Though Escalon’s varsity volleyball girls swept Riverbank on Wednesday night, it was a much tougher task than the first time the teams met.

“They were much improved,” Escalon head coach Kayla Kootstra said of the visiting Lady Bruins.

Escalon won 25-12, 25-21 and 25-11, most seriously tested in game two.

“They definitely battled,” added Kootstra, offering praise for the effort put in by Riverbank. “They made us work to earn our points.”

Kylee Irwin-Paz had 13 kills on the night, Taylor Laugero notched 25 assists. Laura Brasil added 12 digs and Nicole Sarkozy recorded four aces and two blocks against the visitors.

“We only had the one league match this week,” Kootstra said.

Escalon’s JV girls were winners in two against their JV counterparts from Riverbank, never seriously tested in a quick 25-4, 25-3 drubbing of the JV Lady Bruins. The freshman team took on Waterford – as Riverbank doesn’t field a frosh squad – and were victorious in two games as well.

Weekend action for the varsity saw the girls travel to compete in the Stockton Classic, where they finished fifth overall.

“The only team we lost to all day won the tournament,” Kootstra said.

That team was Lowell, out of San Francisco. Escalon started the classic competition taking a 2-0 win over Vacaville.

“They were a very good team,” Kootstra noted, adding she was very pleased with the play of her squad to get past the Vacaville team in two.

Then they lost to Lowell, but bounced back to win their next two matches to finish fifth, defeating Enochs and Nevada Union.

The varsity girls headed into this week’s Trans-Valley League competition with a 6-1 mark, and were scheduled to play at Ripon on Monday, Oct. 19 after The Times went to press. They will be at Mountain House on Wednesday, Oct. 21.