Sophomore Sianna Houghton makes a play at the net in a NorCal playoff game against Bear River. Photo courtesy of Cynthia Yock.

By Baily Deeter

The Menlo volleyball team has been to the Division IV state finals five times before. They are 0-5 in those five appearances.

So, after earning another chance to avenge their previous defeats, the Menlo volleyball team is more determined than ever to win that illustrious state championship.

Menlo won the NorCal finals in a 3-0 sweep over Monte Vista Christian on Saturday for their sixth NorCal championship and their first since 2013. The Knights were absolutely dominant in this defeat, jumping out to a 12-1 lead in the first set and never looking back. Junior Ashley Dreyer finished the third set with a kill to send the home crowd into absolute pandemonium.

Menlo, the first seed in the NorCal bracket, will take on Point Loma, the second seed in the SoCal bracket, in San Diego. Point Loma also won the SoCal championship in a 3-0 sweep over Loma Linda Academy, and they finished strong after a 24-12 season overall. Menlo, at 24-8, has a better record than Point Loma, but both teams are coming into this game with the hot hand.

In other words, it should be a phenomenal game.

The Knights are led by some outstanding players, including Vandermeer and Houghton, who are both coming into their final high-school volleyball game with positive momentum. Houghton anchored the defense during the playoffs, and Vandermeer was strong at the net with 12 blocks and 10 kills in the NorCal final.

With these two seniors leading the way and underclassmen like Dreyer, Grace King, Kristin Sellers and Selina Xu on top of their game as well, the Knights enter Saturday’s contest poised to make history. The season has already been a success for the Knights. However, they now have the opportunity to do something truly special for the school this Saturday.

The big stage of the state championships means that the team needs to take their final week together extremely seriously. But they’re not going to try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to their preparation.

“Our team chemistry and hard work has gotten us to this point,” junior Caroline Bradley stated. “That’s what we’re going to rely on as we focus on winning states.”

The season has been a complete success so far, as the Knights have reestablished themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Division IV. Now, the team is going full speed ahead as they try to add a new banner to the Menlo gym.

“We won’t be satisfied until we win the state championship,” Dreyer said.

Menlo looks forward to and eagerly awaits the results of Saturday’s game.