The Santa Rosa Junior College women’s volleyball team’s season ended with a defeat at the hands of No. 1 ranked American River College, who swept the Bear Cubs on Tuesday.
Going into the match, the winner would advance to the regional final where they would face Shasta College on Saturday for a chance at the state championship tournament.
The Bear Cubs ended their regular season seventh in the Big 8 Conference, with a record of 5-11 in conference play. During the playoffs, they showed resilience as they defeated College of the Sequoias, which placed fifth in the Central Valley Conference, despite being down key starter Kiana Walker.
“We had a great season! We battled hard and faced adversity with determination and effort all season. We [have] improved so much since the beginning of the season. It was amazing to watch,” said Bear Cubs’ Head Coach Ally Sather. “We knew it was going to be tough, but we battled hard and competed against ARC, making them have to earn their points. We were grateful to make playoffs and enjoyed getting the travel experience together.”
Ultimately, the Bear Cubs were overpowered by the top-ranked Beavers throughout the sets but still had notable performances. Defensive specialist Jaiden Brooner had a busy night, as she recorded a team-high of 13 digs. She was followed closely by outside hitter Stephanie Melendez who recorded nine, and outside hitter Katie Brenninger and setter, Sierra Yates-Bruch, who each recorded seven. Offensively, Brenninger ran the show, tallying eight kills in 22 attempts, followed by middle/opposite Luka Amand who scored seven kills in 21 attempts.
“Facing ARC was not just a physical challenge but a mental one,” said SRJC middle blocker Sarah Thornton. “ARC earned that win and we will be rooting for them throughout the rest of the competition.”
Despite a disappointing end to their season, the Bear Cubs have a season to be proud of.
Individually, Brenninger earned First-Team All-Conference honors for the Big 8 as she ranked third in kills-per-set. Additionally, Brooner made Second-Team All-Conference for the Big 8 as she ranked second in digs and digs-per-set.
As a collective, the team started conference play off to a positive start at home, defeating Cosumnes River 3-1 in what was a highly contested match. Throughout their season, the Bear Cubs maintained more wins than losses at Haehl Pavilion, ending with a 7-6 record at home. Notably, SRJC swept Diablo Valley and Folsom Lake at home in conference play. The Bear Cubs swept Folsom Lake again, this time in the away fixture.
SRJC middle blocker Sarah Thornton spoke on the match-up against ARC, and the mentality of the team given the adversities they faced throughout their season.
“We have gone through so much adversity this season, and we never stopped fighting,” Thornton said. “Conference play ended with a streak of losses, but that didn’t matter to us. We fought with everything and made it to the second round of the playoffs. I’m proud.”
Coach Sather acknowledged the community and support building behind her team throughout the season.
“We have such a great community supporting us. We are grateful for all the positivity and support we received throughout the season. It made it even more memorable,” she said.
