St. Margaret’s Players Find Only Themselves to Blame for Loss to Ripon

St. Margaret’s storybook season contained everything except a magical finish as the Tartans fell Saturday in the state Division V girls’ volleyball championship match to Ripon Christian, 15-13, 15-11, 5-15, 15-13, at Cypress College.

Both teams were playing for their first state title but a balanced attack led by Melissa Niewig’s 13 kills helped Ripon Christian withstand a late rally by St. Margaret’s, which pulled to within one point, at 12-11 and 14-13, in the fourth game.

But Ripon Christian (23-5) caught a break when St. Margaret’s (23-2) committed its sixth service error of the game while trailing, 14-13, giving the Knights a side out that they converted.

“That was the difference really,” Ripon Christian Coach Eric Eekhoff said. “We were stuck on 12 a long time. If they get a couple more of those serves in, I don’t know if we keep siding out.”

The match ended after a long rally when Ripon Christian’s Janai Sutton apparently spiked the ball long, but officials said it went off the St. Margaret’s block of Monique Kettler and Marissa Balak, and Ripon Christian had its first state title.

Although her players said no one got their hands on the final spike, St. Margaret’s Coach Susie Maga refused to make excuses for the Tartans’ sub-par performance, two weeks after winning their first Southern Section title.

“The match didn’t get decided on one play,” Maga said. “We shouldn’t have put ourselves in that situation.”

St. Margaret’s tried to rally behind senior outside hitter Allison Bendush, who had match-high totals of 23 kills and nine digs and was named state tournament MVP.

But the Tartans struggled with their passing throughout the match and Bendush was the only effective offensive weapon that Balak, who had 47 assists, could utilize.

Middle blockers Kettler and Kylie Hill were instrumental in St. Margaret’s section championship run, but they struggled Saturday. Kettler, a 6-foot-2 junior, had 10 kills but also had eight hitting errors. Hill, a sophomore, had eight kills and seven errors.

Outside hitters Jenny Busch and Aynsley Andrews couldn’t find the range either, finishing with a combined five kills and nine errors.

Ripon Christian, located east of San Francisco, outblocked St. Margaret’s, 15-6, led by 6-2 middle blocker Kayla Mulder with seven.

“I don’t think their height really bothered us,” Maga said. “It was what we did on our side of the net. We didn’t play well. We seemed a little flat.”

In other championship matches at Cypress College, Nicole Oehlman had 40 assists to spark Forrestville El Molino to a 15-10, 15-8, 15-13 upset of top-ranked Torrance Bishop Montgomery in Division III; and Sabreen Wiles’ 13 kills and eight blocks sparked Los Angeles Notre Dame Academy to a 15-4, 15-5, 15-12 victory over Menlo in Division IV.