Hilmar volleyball has ‘weapons’ beyond senior outside hitter Baptista

Emily Baptista’s shadow canvasses the Central Valley, hanging over elite volleyball programs in Ripon and Escalon, fascinating a Division I coaching staff in Stockton.

The Hilmar High School senior is bound for the University of the Pacific, where she’ll pair her mighty arm swing with the soft hands of former Ripon Christian setter and Bee All-District Player of the Year Andie Shelton.

When Baptista leaves, Hilmar coach Patti Harris will be faced with filling a sizable hole on the court. Fortunately, she won’t have to look far for a few candidates.

She has three on her roster right now – sophomores Hannah Pearce, Mariah Ahid and Erin Benning – each growing stronger by the game. The trio, described by Harris as “weapons,” played an integral role in Hilmar’s momentous 3-1 victory at Ripon on Monday evening.

Pearce paced the team in assists and aces, while Ahid and Benning combined for 13 kills as the ’Jackets spoiled the Indians’ Senior Night with a 25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21 victory.

“We still have two games to play, but this was a big one,” Harris said. “Ripon, Escalon and Hilmar – whenever we meet, it’s a big win.”

Hilmar improved to 31-6 on the season and 10-0 in the Trans-Valley League, clinching a share of the league crown with two matches remaining.

Harris’ small-school juggernaut has won 33 consecutive TVL matches, a streak dating to the 2012 season; a streak that began with Baptista, the unquestioned queen of the hive.

If it should continue into next season, that burden of success will be distributed among three: Pearce, Ahid and Benning.

They took turns tilting the floor in favor of Hilmar on Monday evening. Ahid had five straight service points to start Game 1, granting Hilmar an early 6-1 cushion. Later, in the decisive fourth game, Benning tipped a ball into space to make it 6-2.

Harris said the early leads gave Hilmar a psychological edge. They also masked the Yellowjackets’ struggles to close each game.

“In volleyball, you always want to set the tone early. This was such a mental game with so many dips and waves,” she said. “We made some errors and Ripon is such a good team, but we pulled through it.”

On the strength of one of its smallest players, too.

While Baptista played with her usual dominance, raining down with a match-high 24 kills, it was the 5-foot-5 Pearce’s marksmanship from the service stripe that allowed Hilmar to celebrate its third consecutive WAC title. The ’Jackets can take sole possession of the championship with a victory over Modesto Christian on Wednesday, rendering the season finale with second-place Escalon meaningless.

The significance wasn’t lost on the underclassmen.

“This was very important,” Pearce said. “We were so pumped up for this game. We knew we could take league.”

It wasn’t so certain at the outset. Ripon trailed 15-13 in the second game but rallied on the serve of Sarah DeFreitas. Breana Barrios’ stuff block followed a DeFreitas ace to give Ripon a 16-15 lead. From there, the Indians closed with heavy doses of twin sisters Samantha (15 kills) and Madison McCreath.

Tied 1-1 on the road, Pearce didn’t panic. With a poise beyond her years, she focused instead on four simple words: We can do this.

“Our second game is always our worst game,” Pearce said. “We were even at 1-1 and telling ourselves, ‘We can do this. We can do this.’ ”

Pearce set the tone in Game 3 with six straight points, including three aces on a jump serve she’s honed since she was 9.

The sophomore began her varsity career as the team’s libero during its 2014 title run but switched to setter this fall. She had 34 assists in Monday’s win, but it was her work from behind the stripe that turned yet another emotionally charged match with a rival. She finished with seven aces.

The loss dashed Ripon’s hopes of a title split. The Indians fell to 12-9 overall and 4-3 in the TVL.

“She’s a very consistent server. When she finds her groove, she can be unstoppable,” Harris said of Pearce. “It’s like any other sport – basketball or baseball. Once she’s in that zone, she can pump out a lot of aces. She’s an excellent player.”

One of three waiting to emerge from Baptista’s long shadow.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Hilmar volleyball has ‘weapons’ beyond senior outside hitter Baptista."