Merced, Stanislaus District teams ride experience into volleyball semifinals

There’s no faking playoff experience.

When the emotions and stakes elevate, the divide between those that have endured it before and those feeling it for the first time is often vast.

You can see it in the way players carry themselves, the way they react to an opponent’s run or a big rally going against them. There’s a looseness to them even as the match intensifies.

That sense of ease was prevalent at Stone Ridge Christian volleyball practice Monday. The Knights return nine players who took part in last year’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI title match. Five of those players fought for a blue banner the year before that.

It’s that depth of experience that has the third-seeded Knights confidently heading out on the road for Tuesday’s D-VI semifinal with No. 2 Sacramento Country Day at Mather Sports Center. It’s a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Stone Ridge won 3-1. The match starts at 7 p.m.

“I like to think that my juniors and seniors that have all been here before know what to expect,” Stone Ridge coach Ken Shaw said. “You look around practice right now and there’s no nerves. Will there be some five minutes before the game? Of course. There’s supposed to be. But they know how to handle the pressure of the playoffs, and they’ll set the example for the younger girls that are experiencing it for the first time.”

Sacramento Country Day (23-3) is young with only two seniors but returns seven players and will be seeking revenge after last year’s semifinal loss.

“I honestly don’t remember much about that game except their middles being pretty good,” Central California Athletic Alliance MVP Justine De Jager said. “We’re renting a bus to go up there, so we’ll have plenty of time to get our minds right. I kind of like going on the road and playing in front of a big crowd and silencing them.”

Stone Ridge (19-10) isn’t the only team hoping to ride its experience back to a title match. Merced County has four teams with ambitions of playing for a blue banner, while Modesto’s Stanislaus District has four more. Seven of those eight reached at least the semifinals a year ago.

The exception is Le Grand, though the Bulldogs (13-10) are only three years removed from playing for a section title.

Gia Priddell’s squad was a coin toss away from missing the playoffs after tying for third in the Southern League. Le Grand has seized the opportunity, reaching a semifinal against two-time defending Division V champion Vacaville Christian (23-7) with two five-set victories. Katie Farnsworth is the only Bulldog with playoff experience, getting pulled up as a sophomore, but Priddell’s squad has grown up fast in two nail-biters.

“You look at the two matches and really we’ve beaten ourselves in the sets we’ve dropped,” Priddell said. “When they’ve cleaned up those mistakes, they’ve played really well. They’re the kind of team that needs to win a game to feel like they belong. They’ve really gotten going once they’ve done that.

“This is a team that never thought it would even be in the playoffs. But now we have some momentum going, and hopefully, the group is peaking at the right time.”

Top-seeded Sonora (29-4) and No. 2 Hilmar (35-6) appear to be on a collision course for the Division IV title for the third year in a row. Standing in the way are two familiar opponents. The Yellowjackets will host No. 3 Bear River (38-3) in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal, a 3-0 Hilmar sweep. The defending state champion Wildcats will host No. 5 Ripon (16-9), which exited in the semifinals a year ago.

Two defending section champs will look to get back to the title matches in Divisions I and V. Pitman (27-6), the defending Division I NorCal champion and state runner-up, will hit the road for a semifinal showdown at No. 1 Oak Ridge (35-2). After winning Division VI titles the past two years, No. 2 Turlock Christian will try to reach the Division V title match with a home match against No. 3 Bradshaw Christian.

Dos Palos (21-8) has become a fixture in the Central Section Division IV semifinals but struggled to get past that point with playoff exits the past two years. Mary Schofield hopes the third time is the charm as her fourth-seeded Broncos make the long trek to No. 1 Sierra Tollhouse (30-3).

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Merced, Stanislaus District teams ride experience into volleyball semifinals."