To A Successful Season...

FRC Volleyball advances past Napa Valley
Shannon Morrow
Sports Editor

After winning conference with an undefeated record and securing a home playoff game in the Northern California regional brackets, the Feather River College women’s volleyball team earned an exciting win against Napa Valley College Tuesday, Nov. 22.

Playing in front of hundreds of supporters in the FRC gymnasium, the Golden Eagles pulled off a tense five-game victory, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Feather River, ranked sixth with a 21-7 record, had its hands full with 11th-ranked Napa Valley, which entered the match at 19-3 overall.

It took all five games for FRC to eliminate Napa. The final scores were 25-18, 19-25, 24-26, 25-22 and 15-6.

The Golden Eagles came out strong in game one and took a 5-1 lead, but then Napa woke up and ran the next six points to go ahead 7-5.

FRC tied the game 8-8, and then the teams traded points up to a 17-17 tie.

The Golden Eagles then went on an 8-1 run to take game one 25-18.

In game two, FRC and Napa were tied at five, until Napa ran eight straight points to 5-13, and then continued building to a 7-17 lead.

Determined not to roll over, Feather River then outscored Napa 12-6 to get within four points at 19-23, but Napa scored the last two points to take game two.

With the match tied 1-1, the intensity ramped up in game three. Both teams fought hard for every point, resulting in a close game with many lead changes.

Near the end, FRC fought back from a 14-18 deficit to tie the game 19-19 and then take a 22-21 lead. However, Napa clutched up and won in extra points, 24-26, taking a 2-1 lead.

Stunned after losing two straight games, FRC quickly fell behind 1-6 in game four, but then suddenly recovered and went on a 8-1 run to take a 9-7 lead, prompting Napa to take a timeout.

The Golden Eagles continued to pull ahead up to 20-14, until Napa ran five straight and then tied the game at 22-22.

Facing a must-win situation, Feather River took care of business by winning three straight points to take game four 25-22, and force a game five.

It was all FRC in the final game, as the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 9-1 lead and sealed the deal at 15-6 to take the match.

FRC coach Sarah Ritchie said she was mad at her team for playing poorly, but acknowledged that her players delivered when it mattered most.

With the victory, Feather River advanced to the second round of the playoffs against third-seeded American River College in Sacramento Saturday, Nov. 26.

Again, the match went the full five games, but this time FRC was eliminated. The defeat was particularly tough because Feather River won the first two games, but then lost the next three.

“It was a heartbreaker,” said Ritchie. “We were up the first two games and just couldn’t seal the deal.”

After taking the first two games 25-22 and 25-20, Feather River lost the next three 17-25, 18-25 and 8-15.

“The girls played well and I’m extremely proud of them,” said Ritchie.

Freshman Callie Aberle led the Golden Eagles with 14 kills. Sophomore Jovana Sisovic claimed 12 kills and five blocks. Freshman Lindsey Ball earned eight aces and 14 digs. Freshman Marilyn Agae delivered 42 assists and 10 digs.

Feather River completed its season with a conference record of 10-0 and an overall record of 22-8.

1st, 2nd and 3rd Time is the Charm!

I am proud to say that our team is one step closer to a repeat Conference Championship as we defeated Butte College in three sets, 25-18, 25-22 and 25-17 on October 26th. We were firing on all cylinders and the Roadrunners were just unable to contain our balanced attack. That along with our aggressive serving kept them on their heels.
We are very proud of our team's performance and look forward to finishing up conference and preparing for the Nor-Cal playoffs. We are now 17-7 overall and remain undefeated in conference play with a 6-0 record. Next up for FRC is home match against Shasta College.

Delta College Classic

Going into the Delta Classic this past weekend, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was huge for our team to perform well and we could really make an impression since most of the teams in our conference would be there. The energy and intensity we had both on and off the court was amazing! Overall we went 3-1 and took 5th in the whole tournament (out of 15 teams). I am really looking forward to finishing pre-season and starting official conference games! We are ALL ready to dominate! LET'S GO FRC!!

-Allison Tatom
(Freshman MB)

Hello!

Hey! It's Marilyn! We just got done with our 2-a-days! Let me jus say, our coaches made us work, but we pulled through this week and made it out with no injuries (just tons of ice baths). The FRC Volleyball team is looking really good this year! Thanks to all the hard work, sweat and skin burns we put in this past week. Anyways, come out and watch us dominate this season! I'll write again soon! See ya! :)

-Marilyn Agae
 Freshman Setter

New Team. New Season. New Reason to Love the Game.

Hard work and conditioning is synonymous with the Feather River College Volleyball team. Starting the season off right with our annual "H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Week," every single one of us are pushed beyond our limits from dawn 'til dusk. The days start off with conditioning in the morning, fundamentals in the afternoon and team play at night. Although preseason is tough, the hard work always seems to show and pay off as it takes the Golden Eagles to victory far into the season.
-Kattrena Akers
 Sophomore Libero

Sophomore Signing Day

Congratulations to our sophomores who signed their National Letters of Intent on May 25th.

Kim Naut: Idaho State University
Bryanna Chavez: Montana State, Billings
Katy Batchelder: Dominican University of California
Kadie Miller: Southern Arkansas University
Megan Godsil: Southern Arkansas University

Offseason...

Well, we find ourselves rolling right through yet another offseason. The girls are working hard doing everything from lifting and running to plyos and agilities (and their absolute favorite, the infamous sand pit). As with most tough workouts frustration comes but they are pushing through and are the better for it. It's exciting to see the mental toughness start to work it's way into their minds as well as the support they are giving each other.

We continue to practice (except when softball and baseball trump us and get the gym for practices due to snow). In the coming weeks we will begin to play in our offseason tournaments and whatnot which is exciting because you can only practice so much until you get a little batty... =)

We will be sure to keep you updated on the results of our upcoming competitions. Have a great day!