The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
For the first time since 2007, Cabrillo College is no longer the Coast Conference North volleyball champion.
College of San Mateo, ranked No. 3 in the state, clinched the 2022 title with Friday night’s 3-0 sweep at Ohlone College in Fremont. That boosted the Bulldogs perfect league record to 9-0 with just one match remaining.
Cabrillo, meanwhile, was upset by Hartnell in a three-set sweep, dropping the Seahawks two games behind the Bulldogs.
So while Tuesday’s regular-season finale at Cabrillo will have no bearing on the conference title, the Bulldogs still have plenty of motivation — Cabrillo (7-2) has not lost a Coast volleyball match at home in Aptos since 2007.
CSM ended Cabrillo’s 121-game conference winning streak last season, but that match took place in San Mateo.
CSM (19-3 overall) swept Ohlone (3-6, 8-20), 25-11, 25-14, 25-14, extending the current winning streak to 14 matches. Naomie Cremoux had 19 kills and scored 24 points. Valerie Bruk added 10 kills and scored 14 points. Ashley Chacon had 12 digs.
Cremoux ended the regular season as the Coast Conference leader in points per set (5.9, No. 2 in state): kills per set (5.16, No. 2 in state), kills (361, No. 5 in state), and service aces per set (.61). She is also fourth in hitting percentage (.299), which Bruk paces (.437).
CSM is expected to host a first round state regional playoff contest Nov. 22.
Football
Modesto Expected to visit San Mateo in NorCal semis
College of San Mateo is headed to the state football playoff after clinching a share of Bay 6 Conference champion and is expected to be the top seed in Northern California after rolling past defending league and state kingpin City College of San Francisco 31-13 Saturday.
With that win, the Bulldogs (9-1), ranked No. 3 in the JC Athletic Bureau’s coaches’ poll, are in line to host a first round California Community College Athletic Association state playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 26. CSM head coach Tim Tulloch said the Bulldogs most likely opponent is Valley Conference champion Modesto (5-5), ranked No. 19 in the state. Modesto beat Fresno 28-20 to earn the conference championship.
The Bulldogs, the highest ranked team in Northern California, are expected to be the top seed in the four-team Nor Cal regional and will be at home for the rest of the season, should they win out. The Nor Cal winner will host the So Cal winner in the state championship game Dec. 10.
Laney-Oakland, ranked No. 5, shared the Bay 6 title with the Bulldogs, both with 4-1 records. But CSM will earn the conference’s automatic berth by virtue of the Bulldogs’ 20-8 win over Laney Oct. 15.
Laney, however, is expected to receive the Nor Cal at-large berth based on its RPI. Laney is expected to host eighth-ranked American River, the Nor Cal Conference champion.
Soccer
Three of four county teams qualify for playoffs
The Skyline men, along with the Cañada men’s and women’s teams, head into the postseason with first round games Wednesday.
On the men’s side, Skyline (12-5-2), earned the No. 14 seed and will host No. 19 West Valley (8-8-2) at 1 p.m. The winner gets third-seeded Hartnell (13-2-3) in the second round.
Cañada (9-9-1) got the No. 21 seed and will travel to Visalia to face No. 12 College of the Sequoias (10-6-4) at 2 p.m. The winner will be on the road at No. 5 Merced (14-3-3) Saturday.
The Cañada women (14-4-0) will host No. 22 Modesto (6-13-1) 2 p.m. The winner gets No. 6 Lake Tahoe (14-5-2) in the second round.
