After six games and 891 miles, Encinal Volleyball’s historic postseason run came to an end in the second round of CIF State Playoffs. Encinal (#11) lost 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) to Immanuel (#3) on November 14. The Jets played five of their playoff games on the road, traveling all over Northern California.
Despite the loss, Encinal (19-17) went further than any other team in school history. Their three wins in the Division 4 NCS Playoffs and additional win at Division 5 CIF State Playoffs are school records.
Qualifying for state blew the entire team’s expectations of the season right out of the water.
“I wanted us to win as many games and try as hard as they could. We lost some good seniors last year so it was going to be a challenging season,” said senior and captain Taylor Roloff. “The team’s goal was just to have fun and try our best and see what happens.” Roloff, the team’s leader in kills and blocks, is committed to the University of Pennsylvania.
While this year’s roster isn’t new by any stretch, the Jets lost several key seniors from last season’s 21-win team. As a result, Encinal ground to a fourth-place finish in a tough WAC Foothill League. Only an electric 3-2 win against rival Alameda High on October 24 ensured the Jets would qualify for NCS a third straight season.
But victories over #10 College Prep and #2 Arcata in the North Coast Section Playoffs propelled the Jets into the semi finals. Encinal (#7) then hit the road again, traveling to #6 Rancho Cotate. In previous years, the Jets’ 3-0 loss on November 6 would have ended their season. However, this season NCS added a new third-place game, in which the two teams who lost in the semifinals would get the chance to play each other for state qualifiers.
“I felt like we had a slimmer chance of getting into state [after losing against Rancho],” said Sophomore Ninjin Bayasgalan, “but something in me told me that we would succeed in the end.”
Encinal would go on to beat #5 Sonoma Academy (22-9) in the third-place match 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-13) to keep the Jet’s dream season alive.
“It was really rewarding, especially winning at Sonoma, it really gave us a lot of confidence,” said senior and captain Malia Gordon. “I’m really happy we were able to come through with that win so we could play two more games.”
Given a #11 seed in the CIF State bracket, the Jets found themselves as the underdog yet again. In the first round of state, Encinal squared off against #6 Fall River (28-5). Encinal drove five hours north to McArthur, California, on November 12, and returned with a 3-0 win.
“It was hard,” said sophomore Aliza Batzdorff. “But not as hard as I expected.”
The 3-0 loss to Immanuel (Reedley, California) ended the Jets season as they finished with a 4-2 overall postseason record. With each win securing another game, this was particularly important for the seniors.
“Knowing each game could have been the last, as a senior, having fun, putting in all my effort, and hoping that we can pull out a win in the end helped push me,” said Gordon. “Even after our loss yesterday we all tried our best and I’m happy with how the season went.”
Max Millot is a third year Encinal Media staff member in the Class of 2025. After two years in Publications he transitioned to The Echo staff to serve as Co-Editor-in-Chief.
