Ceres High’s girls volleyball team appeared headed for a shutout victory against crosstown-rival Central Valley last month.
The Hawks stunned the Bulldogs by erasing a two-sets-to-none deficit en route to battling back for a 3-2 (14-25, 19-25, 25-19, 26-24, 15-12) win on Senior Night on Oct. 23.
“Quite honestly, all I told the girls was to lock in and finish their season with a great game, and they did that,” Central Valley head coach Courtney Dayhoff said.
“It should have never gone to a fifth set,” Ceres High head coach Kelly Heese stated. “We should have taken it in three.”
The Bulldogs posted a 7-11 overall record and placed fifth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 6-8 mark.
The Hawks finished 8-13 and sixth in the WAC standings (5-9).
Ceres High and Central Valley defended their home courts while facing off twice this season.
“Overall, they overcame so many different things throughout the season,” Heese said. “Being so young, they competed very well. The dynamics off the team were great. I saw improvement in each and every one of my players. That’s progress. They can only get better.”
Hawk Julyanna Valencia collected 13 digs, four assists and two aces against the Bulldogs during the rematch.
Gabriela Delatorre had 12 assists, four digs, five kills and one block.
Payton McConnell had 11 digs, six kills, four assists, two aces and one block.
Marion Dennison had seven kills, one dig and one assist.
Jayden Corona had six digs, four kills and four aces.
Emily Carranza had three kills, two blocks, two aces and one dig.
Juliana Lopez had three digs, two aces and one kill.
Olivia Cervantes had one assist and one ace.
Tanveer Kaur had one assist.
The Bulldogs executed their game plan to perfection while winning the first two sets by scores of 25-14 and 25-19 during the second meeting.
“They played phenomenal the first two sets,” Heese said. “They were placing the ball all around the court. It was a downward spiral from there.”
The Hawks proceeded to win the final three sets to complete the comeback.
Ceres High had an opportunity to win the match in four sets.
Central Valley erased an eight-point deficit on its way to forcing a fifth and decisive set. The Hawks fought off a couple match points.
“It was not fun,” Heese said.
Central Valley will lose six players to graduation, including Valencia, Dennison, Corona, Lopez, Cervantes and Kaur.
Valencia, Dennison, Corona, Lopez, Cervantes and Kaur ended their prep volleyball careers with a victory against crosstown-rival Ceres High.
Delatorre, McConnell, Carranza and Sofia Garibay could return to the team next fall.
“We are losing six girls to graduation but we have a lot of younger talent,” Dayhoff said. “I’m excited to see how they grow next season.”
Ceres High could welcome back as many as eight players from this year’s team in 2025, including Genesis Sio (Jr.), Riley Gaskill (So.), Emma Hernandez (So.), Brianna Maravilla (So.), Priya Martinez (So.), Maiya Thao (So.), Janelli Villegas (So.), Kamea Brown (Fr.)
Foreign-exchange student-athlete Georgia Simonuti will not rejoin the team as she’ll be moving back to Italy.
“I do have high hopes for these girls,” Heese said. “We should hold our own the next couple of years. It’s not about wins and losses at this point. It’s about making sure the girls enjoy what they’re doing and learn the game.”
