San Joaquin Delta formidable at #3 on State Top 25 Women's Volleyball Rankings No. 4

Complete State Top 25 Rankings #4 at this link

For many years in the 1990s and early 2000s, San Joaquin Delta College established itself as the Northern California's premier women's volleyball program. While it never won the state title, the Mustangs watched others in NorCal in recent years reach the crown.

This season, Delta (9-2) is once again back in the mix of the North powers, settling in at #3 on this week's CCCWVCA State Top 25 Rankings. Delta was swept by #1 Feather River (18-1), but swept #7 Fresno City (10-4) in a monster classic played in Stockton on Saturday. 

Fresno went all out to try to take down Feather River, but fell in five sets, 25-13, 26-24, 21-25, 26-28, 15-12. With some recent injury issues, Delta played shorthanded v. Feather River in its loss, but was able to change its lineup for the Fresno matchup and then beat the Rams soundly, 25-15, 25-17, 25-19. 

Delta is paced by Savannah LeBarre, an outside hitter, but she ended up volunteering to play setter in the Feather River match, a position she had never played before. She later posted 15 kills and 10 digs (hit .419) back at OH for the Fresno victory. 

Mustangs' head coach Molly Hummel recently reached her milestone 200th career victory at Delta. 

Feather River had an amazing five players reach double digits in kills against Fresno, led by 16 each from Hannah Taylor and Carissa Chainey. The Golden Eagles only loss back on Aug. 27 v. #5 American River (10-2) was the only other match so far that reached five sets for FRC.

The top seven remained the same as #2 Ventura stands as the only undefeated team left in the state at 12-0. San Diego Mesa (12-1), at #4, is on a 10-match win streak while College of San Mateo (8-3) stands tall at #6. ARC's Awelina Fakalata was named the NorCal State Player of the Week #5, the second time the 2021 All-State selection has received that prize in two seasons. 

While Pasadena City (10-3) moved up a spot to #8, two new teams reached the top 10 in #9 Grossmont (7-3), who defeated #15 MiraCosta (8-4) last week, and #10 Irvine Valley (7-3), who earned a huge Orange Empire Conference victory in four sets over #12 Orange Coast (8-2). 

One the big upsets of the year occurred when Santa Monica (7-3), jumping on to the rankings for the first time at #18, took down #11 Moorpark (6-2) in five sets. At now #16, Santa Ana upset new #13 Cypress, also in five sets.

Both #24 Bakersfield and #25 Santa Barbara City played an epic, 5-setter with the Renegades winning the match at 16-14 in the fifth. Meanwhile, SBCC (6-7) showed part of why the South has its top 16 teams on the rankings by scoring wins over North teams in #17 Hartnell (a sweep) and previously undefeated and unranked Monterey Peninsula (was 8-0). 

Release/Rankings Coordinated by Robert Lewis, CCCWVCA SID