Sutter is back in the title game

As far as November traditions are concerned, Sutter High's volleyball team appearing in the section championship game is about as commonplace as Thanksgiving.

The mantra "Decade of Dominance" was coined by the boys over at Wayne Gadberry Field, but it is also applicable to Ann Reynolds' program, which clinched its sixth consecutive Division IV Northern Section championship game berth on Tuesday in Sutter.

With a straight-sets victory to the tune of 25-18, 25-23, 25-19 over Central Valley (Shasta Lake), the Huskies (38-9) are heading back to Red Bluff this Saturday for a chance to win their fifth section title in six years.

The Huskies' opponent? None other than the team that ended their season in 2009 — the No. 1-seeded West Valley Eagles of Cottonwood. West Valley beat Willows in three games on Tuesday to advance to the finals.

Reynolds and the Huskies have been waiting a year for the chance to get back at the team that ended their championship run and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"That is something we've been looking forward to in order to settle the score," Reynolds said. "The majority of these girls did play on (the 2009 team) so I think this is something they want to prove. That they have what it takes to be champions."

After fighting off Central Valley to take game one 25-18, the Falcons had a chance to snatch back the momentum in the second contest. Central Valley trailed the entire game, but the Falcons managed to knot it up at 23-23.

Senior Brenna McDonald remembers the anguish her and her teammates felt walking off that court in Red Bluff last season against West Valley and wasn't going to let that happen again.

So she took it upon herself to blast the 24th point through two blockers to give Sutter a 24-23 lead and added the game-winning ace for good measure.

"I wanted to get the ball," McDonald said. "When we can come together instead of getting down we do a lot better. I think we can (beat West Valley) this time."

Central Valley held a three-point lead early in game three, but Sutter was able to bounce back again and finish off the Falcons thanks in large part to the blocking of Katelynne Cavalli and Angela DeHaan, who held the Falcons' star, 6-foot-plus hitter Bre MacKie, in check all night.

McDonald led the Huskies with nine kills, DeHaan chipped in with six from middle blocker and Katie Olsen and Shaila Gidel had five kills apiece. Senior Samantha Foster had 18 assists and libero Allison Foster had a team-high 12 digs.

Reynolds has been with the Huskies' program since 1982, so one might think this whole section-title thing could get monotonous after a while. Not so much.

After being in the driver's seat for so many years, she and her team are relishing the role of avenger.

"Each year that we strive for a section championship is just as exciting," Reynolds said. "For me, it's such a pleasure to try to teach them the skills to get them there."