Ripon Christian volleyball set for final trip of the season in second straight state final

Once again, Ripon Christian High volleyball players have embraced being road warriors.

The Knights for the second year in a row have had to travel all over Northern California for the CIF NorCal volleyball playoffs. Last year, they had one home contest, the NorCal Championship. This year, they did not have a single match in Ripon and made three trips to the Bay Area and one to Carmel.

They have had just one regional playoff game at home in two seasons because of CIF seeding. Last season, the Knights were the No. 9 team in Division IV. They upset the No. 8, No. 1 and No. 4 seeds en route to a NorCal title and defeated the top D-IV team from Southern California to win the 2022 state championship.

This year, the team was moved up to Division III and, despite being defending state champion, was given the 13 seed. The Knights beat the No. 4, No. 5, No. 8 and No. 3 seeds on the road to win back-to-back NorCal titles.

“I’m going to be really honest, I can’t say that the seedings make any sense to me,” Knights coach Kayla Kootstra said. “I was disappointed when I saw that we were the 13 seed, but not surprised … because there’s some unknowns in terms of what our performance is going to look like and how we’re going to do at that higher level. I did think we were higher than a No. 13 in our level and ability of play, which I think we’ve shown.”

After upsetting their way through the D-III NorCal bracket, they will play in California’s final D-III volleyball match this season. The No. 13 Knights play No. 2 Redwood of Visalia (36-6) at 1:30 p.m. The game can be streamed through subscription streaming website NFHSnetwork.com.

The team leaves Friday morning at 6:30 for the 2023 Division III State Championship at Santiago Canyon College. It is the third state championship appearance in the volleyball program’s storied history.

“It’s a little surreal still, to be honest, but also exciting,” Kootstra said. “This group has come together even better than I anticipated. They’re all friends and they all enjoy each other and I think they also all have a drive. They have been to state before and just that desire to get back there again, and I think you’re seeing that in the overall execution of what we’re doing.”

The team’s travel itinerary has become second nature. The teammates know what music they will listen to, where they will stop for food and what park they will stop at for a quick bonding activity.

“We’ve been getting like party buses, so a lot of the rides are just jam sessions. Screaming, singing, it’s kind of crazy,” said outside hitter and team kills leader Jordan Vander Veen. “The bus ride hypes us up for the game. We’re talking with each other and singing and it brings us closer.”

In two NorCal playoff runs, the Knights will have traveled 3,318 miles over 10 games.

“It’s definitely been a lot. I could probably check my odometer, too, because my husband’s been to every game,” Kootstra said. “Our car’s got a few miles on it.

“We’re just road warriors again this year.”

New opportunities

The Knights graduated seven players from last year’s state championship team. While key players returned this season, there were opportunities for players to fill into bigger roles.

“We have good leadership, but we still had seven seniors that graduated last year,” Kootstra said. “So there were some unknowns and some holes that we needed to fill.”

No one took advantage of that opportunity better than defensive specialist/libero Allison Brown.

Last year, she played sparingly, competing in 38 sets, and finished the season with 25 serving aces and 51 digs. She says she used practices to work on her game.

“That was good preparation year for me,” she said. “I got to be on the other side and it made me so much better just playing against the team last year.

“It made me a better passer, I got better at picking up tips and serve receive and that definitely has brought me to the player I am now. … I love being on the court. I love being around these people and they build me up on the court. I don’t really get in any of the slumps that I used to. My mental game is a lot stronger now than ever.”

As a senior, she is one of the team captains, is second on the team in digs (376), is one of five players with at least 50 serving aces and is tied for the team lead in sets played. Brown and Vander Veen have each played in all 119 sets so far this season.

“Last year was so much fun, but this year it feels even more real,” Brown said. “I’ve been on the court a lot more this year, so that’s probably part of the reason that I’m just so excited to go out there and try my best and play a great last game.”

The team is well-rounded. Middle blocker Sydney Hoffman has 316 kills and is fourth in California in hitting percentage. Outside hitter Leah Van Wyngarden is third in the state in serving aces (148), third on the team in kills and leads the Knights with 409 digs. Setter Megan Weststeyn is fifth in California in assists with 1,155.

Enjoying the journey

A lot of the players on this year’s team have known each other since middle school. They have been friends, played on the same club teams and enjoy chatting with one another whenever they get a moment.

“We’ve been building this team since, I’d say, seventh grade,” said Brown.

That camaraderie does not only show on the bus rides to games, it translates to the court.

“We’ve been talking a lot about playing together and I’ve never played on a team where it’s so cohesive,” Vander Veen said. “We all work together and everything’s fun and I don’t think we get rattled.”

During their section and state postseason run, the Knights have lost only one set. They swept their way to a Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title and dropped only the third set to Head-Royce in their NorCal opener. They swept Carmel, Lowell and Archie Williams High in the next three rounds.

“It shows our grit and determination,” Vander Veen said. “Not a lot of stuff rattles us. I think the consistency that we play with is what helps us sweep teams and cutting out our errors and our mistakes.

All season, Kootstra has preached enjoying the journey. For some, Saturday will be their last competitive volleyball game ever. For others, it’s another steppingstone in what will be a long volleyball career. But one thing each player has in common is win or lose, it is the last game they will play with the 2023 team.

“Obviously, we are excited to win and all the wins are super fun, but that’s just part of it,” Vander Veen said. “I don’t want the season to end because I don’t want to stop playing with these girls. Going to state is just a bonus.”