Ripon High’s varsity volleyball team faced Chico on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Although our Lady Indians fought a hard and long game, they were unsuccessful in winning the quest to State Championships. 

The varsity team was off to a rocky start in the first set, losing 19-25. Ripon pulled through with a close score considering the injury of their starting middle, Makenzie Loechler, senior, who had to be taken out of the game and replaced with Kailee Inderbitzin, junior. 

The rest of the sets followed a 25-21 win, 21-25 loss, 25-21 win, and finally in the last set, a 13-15 loss. Eden Velasco, senior, ended the second set with an ace, quickly joined by her team who rushed out to celebrate with her. Setters like Reagan Wilkerson and Kaya Whittaker, juniors, showed great leadership in their plays, registering 41 assists together in total. 

Ripon showcased great sportsmanship on the court and still holds the win for Section Finals. The Lady Indians had a great run and should leave this season feeling proud. We can’t wait to see the returning volleyball players next year battling the State Championships once more.  

When asked how it feels to have made it this far, Danika Matuska, senior, says, “It feels great. Starting at the beginning of the season, looking at all the talent, I knew that we would be going very far and just being able to accomplish that even when playing really hard teams was a lot of fun.” Mutuska adds, “I’m gonna miss going into practice everyday just as an excuse to hang out with the girls.”