Trans-Valley League play was featured throughout this past week, as the Escalon Lady Cougars teams fought it out with opponents on the volleyball court, golf course, and flag football field.
There were some wins as well as losses and following is a recap of the competition.
VOLLEYBALL
Running into a couple of hot teams, the varsity Lady Cougars could not find a way to get a win on the books against Hughson or Ripon.
They fell to the Lady Huskies of Hughson in straight sets, 19-25, 21-25, 23-25.
Emma Strong had 10 kills, two aces and 17 digs while Arie Paulsen had eight kills. Avery Bartelink added seven kills, two blocks and 18 digs, Haven MacKinnon had two blocks, Brynn Caton recorded 17 digs, and Aniston Hunt had 10 digs and 22 assists.
“We knew going in it was going to be a tough week and we tried hard to work on both Hughson’s and Ripon’s weak areas,” explained varsity head coach Stephanie Ceja. “Unfortunately, it just wasn’t good enough.”
It was also a straight sets loss to Ripon, 17-25, 17-25 12-25.
Kinsley Villines had six kills and seven digs, Bartelink had six kills, two aces and 10 digs. Caton served up three aces and had 12 digs, Riley Titsworth had an ace, Hunt had 12 assists, four blocks and seven digs, and Paulsen and MacKinnon each had two blocks.
“We lost Emma Strong to an injury during the Hughson match so she was out for the Ripon game,” Ceja noted. “I pulled up Kinsley Villines from JV and she played out of her mind; I was super proud of her.”
The varsity was to host Sonora on Sept. 29 and then welcome Hilmar in on Oct. 1 in the traditional ‘Dig Pink’ match.
While it was a tough week for the varsity, it was a winning week for the JV and freshmen.
At the JV level, the Escalon girls beat Hughson 27-25, 24-26, 17-15.
Ryan Killingsworth had 14 digs, Aubrey Anderson-Castro had 17 assists and Kinsely Villines had 10 kills.
“We beat Ripon in three as well, 25-15, 11-25, 18-16,” said JV head coach Alyssa Cogburn. “Kinsley Henry and Lainie Harris each had four aces, Ryan (Killingsworth) had 11 digs and Nidia Alvarado led the team with three kills.”
Escalon’s freshmen topped Hughson 25-9, 25-15 in Sept. 22 action, then defeated Ripon 25-11, 25-23 on Sept. 24.
Against Hughson, KaLee Bailey-Donis had four kills and an ace, Evelynn Strong had four aces, nine digs and seven kills and Makayla Lopez had six aces.
Thursday, there were additional standouts.
“Paitynn Russell had four aces, Brooklyn Karp with two aces and 10 assists,” said freshman head coach Mya Scott. “Olivia Raley had four kills and four digs.”
Also, Bailey-Donis and Strong had four kills apiece in the win.
GOLF
Starting out with the Mid-Season TVL Tournament, the golfers went to Micke Grove in Lodi for the 18-hole tournament on Sept. 21. Escalon, Hilmar, Hughson, Orestimba, Ripon, Ripon Christian and Sonora all took part.
“Micke Grove is probably one of the nicer courses the team will get to play on this season,” said head coach Chris Casazza. “The greens and fairways are great, and even the rough is such that balls can be found when errant shots occur.”
There were also plenty of challenges, however, with strategically placed bunkers and multiple holes with significant amounts of water in play, said Casazza.
Senior Samantha Bruns paced the Escalon effort with a 109 for the 18 holes. Areli Herrera carded a 116, Jayci Trimble 125, Kristina Mendoza 135. Scores not counted were Sofia Da Silva, 140 and Lori Brown, 158.
“Escalon placed fifth out of seven schools with a team score of 485,” Casazza said. “Ripon won the tournament with a team score of 369.”
Hilmar was second; Hughson was third.
Wednesday, the girls went to River Oak Golf Course in Ceres, where they were hosted by Hughson.
Bruns once again was the leader for Escalon, carding a 39 on the back nine holes at River Oaks.
“Although those back nine holes aren’t extremely long, there are some very challenging ones, especially the few right along the river,” noted Casazza.
Trimble was second for the team with a 46 on the afternoon, Herrera 47and Brown 55. Hughson took the win, 170-187. Playing but not figuring in to the scoring for Escalon were Mendoza, 57, and Natalie Paxman, 78.
FLAG FOOTBALL
In a tough week for the varsity Lady Cougars, they fell to a pair of league opponents and had trouble getting on the scoreboard.
“We went to Ripon and Sonora; we lost to Ripon 33-0 and we lost to Sonora 33-8,” said head coach Danelle Hagen.
Quarterback Bretta Brooks ran in the touchdown and scored the two extra points for Escalon against Sonora to avoid the shutout.
“We had a few players still out with injuries so we are hopeful they will be on the field next time we see those opponents,” Hagen said.
This week, the girls were scheduled to host Hilmar on Sept. 29 and Orestimba on Thursday, Oct. 1.
At the JV level, it was a 12-7 win for the squad against Ripon on Sept. 22, winning 12-7.
“Kyla Holback connected with Lauryn Siegel for two touchdown passes,” said JV head coach Lisa Luis. “Hadley Casazza and Abigail Perreira ran the ball well.”
Defense was also top notch, with Siegel and Casazza each getting an interception, Perreira with two.
“Her second interception in the fourth quarter stopped Ripon’s last drive to seal the victory,” Luis added of Perreira’s pick.
