Dragons salvage v-ball season with 3-2 win over Napa

The Sonoma Valley varsity volleyball team won’t have a VVAL pennant to hang on the gym wall for this year’s season. Hopes for a repeat of their spring “COVID Champion” – when they finished with an 10-1 league record in unofficial standings – were always a longshot, and strong seasons from Justin-Siena and Vintage were difficult to overcome. Even so, their 6-6 final league record puts them in third place, which gives a good idea of how competitive the Vine Valley league was this year.

After defeating American Canyon at Pfeiffer Gym on Oct. 7, the Dragons found the home-field advantage worked against them in their next two matches. Their Oct. 12 loss at Vintage was not entirely unpredictable – Vintage currently leads the league with a 10-1 record – but the Oct. 14 loss to Casa Grande in Petaluma hurt. The Gauchos seemed comfortably ensconced in last place, but they were fired up and a reduced Sonoma Valley team provided them with their first league win of the year.

Casa Grande won the first two sets, 25-21 and 25-20, and the wake-up call led the Dragons to two strong set wins to follow, at 25-13 and 25-14. Not to be denied on their home court, however, the Gauchos rallied to win the deciding set 15-11 – “a disappointing five-set loss” as Coach Brian Perkins called it.

But there was a good reason for the Dragons’ setback: three of their top outside hitters were out ill, one of them league scoring co-leader Lola Martin. Her illness was denied as COVID-19, but missing three games over two weeks shows it was not a case of the sniffles.

Tuesday, Oct. 19 found Sonoma Valley on the road again, this time against Napa. Once again Martin was out, along with Ashlynn Armitage, and Kaden Sanders only made a brief appearance. But senior Campbell Rolston played her usual strong game at opposite outside hitter, matched this time by freshman Olivia Paxton’s second varsity start.

“Not only did she dominate at the net as a hitter, but when one of our setters went down with an injury late in the 4th set, she stepped up to set and hit (playing all around) in the decisive 5th set,” said Perkins of Paxton, declaring her “Player of the Match.” Paxton had a season-high 14 kills and Rolston had 12, their efforts paying off with a five-set win.

They were far from the only players on the court, of course. Nelli Jimenez and Chelsea Young Magana, both seniors, led with 19 and 18 digs respectively, and junior Matea Medak had six serving aces, followed by Young Magana, Audrey Power and Nicole Arguello with three each.

There is still the possibility that the Dragons will play in the NCS playoffs, based on seedings to be released Sunday. “I know that league record, overall record, D3 record, and strength of schedule are all factors,” said Perkins. If they make the cut, their next game could be Tuesday, Nov. 2, on the road against a team to be named. Perkins said they are hopeful to be included in a post-season round.

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Go Dragons!