All Sobrato has left to do is await its CCS seeding.
The Bulldogs clinched second place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League thanks to a grueling five game win over Santa Teresa Thursday.
Because of BVAL tie breaker rules that state if two teams are tied both in standings and head-to-head they then go to head-to-head sets, which Sobrato edged out Leland 5-4.
Leland defeated Live Oak to close out the regular season Thursday, but the Bulldogs’ win knocked the Chargers out of second.
Thursday, Sobrato faced a Santa Teresa team fired up because it was senior night and both sides fed off the energy and emotion of the evening, Sobrato coach Nicole Simoneau said.
“It was so close, very nerve wracking,” Simoneau said.
Twice, Simoneau said, the Bulldogs found themselves down by at least 10 points in the first two sets. Both times, Sobrato managed a run to erase the deficit.
In the first game, Sobrato still fell 25-21, but pulled out the second set 26-24.
The Bulldogs went on to capture the third set 25-19. Santa Teresa took the fourth set 25-22 to force a deciding game five.
Simoneau said she could see the girls wanting to go out with a win and came together as a team to take the final set 15-13.
“You can tell the difference when they come together and when they play individually,” Simoneau said. “Their talking, movements, everything, on the court was in sync.”
Samantha Nydam continued her strong attack with 21 kills, to which she added three aces. She also led the team in serve passing.
Kennedie Schilling led the team in aces, recording six in 22 attempts.
Setter Miranda Wertz had 46 assists.
Sobrato will learn its fate Saturday when the CCS seedings are announced.
The Bulldogs could open the playoffs on Wednesday depending on those seedings. There is a chance Sobrato could get a bye in the first round, Simoneau said, but it would come down to power points. She acknowledged that only having one non-league game could prove to be a factor.
