Volleyball Team Continues Winning Ways

The Eagle volleyball team has gone 7-3 in its last 10 matches and has a chance to finish with the school's first winning overall record since 2015 and first winning conference record since 2017.

Preparing to host Redwoods Friday night at 6 p.m., the Eagles are 10-10 overall and 2-2 in the Golden Valley Conference. Their GVC wins over Shasta and Butte were sandwiched between losses to two of the top teams in the state, Feather River and Lassen.

It's almost a given that you're going to lose to Feather River if you play in the GVC. Feather River swept Siskiyous to open its conference season Oct. 6 in Quincy and, as noted by the California Community College Athletic Association website, extended its GVC win streak to 54, dating back to 2016. That streak is now at 57, and Feather River was ranked No. 2 in NorCal and No. 2 in the state as of the Oct. 9 CCCAA poll.

Lassen, which defeated the Eagles 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 Wednesday night in Susanville, is also 4-0 in conference and hasn't lost a set in its last 9 matches. Lassen was ranked No. 5 in NorCal and No. 8 in the state.

Other than those two losses and a loss to highly ranked Solano, the Eagles have been surging. They defeated rival Shasta 3-1 last Wednesday and swept Butte last Friday.

Redwoods comes to town this Friday at 0-3 in the GVC and 5-8 overall. A win would lift the Eagles above .500 in both conference and overall. You have to go back to 2010 for the last time a Siskiyous team finished a season with a winning record in both conference and overall.

In their 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 sweep of Butte, these Eagles were especially effective on offense in the second set, putting down 12 kills on 28 total attacks with just 2 hitting errors.

Julia DeLeon had 12 kills, and Madelyn Truelock had 11 kills and 2 block assists. Jade Crawford had 5 kills, 2 service aces, 10 digs, and 3 block assists; Ashley Quizon had 3 aces, 15 digs, and 12 assists; Josie Cole had 3 kills and 3 block assists; Isabella Colombo had 30 assists, 7 digs, and a kill; Taylor Douglas had 2 kills and 2 block assists; Wintu Baker had 4 service aces, and Karli Reynolds had 3 digs.

After losing the opening set at Shasta 21-25 on Oct. 11, the Eagles won the next three 25-19, 25-11, 25-19. They again dialed in their hitting with 14 kills on 17 attacks and only 3 errors in set two and 9 kills on 12 attacks and only 2 errors in set three.

The defense, too, was stellar, giving up only 37 kills on 129 attacks in the match and only 15 kills on 67 attacks in the final two sets.

Setter Colombo had a big night with 35 assists, 17 digs, 2 block assists, 3 aces, and 6 kills.

DeLeon had 14 kills, 3 aces, and 10 digs; Truelock had 10 kills and 4 digs; Crawford had 9 kills, 2 aces, 20 digs and a block assist; Quizon had 10 assists, 5 service aces, and 17 digs; Douglas had 4 kills, a solo block and 2 block assists; Cole had 2 solo blocks, a block assist and 2 kills; Reynolds had a kill, an assist and 4 digs; and Amelia Gastelum had 3 digs.

Friday's match against Redwoods is the first of three consecutive home matches for the Eagles, who will then host Feather River next Wednesday and Shasta the following Wednesday.