutive kills to give the Rams a 2-point set 3 victory. From that point on, Fresno ran away with things, hitting .462 in the fourth game in a blow-out final set. FCC also had a monster first set, hitting .581 with 19 kills.

El Camino head coach Liz Hazell thought the third set took the wind out of her team.

"Our three best players were playing about as well as they could in Mikayla, Caitlin and Kelly, but when we lost that third set, you could tell it took a lot out of us," Hazell said. "Still, I look back at where we were early in the season. We have so many young players and we were afraid we might even miss the playoffs. Instead, to win the conference title, then win two playoff matches and make it to the state tournament was a big accomplishment for us. I'm very proud of how far we came."

El Camino finishes in a fifth place tie here. Fresno City has had an impressive run in recent state tournaments with a state title in 2016, a state runner-up last year and now a possible third trip to a finals in four years if it defeats the winner of the South #1 Irvine Valley v. North #4 American River quarterfinal in Saturday's 5 p.m. semifinal.