Girls volleyball: Redwood outlasts Branson in five-set MCAL opener
Playoff-level volleyball was on full display at College of Marin on Wednesday night and the MCAL girls season is just getting started.
Knowing it would need to perform at its absolute best to overcome perennial powerhouse Branson, Redwood dug deep with stellar defense to earn its first win over the Bulls since Oct. 14, 2022, with a thrilling comeback, 17-25, 25-9, 16-26, 25-16, 15-13.
Redwood (4-3, 1-0 MCAL) isn’t the only team that Branson (5-2, 0-1) has had its way with. The Bulls were the best team in the entire North Coast Section last season, winning the inaugural Open Division, and had not lost an MCAL match since 2022 against the Giants.
“It means so much,” said junior outside hitter Maddy Wagner. “I feel like we’ve put in so much work in practice and we keep on fighting and wanting to beat Branson. This is motivation for our team to keep on getting better. We’re going to keep on fighting for the MCAL title.”
The Giants’ junior trio of Wagner, Logan Leverte and Haley Boyarski — who had never beaten Branson — combined for 48 kills. Leverte led the way with 15, and Wagner and Boyarski had 14 apiece.
“I thought our outside hitters really stepped up for us,” said Redwood coach Jane Seslar. “Logan Leverte went out and was fighting. Maddy Wagner was really aggressive and competitive.”
The fifth game was as competitive as it gets. Branson clung to two-point leads several times late in the set, including 12-10, but couldn’t put away the scrappy Giants. Redwood senior middle hitter Kiera Sisuphan had two key plays to seal Redwood’s win, including a tip for match point.
“They just executed and played with passion,” said Seslar. “It was awesome.”
Branson coach Michelle Brazil wasn’t surprised that the match went five sets, but was caught off guard by the Bulls’ letdowns in the second and fourth games.
“It was surprising how poorly we played in two of those five sets given how well we played in the first set,” said Brazil. “I don’t feel like there’s a target (on Branson). You either show up to play or you don’t. For us, we need to find a way to be consistent.”
After Branson dominated the opening set, the Giants used deep, penetrating serves to disrupt the Bulls’ passing and take the second game.
“Branson is really good when they pass well,” said Seslar. “We needed to up our serving.”
The Bulls surged back ahead in Game 3 and seemed in charge with a 2-1 lead and years of domination on their side. Branson’s Abby King used an emphatic kill from the left outside for a 13-9 cushion to propel the Bulls.
Although Branson kept within striking distance midway in the fourth game, a key ruling did not go their way after the ball hit off a Branson player’s foot. The result of call gave Redwood a huge 18-12 cushion that the Bulls could not dent.
Other key players for Redwood included Katie Lazzareschi with four kills, two blocks and two aces. The Bulls were led by Ella Tsai and Izzy Boyce with 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Branson’s Lucy Tusher sparked the defense with nine digs and Kate Bianchi chipped in 16 assists.
“It was so exciting and I feel like our team has come so far,” said Wagner. “We’re really playing as a team and uniting together. After every point, we stay in the huddle, and we say we’ve got this.”
One Wednesday night, the Giants proved a lot to themselves and the nearly packed gym at COM. Branson had more than 100 students show up for a pre-match tailgate, adding to the playoff vibe in the first week of the MCAL season.
“MC, Branson and Redwood are all going to be in the top of Northern California,” said Seslar. “There’s no other conference quite like it. It keeps the girls hungry. It creates that postseason environment in our first match of the season.”