Hughson volleyball’s quest to repeat as Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV champions continued this week with a pair of dominant postseason wins.
The top-seeded Huskies advanced to its second straight section title game with a sweep of No. 4 West Campus of Sacramento (25-13, 25-16, 25-16) on Tuesday night. The semifinal victory came after the girls in black and yellow swept Trans-Valley League rival Sonora by a 25-17, 25-14, 25-20 score in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
Standing in the way of a second blue banner will be No. 2 Placer, which took down third-ranked Escalon in five sets on Tuesday. The Division IV section title game will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. from Cosumnes River College, the same venue in which the Huskies achieved ultimate glory a year ago.
“It feels amazing,” said head coach Sara Beers. “You start a season, you have your goals, and to actually check a box is amazing. To do it two years in a row feels surreal. I told the girls, I don't feel like I deserve this, but they are the ones that deserve this. I'm just enjoying the journey with them, and it’s really fun.”
Tuesday’s win marked the third straight playoff match in which the Huskies handled business in less than an hour’s time.
Olivia Piazza is one of just two seniors on this year’s Hughson roster, and acknowledged the possibility of endearing her high school career with two section championships.
“Ever since I was a freshman, I knew that we had so much potential, and it was frustrating not to reach it,” she said, referring to the team’s quarterfinal losses in 2023 and 2024. “To know that it finally clicked these past two years and we've been able to go to sections twice, and hopefully beyond this year, I'm just really excited.”
Tuesday’s semifinal was also very likely the last home match for the Huskies, which made the night much more sentimental for Piazza and her teammates.
“I was getting emotional about it,” she said. “It’s just really special because I’ve played volleyball for so long. It's just a good way to come out.”
Piazza and sophomore Addison Yarborough each tallied double-digit kills in Tuesday’s quick victory, but especially showered with love by teammates was Emery Visaraga. The junior setter and defensive specialist surpassed 1,000 career assists Thursday against Sonora during just her second season playing varsity volleyball. She received a commemorative banner at the conclusion of the Tuesday win.
“Emery is such a hustler and hard worker,” Beers said. “If you ever ask her what she needs, her response is always about wanting to help everybody else. She's such a team player. It's not about her at all. She doesn't get the glory like the girls who get the big kills and blocks, but she works her tail off for her teammates to get those. And I know they all very much appreciate her.”
By appearing in the semifinal round of its bracket, the Huskies automatically qualified for the CIF State Tournament, regardless of result in the section title game this weekend. Still, all eyes are set on the blue banner.
“Our confidence has gotten a lot stronger,” Piazza said. “Last year, we didn't know what we could do. Now we know. That experience of playing on that stage is going to help us a lot because we're already such an energetic team, all the noise and energy in that building is just going to make us have even more fun. And the more fun we have, the better we play.”
ADDITIONAL PLAYOFF SCORES:
Girls Flag Football, Monday
- Turlock 20, Tokay 12
- Hilmar 41, Twelve Bridges 7
- Granite Bay 38, Pitman 6
Girls Water Polo, Tuesday
- Turlock 18, Inderkum 9
- El Capitan 17, Pitman 6
