Feather River Tops First 2026 State Women's Volleyball Top 25
The year 2026 has featured a re-branding of the logo for the California Community College Women's Volleyball Coaches Association--now the 3C2AWVCA. It's also brought the return of some familiar faces to coaching after time away for dean/athletic director work along with a bevy of new head coaches in a series of changes in the state.
One thing that hasn't changed so far is the stranglehold by Feather River College on the 3C2AWVCA State Top 25 Rankings. Winners of the last two state championships under HC Sarah Ritchie, the Golden Eagles are off to a 4-0 start and take the #1 spot on the first '26 ratings. FRC has won four state crowns since 2019.
Last year's association Hall of Fame recipient Kanoe Bandy is returning to the bench to coach Taft on an interim basis after retiring five years ago. Her replacement at Taft--Mallori Rossi--took the HC job at Bakersfield College. A long-time AD at Taft, Bandy has won 567 matches in a historic 33-year career. Rossi recently took the Cougars to the state tourney (fifth place tie) last year after Bandy coached Taft in the 2004 Elite Eight.
Carson Lowden returns to the American River program after serving as an interim dean last year. She previously led the Beavers to six straight trips to the 3C2A state tourney including the 2018 title. Kevin Kramer, a dean at three different colleges since 2019, is back as well as he was hired for the HC position at West Valley. Kramer directed Gavilan to two trips to the state tourney in a 12-year tenure including a tie for third at the '18 championships in a magical 30-2 season for the Rams.
Ironically, Kramer's first match back behind the bench was against Bandy's Taft squad as the Cougars prevailed in four sets over the Vikings on Aug. 28.
Kramer with Bandy at the Taft season-opening tri
The rest of the new coaches list features Kiyhanna Dade at Riverside City, Susie Packard replacing the legendary now retired Chuck Cutenese at Orange Coast, Kara Barkdoll Coy at Grossmont, Gino Gamboa at Cabrillo, Rafael Asvolinsque at MiraCosta, Desi Brown at Mt. San Jacinto, Kayla Leyvas at Imperial Valley, Makayla Johnson replacing the retired Darla Williams at Solano, CJ Suarez at LA Pierce, Ginny Alexander at Southwestern, Charlie Ekstrom, a recent player on the AVP beach tour, at Folsom Lake, Cole Tran at Santa Ana, and Jerry Martinez at Copper Mountain.
On the opening rankings, Long Beach City under head coach Tyler Jackson is SoCal's top squad so far at #2 after its third place (tie) at the '25 state tourney. Perennial state tourney participant San Joaquin Delta, directed by Molly Hummel, stands at #3, Fresno City at #4 led by 2-time state champ (2016, 2021) HC and current 3C2AWVCA President Kieran Roblee, and 2023 state champ and last year's runner-up San Diego Mesa, coached by Bobbi Jo Stall, at #5.
Rounding out the first top 10 are #6 San Diego Miramar, directed by former Grossmont HC Brooke Callahan who led the Griffins to four state tourneys in a row, #7 Santa Monica, a squad coached by Christian Cammayo to the Corsairs' best finish in state history (tie for third) in 2025, #8 LA Mission, directed by Nabil Mardini who won three state consecutive state titles at Pierce (2010-2012), #9 Taft and HC Adam Black's Moorpark at #10.
Eighty-eight colleges are in action this season, 47 in the South Region, 41 in the North.
This week, Fresno hosts the third NorCal v. SoCal Showcase, an 8-team tourney on Sept. 4-5. Seven of the teams are among the State Top 25 including the current top five.
