Volleyball teams ready for today's championship tilts

Another year, another trip orth for the East Nicolaus and Sutter High volleyball teams.

Both squads will take the court at Red Bluff High this afternoon in search of section title glory.

For the Huskies, reaching the Northern Section Division IV title game is starting to become an annual tradition. If Sutter can dispatch West Valley, it will mark the fifth year in a row Ann Reynolds' team will have won the crown.

Earlier this year, top seeded Sutter dropped the No. 2 Eagles in tournament play. To do it again, coach Reynolds will look for rounded play from Sutter's fundamentally sound roster.

"West Valley is not going to bow down because Sutter comes into the room," Reynolds said. "They're going to fight like we are so we have to step up and be at the top of our game."

Second seeded East Nicolaus will face off against league rival Hamilton at 1 p.m. in the Northern Section Division V championship. The match up is a carbon copy of last year's final, where the Braves dropped the Spartans in four games, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-22.

This time around, the Spartans have an added weapon in 6-foot-4 outside hitter Stephanie Hagins. The Washington State-bound senior is a new addition to the team and supplements the solid play of equally towering middle blocker Juliet Conant and standout setter Haley Uhland.