Amid a sea of pink inside Bulldog Arena on Thursday evening, the Pitman High volleyball team held off a thunderous comeback attempt by crosstown rival Turlock High to remain undefeated in the Central California Athletic League.
The Pride won in five sets (25-18, 25-27, 25-22, 21-25, 16-14) to improve to 19-7 overall and to 5-0 against conference opponents, extending their CCAL winning streak to 43 games, dating back to the 2021 season.
The Bulldogs, hosting their annual Pinkout Game in honor of those who have battled breast cancer (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month), dropped to 17-6 on the season and to 3-2 in the CCAL.
Beginning on Sept. 18 against Downey, the Pride had won 11 straight sets heading into Thursday’s contest, and extended that streak to 12 with a convincing 25-18 win in the opening period against Turlock. That dominant run nearly continued until the Bulldogs strung together three straight points in their second set win to knot the match at 1-1. Pitman rebounded in the third set until the Bulldogs forced the decisive fifth frame, which turned out to be a frantic back-and-forth affair.
Senior Maryn Hall led the Pride with 37 kills and a pair of aces. Fellow senior Kayliyah Williams had 15 kills and an ace to contribute to the scoring. Williams and Hall also had 18 and 17 digs, respectively, though it was senior Aila Reich who led all players with 36. Setting up the outside hitters were sophomore Izabella Ziencina with 32 assists and junior Nicoletta Dowd with 18. Junior Aubrey Williamson and sophomore Shanna Russell each had three blocks.
Next up on Pitman’s schedule is a road match Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Downey. The Pride won that Sept. 18 contest 3-1 (25-10, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15). The Knights currently sit 20-7 overall and are 3-1 in conference play, sandwiched between Pitman and Turlock in second place in the CCAL standings.
The Bulldogs will be nearby at Modesto High on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. tip against the 7-22 overall Panthers, who are 0-5 against league competition. The Bulldogs won their first meeting on Sept. 18 in straight sets by convincing scores of 25-9, 25-10 and 25-10.
TVL standings jumbled up
As Hilmar High head coach Patti Harris said at the beginning of the season, “The TVL is always tough.”
A month into conference play, Ripon High has taken command of the standings with an 18-2 overall record and a 7-0 mark in the Trans-Valley League, while other programs, including Hilmar and Hughson, beat up on each other.
The Yellowjackets, last year’s Trans-Valley League runner-up to Ripon and the defending CIF NorCal Division 4 champions, are 16-10 overall and 2-5 against conference opponents. They not only lost their third straight game on Thursday to Ripon Christian, but have not won a set over those three contests against the Knights, Indians on Sept. 30, and Hughson on Sept. 25.
Despite Hughson’s recent 25-13, 25-23, 25-13 win over Hilmar, things haven’t been the easiest, either. The Huskies are 18-6 overall and 3-4 in TVL play. Their most recent loss was Thursday in straight sets to Ripon.
Following the Indians in the standings are Ripon Christian and Sonora with matching 5-2 records, then 3-4 Hughson in fourth place. Hilmar and Escalon are tied for fifth with 2-5 marks, while Orestimba is winless through six games.
The Huskies will be on the road Tuesday for a 6 p.m. match with Ripon Christian. Hughson was victorious in their first meeting on Sept. 11 in five sets — 14-25, 25-22, 17-25, 25-21, 15-4.
The Lady ‘Jackets will be back home at Strom Gymnasium at 6 p.m. Tuesday, welcoming Escalon. Hilmar mounted a huge comeback over five sets on Sept. 11 in their first meeting with a box score of 22-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-13.