3C2AWVCA State Top 25 Rankings, #1
| RANK | TEAM, CONFERENCE | RECORD | NOTES | REGION TOP 15 | LAST YEAR FINAL RANK |
| 1. | FEATHER RIVER, Golden Valley | 4-0 | The 2-time defending 3C2A champ Golden Eagles beat ARC in 4, swept Sac City, Sierra, De Anza, win streak since last year extended to 22. | North #1 | State #1 |
| 2. | LONG BEACH CITY, South Coast South | 2-0 | The Vikings beat SD Mesa in 4, swept Orange Coast and top the South to open the '26 season. | South #1 | State #3 |
| 3. | SAN JOAQUIN DELTA, Big 8 | 2-0 | The Mustangs swept Hartnell, Solano. | North #2 | State #5 |
| 4. | FRESNO CITY, Central Valley North | 3-0 | The Rams swept Sierra, beat San Mateo in 4, swept American River. | North #3 | State #7 |
| 5. | SAN DIEGO MESA, Pacific Coast Athletic | 1-1 | The Olympians lost to LBCC in 4 (90-83 pts), swept Orange Coast. | South #2 | State #2 |
| 6. | SAN DIEGO MIRAMAR, Pacific Coast Athletic | 2-0 | The Jets beat Bakersfield in 4, swept Santa Barbara. | South #3 | State #14 |
| 7. | SANTA MONICA, Western State South | 2-0 | The Corsairs swept Reedley, Riverside. | South #4 | State #4 |
| 8. | LA MISSION, Western State North | 4-0 | The Eagles capture their annual Kickoff Classic, swept ELAC, beat Desert in 4, swept Citrus, Palomar. | South #5 | State #8 |
| 9. | TAFT, Central Valley South | 2-0 | The Cougars beat West Valley in 4, swept Victor Valley. | North #4 | State #6 |
| 10. | MOORPARK, Western State North | 1-0 | The Raiders go a wild 5 to beat Irvine Valley, 119-108, in a matchup of two high-end SoCal squads. | South #6 | State #13 |
| 11. | AMERICAN RIVER, Big 8 | 1-2 | The Beavers were swept by Fresno, gave FRC a fight in 4-set L (26-24, 25-23 last 2 sets), swept De Anza. | North #5 | Not Ranked |
| 12. | COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO, Coast North | 1-1 | The Bulldogs lost in 4 to Fresno (3 sets were 2-point margins, 99-91 overall), swept Sierra. CSM is directed by HC Katie Goldhahn. | North #6 | State #16 |
| 13. | SANTA BARBARA CITY, Western State North | 1-1 | The Vaqueros swept Mt. SAC, then swept by SD Miramar. SBCC is guided by HC Kat Niksto. | South #7 | State #11 |
| 14. | IRVINE VALLEY, Orange Empire | 0-1 | The Lasers lost in 5 to Moorpark, but won a pair of 27-25 sets and lost the opener 29-27. They are expected to contender for the OEC title in the 2nd season under HC Kari Hemmerling. | South #8 | Not Ranked |
| 15. | PALOMAR, Pacific Coast Athletic | 3-1 | The Comets placed 2nd at the LA Mission Kickoff Classic, swept Allan Hancock, El Camino, beat Cerritos in 4 before swept by LAM in the final. HC Karl Seiler has directed Palomar since 1995. | South #9 | State #12 |
| 16. | WEST VALLEY, Coast South | 1-1 | The Vikings lost to Taft in 4, swept Victor Valley. WVC could return to be a force in NorCal. | North #7 | Not Ranked |
| 17. | VENTURA, Western State North | 2-0 | The Pirates swept Southwestern, beat Canyons in 4. The Pirates have always been a big part of one of the state's hotly-contested conferences in the WSC North under HC Brad Lyans. | South #10 | State #18 |
| 18. | COSUMNES RIVER, Big 8 | 3-0 | The Hawks swept Lassen, Columbia, Porterville and are directed by HC Kari Nahlen. | North #8 | State #25 |
| 19. | SADDLEBACK, Orange Empire | 1-0 | The Bobcats swept Grossmont and are another up-and-coming program that should be in the OEC title race under 2nd-year HC Mike Sofley. | South #11 | Not Ranked |
| 20. | BAKERSFIELD, Western State South | 2-1 | The Renegades edged Clovis in 5 (15-13), lost to SD Miramar in 4, swept Mt. SAC. They are expected to return to SoCal prominence under Rossi's leadership. | South #12 | Not Ranked |
