High schools: Girls volleyball champions crowned, plus girls golf champions
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Buchanan claims Central Section Div. I girls volleyball title, beats Clovis.
- Sophomore Keira Nelson records 22 kills; Peyton Truong adds 12 to lead offense.
- Buchanan golf posts 401 at Cypress Ridge; Germond shoots 71 and leads qualifiers.
John Jay and his Buchanan girls’ volleyball team got the championship feeling back this season.
After winning the 2023 Central Section Division I title, the Bears are back on top in the section, defeating top-seed Clovis 25-19, 28-26, 20-25, 25-23.
Sophomores Keira Nelson had 22 kills and Peyton Truong had 12 kills to lead the third-seeded Bears, who defeated San Luis Obispo and Clovis West in pool play.
Pool play was added to the Division I playoffs for the first time.
Jay is in his fifth season coaching the girls’ volleyball team and has put together a 135-72 record, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
Buchanan found out Sunday that they will face No. 14 Homestead as the No. 3 seed in the CIF state playoffs on Tuesday. The Northern California match will begin at 6 p.m
Other matchups: No. 13 Los Altos at No. 4 Clovis.
Division II: Top-seed Central Valley Christian defeated No. 2 Arroyo Grande 25-17, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20. Ally Lane had a career-high 20 kills, two blocks, two aces, and 14 digs. Emma Mihalcin added 12 kills, 23 digs, two aces, and a block.
“Didn’t really know what to expect,” CVC coach Mike Kroeze said. “They were a well-rounded team with good middles, good outsides, and a lefty setter that added an additional challenge.”
Libero Cooper Piepgrass had 20 digs, 26 passing attempts, and two aces. She passed at a 2.37. Kate Verhoeven had six kills and 12 touch blocks. Claire Phillips added five kills and 17 touch blocks, and seven solo blocks.
No. 8 CVC will host No. 9 Berkeley in the NorCal regionals.
No. 4 Clovis West will host No. 13 Monta Vista.
Division III: No. 2 Bullard swept No. 3 Nipomo 25-23, 27-25, 25-16 for back-to-back section championships.
William Staley said he couldn’t be prouder of his girls for another title.
“We are blessed to have earned back-to-back championships, but we’re still hungry,” he said. “The job’s not over, and we’ve got unfinished business.”
No. 8 Bullard will meet No. 9 Hughson in the NorCal regional playoffs.
Division IV: No. 2 Immanuel was a bit better than top-seeded Mammoth, coming away with a 22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-10 victory.
The Eagles were given the No. 3 seed and will host No. 14 Urban in NorCal.
Regional results
Division I: Buchanan d. Homestead 25-12, 25-21, 25-22; Clovis d. Los Altos 25-12, 25-18, 22-25,23-25, 15-12. Thursday: No. 5 Valley Christian at No. 4 Clovis; No. 6 Campolindo at No. 3 Buchanan
Division II: Central Valley Christian d. Berkeley 25-20, 25-20, 24-26, 25-22; Clovis West d. Monta Vista 25-18, 25-13, 25-23. Thursday: No. 8 Central Valley Christian at No. 1 Palo Alto; No. 12 Christian Brothers at No. 4 Clovis West
Division III: Bullard d. Hughson 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 25-20. Thursday. No. 8 Bullard at No. 1 Sequoia
Division IV: Immanuel d. Urban 25-10, 25-17, 25-12. Thursday: No. 6 Orland at No. 3 Immanuel
Girls golf
Buchanan girls won the Central Section Division I championship. The Bears shot a 401 at Cypress Ridge Golf Club. Clovis East placed second with 412 points.
The Bears were led by Makaia Germond, who shot a 71. Following Germond were Sophie Peters (72), Ally Bettancourt (80), Payton Schmidt (88), Ella Spencer (90) and Sophia Rodriguez (95).
Both teams will compete at the SoCal championships on Thursday at Los Serranos Golf Club in Chino.
Asterisk Talley of Chowchilla qualified with a low score of 64 and repeated as the section individual champion.
Eleven other golfers also qualified.
This story was originally published November 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM.