| 21. | SANTA ROSA JC, Big 8 | 2-0 | The Bear Cubs swept Mendocino, Hartnell, directed by HC Ally Sather. | North #9 | Not Ranked |
| 22. | SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY, Inland Empire Athletic | 2-0 | The Wolverines beat Pasadena in 4, MiraCosta in 4 as they will be a contender for the IEAC crown under HC Robert Vansant. | South #13 | Not Ranked |
| 23. | COLLEGE OF THE SEQUOIAS, Central Valley South | 2-0 | The Giants had convincing sweeps over Folsom Lake, Butte. HC Kim Rix guides COS. | North #10 | State #22 |
| 24. | COALINGA, Central Valley South | 2-0 | The Falcons won two 5-set thrillers over Sierra, Sacramento. HC Jeff Wanderer has directed Coalinga since 1998. | North #11 | Not Ranked |
| 25. | MONTEREY PENINSULA, Coast North | 2-0 | The Lobos beat Merced in 4, swept Cuesta. HC Kit Moore has led the MPC program since 2001. | North #12 | State #21 |
| BEST OF THE REST | |||||
| SHASTA, Golden Valley | 4-0 | The Knights opening week was a good one with a 4-set win over Yuba, then sweeps over Diablo Valley, Southwestern Oregon, Folsom Lake. Like Palomar's Seiler, HC Kelly Brazil started running the Shasta program in 1995. | North #13 | ||
| GOLDEN WEST, Orange Empire | 0-0 | The Rustlers begin the '26 season this week v. Southwestern on Sept. 2. Bill Lawler has served as HC at GWC since 2009. | South #14 | State #15 | |
| GROSSMONT, Pacific Coast Athletic | 1-1 | The Griffins beat Mt. San Jacinto in 4, then swept by Saddleback but a pair of 26-24 set defeats. | South #T15 | ||
| CERRITOS, South Coast South | 3-1 | The Falcons had a good showing at the LA Mission Kickoff Classic, finishing in 3rd under 2nd year HC Ashleigh Atsaros. They edged Desert in 5, swept East LA, lost to Palomar in 4, beat Citrus in 4. | South #T15 | ||
| MIRACOSTA, Pacific Coast Athletic | 1-1 | The Spartans beat Mt. San Jacinto in 4, lost to SBVC in 4. | State #20 | ||
| LASSEN, Golden Valley | 3-1 | The Cougars beat Modesto in 4, swept by CRC, swept Cuesta, beat Merced in 4. Amy Morris is HC. | North #14 | ||
| MT. SAN JACINTO, Inland Empire Athletic | 1-2 | The Eagles lost in 4 to both Grossmont, MiraCosta, then beat Pasadena in 4. | |||
| PASADENA CITY, South Coast North | 2-2 | The Lancers had four 4-set matches, beat Cypress, Canyons, lost to SBVC, MSJC. HC Mike Terrill has directed PCC to currently 8 straight SoCal Playoffs appearances. | State #17 | ||
| MT. SAN ANTONIO, South Coast North | 0-2 | The Mounties were swept by Santa Barbara, Bakersfield but averaged 20.5 pts per set. HC Samantha Neely has won 3 of the last 4 SCC North titles. | State #10 | ||
| CLOVIS, Central Valley North | 0-1 | The Crush went a hard 5 in L v. Bakersfield. HC is none other than legendary former D1 Michigan head coach Mark Rosen, who has 677 wins at the university level. | North #15 | ||
| LEMOORE, Central Valley South | 2-0 | The Golden Eagles swept Marin, beat Skyline in 4. The HC is Kevin Wilds. | |||
| ORANGE COAST, Orange Empire | 0-2 | The Pirates were swept by formidable SD Mesa, Long Beach to open season. | State #9 | ||
| HARTNELL, Coast South | 1-2 | The Panthers were swept by Delta, swept Solano, then swept by Santa Rosa. HC Jamie Pedroza has directed Hartnell since 2008. | |||
| SACRAMENTO CITY, Big 8 | 0-2 | The Panthers were swept by Feather River, then went 5 in L v. Coalinga (15-10). HC Laurie Nash is in her 27th season in charge of the Sac City program. | State #23 | ||
| CITRUS, Western State South | 2-2 | The Owls placed 4th at LAM tourney, swept El Camino, AHC, swept by LA Mission, lost in 4 to Cerritos. Shin Jung has been HC at Citrus since 2007. | |||
| OHLONE, Coast North | 2-0 | The Renegades swept Mendocino, Porterville. HC is Courtney Owyang-Paras. | |||
| EL CAMINO, South Coast | 2-2 | The Warriors placed 5th at LAM tourney, swept by Citrus, Palomar, before beating ELAC, Desert in 4 each. HC is Liz Hazell. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE DESERT, Inland Empire Athletic | 1-3 | The Roadrunners lost to Cerritos in 5 (16-14), LA Mission in 4, swept Allan Hancock, lost to El Camino in 4. COD had its best season last year (21 wins) under HC Detlev Rothe. | State #19 | ||
| COLLEGE OF THE SISKIYOUS, Golden Valley | 2-0 | The Eagles swept Cabrillo, got past Contra Costa in 5. HC is Lindi Cadola. | |||
| COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS, Western State South | 1-2 | The Cougars had three 4-set matches, beat Cypress, lost to Pasadena, Ventura. Clay Timmons is HC. | |||
| CERRO COSO, Inland Empire Athletic | 2-0 | The Eagles edged Santa Ana in 5-set marathon (30-28 4th, 15-13 5th), swept West Coast Baptist. HC is James Belluscio. | |||
| CABRILLO, Coast South | 1-1 | The Seahawks were swept by Siskiyous, swept Contra Costa. | State #24 | ||
| MODESTO JC, Big 8 | 2-1 | The Pirates lost to Lassen in 4, swept Porterville, Columbia. Brenda Moser is HC. | |||
| BUTTE, Golden Valley | 1-1 | The Roadrunners outlasted Folsom Lake in 5, swept by Sequoias. HC is Ed Jackson. | |||
| LA HARBOR, South Coast South | 1-0 | The Seahawks beat Fullerton in 4. Rachel Pittock is HC. | |||
| RIO HONDO, South Coast North | 1-0 | The Roadrunners beat Antelope Valley in 4. HC is Jackson Wong. | |||
| SANTIAGO CANYON, Orange Empire | 1-0 | The Hawks swept Copper Mountian. Niloo Mojab is HC. | |||
| IMPERIAL VALLEY, Pacific Coast Athletic | 1-0 | A winning HC debut for Leyvas' Desert Warriors, swept Copper Mountain. | |||
OTHER COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
Jackie Ponciano-Babb's head coaching experience at the CCC level goes back to 1995 at American River and she has been Diablo Valley's HC since 1998.
Head coach Pete Rasmussen directed Sequoias from 1998-2013 and has been at Porterville since 2014.
Dawnis Guevara has led the De Anza program as HC since 1999.
Yvette Ybarra has directed Glendale's squads since 2001.
Jessica Casey has directed Merced's teams since 2004.
Dr. Elliott Walker has led the East LA program since 2010.
Christy Tianero has directed Contra Costa's program since 2015.
Whitney Meyer has guided Cuesta as HC since 2017.
Kat Escobedo is Mendocino's HC and Skyline HC Nilo Mauricio, both directed their programs since 2018.
Allana Whitnack is HC at Sierra, Laura Ratto HC at Cuyamaca, and Audra Dent HC at San Diego City, each since 2022.
Danko Iordanov is Cypress' HC since 2023.
College of Marin 2nd year HC Bear Grassl spent 23 seasons previously as HC at D2 Sonoma State.
Third-year Napa Valley HC Scott Bishop once was a HC at Los Medanos in 1997-1998.
Sara Mitchell is in her fourth season as HC at Columbia as is .Erica Chapa Slayday at Gavilan.
Los Angeles City HC George Rodriguez (since 2023) was once a HC at East LA.
Other head coaches at the CCC level include Jennifer Uresti at Reedley, Peter Ong at Victor Valley, Kevin Hitt at Fullerton, Moe Scott at Compton, Megan Phillips at Allan Hancock, Bailey Green at Antelope Valley, Kellie Tongson at Yuba, Taylor Thompson at Los Medanos, Macy Thomas at College of the Redwoods, and Haley Gomez at Chaffey,
Release/Rankings by Robert Lewis, 3C2AWVCA SID