Feather River, SJ Delta, SD Mesa frontrunners for 48th Women's Volleyball State Championship Tourney
FOLSOM -- Defending state champion Feather River College, the North Region's #3 seed, and top seeds San Joaquin Delta from NorCal and the South's San Diego Mesa are the top three favorites going into the 48th edition of the 3C2A State Women's Volleyball Championship this coming Friday-Sunday, Dec. 5-7 at Folsom Lake College.
Ranked #1 on the final regular season CCCWVCA State Top 25, the Golden Eagles (34-1) are looking for their fourth state title in the last six tourneys going back to 2019. FRC also had the distinction of handing both Delta (29-1) and Mesa their only losses in the 2025 season, both by sweeps in the early non-conference play.
The only team to solve Feather River this season is here in N2 Taft (30-2), which beat the Golden Eagles in five sets back on Sept. 12. The Cougars are making just their second trip to the state tourney after getting to the dance in 2004.
Five teams have returned from last year's 8-team field including '24 state runner-up and N4 Fresno City (26-5, an original fifth seed), S2 Los Angeles Mission (25-4), and the Cinderalla story of '25, the S4 Long Beach City College Vikings (19-9), a team that was seeded #14 out of 20 going into the postseason but won three straight South regional matches to reach the tourney again.
Another returnee is the MVP of the '24 tourney held at Mt. San Antonio College in FRC outside hitter and AVCA First Team All-American Chloe Albiez. A remarkable nine of the 12 players selected to the 2025 All-State Team will be playing at this gala.
Joining Taft as new to this year's field from last year is Delta, a school that has come up empty on the state title board despite advancing to the state tourney a North-record 19 times previously and finishing runner-up three times in 2002, 2005, and 2017. Also new is S3 Santa Monica (an original fifth seed) which last made it to the tourney 31 years ago, placing in a tie for fifth at the '94 event.
The tourney features the past five state champions in Feather River (2019, 2022, 2024), Mesa, the last South champion in 2023, and Fresno (2021). North teams have won eight of the last 11 tourneys since Cabrillo won the first NorCal title in 2013 after the South Region had captured each of the first 36 volleyball crowns.
This is the first time since 2009 that a Big 8 Conference school hosted the tourney with Delta serving as the host venue that year. Folsom Lake College is just 25 miles east from the state capitol of Sacramento.
Here are capsule previews of the eight 2025 3C2A Championship teams:
N1 SAN JOAQUIN DELTA MUSTANGS, 29-1 record
Big 8 Conference champions
Head Coach: Molly Hummel, North Region Coach of the Year
State Appearances: 20th, last in 2023
Highest Finish: 2nd Place, 2002, 2005, 2017
Road to State: swept #16 Reedley, swept #8 Cabrillo
Record v. Field: 2-1, W in 4 v. Long Beach, W in 5 v. Taft, L in 3 v. Feather River
Current Win Streak: 21 straight
Top Players: First Team All-American/Big 8 MVP OH Hadlee Gray, All-State setter Paige Taylor, Big 8 Libero of the Year Catherine Frias
Fun Fact: Coach Hummel recently won her milestone 300th career match at Delta in the Reedley Round 2 match
S1 SAN DIEGO MESA OLYMPIANS, 29-1 record
Pacific Coast Athletic Conference champions
Head Coach: Bobbie Jo Stall-Vest
State Appearances: 7th, last in 2024
Highest Finish: STATE CHAMPIONS 2023
Road to State: won in 4 v. #16 San Bernardino Valley, swept #8 San Diego Miramar
Record v. Field: 4-1, L in sweep v. Feather River, W in 4 v. Taft, W in 4 v. Santa Monica, W in 5 v. Long Beach, W in sweep v. Fresno
Current Win Streak: 26 straight
Top Players: Second Team All-American/PCAC MVP OH Mia Lundberg, All-SoCal setter Ruby Ennis, All-PCAC 1st Team opposite Bella Town ('24 All-State Tourney)
Fun Fact: Mesa's first state appearance was in 1994 (fouth place) featuring fellow South seed Santa Monica's last appearance (tied for fifth)
N2 TAFT COUGARS, 30-2 record
Central Valley Conference South Division champions
Head Coach: Mallori Rossi
State Appearances: 2nd, last in 2004
Highest Finish: 4th in 2004
Road to State: swept #18 Solano, swept #7 Sequoias
Record v. Field: 2-2, L in 4 v. SD Mesa, L in 5 v. Delta, W in 5 v. Feather River, W in sweep v. Fresno
Current Win Streak: 21 straight
Top Players: Second Team All-American/CVC South MVP OH Jazzahlei Satele, All-NorCal setter/RS Vienna Perier, All-CVC 1st Team setter Amber Makainai
Fun Fact: Taft's athletic director Kanoe Bandy was the head coach of the only other Cougars' state tourney appearance 21 years ago
S2 LOS ANGELES MISSION EAGLES, 26-4 record
Western State Conference North Division 3rd Place
Head Coach: Nabil Mardini
State Appearances: 2nd, last in 2024
Highest Finish: Tied 5th in 2024
Road to State: won in 5 v. #15 MiraCosta, won in 4 v. #7 Mt. San Antonio
Record v. Field: 1-0, W in sweep v. Santa Monica
Current Win Streak: 2 straight
Top Players: All-State MB Amya Cheatham January, All-WSC North Second Team OH's Tawnie Ohrt and Rio Sandaiji
Fun Fact: Mission HC Nabil Mardini is directing his 10th trip to the state tourney, the first eight for LA Pierce, remaining the last school to win back-to-back state titles, winning three in a row from 2010-2012
N3 FEATHER RIVER GOLDEN EAGLES, 34-1 record
Golden Valley Conference champions
Head Coach: Sarah Ritchie
State Appearances: 7th, last in 2024
Highest Finish: STATE CHAMPIONS 2019, 2022, 2024
Road to State: swept #14 Modesto, won in 4 v. #6 San Mateo
Record v. Field: 5-1, W's in sweeps v. San Diego Mesa, Long Beach, Delta, two W's in 4 v. Fresno, L in 5 v. Taft
Current Win Streak: 15 straight
Top Players: First Team All-American/GVC Co-MVP OH Chloe Albiez, Third Team All-American setter Teya Gibbs, All-NorCal OH/GVC Co-MVP Carol Manu
Fun Fact: Feather River has appeared in each of the last three state championship final matches, and four of the last five. It won three of those and two that went the 5-set distance in a reverse sweep last year over Fresno and its first state title win in 2019 v. Irvine Valley.
S3 SANTA MONICA CORSAIRS, 26-4 record
Western State Conference South Division champions
Head Coach: Christian Cammayo
State Appearances: 5th, last in 1994
Highest Finish: Tied 5th three times, 1987, 1988, 1994
Road to State: swept #12 Pasadena City, swept #13 Golden West
Record v. Field: 0-2, L in 4 v. SD Mesa, L in sweep v. LA Mission
Current Win Streak: 17 straight
Top Players: All-State MB/WSC South MVP Nicole Lankton, WSC Libero of the Year Annah Legaspi, All-WSC 1st Team OH Mia Whitlock
Fun Fact: SMC played in the very first state women's volleyball tournament in 1977, played at Saddleback College. Santa Ana won the title and the Corsairs placed in a tie for seventh.
N4 FRESNO CITY RAMS, 26-5 record
Central Valley Conference North Division champions
Head Coach: Kieran Roblee
State Appearances: 11th, last in 2024
Highest Finish: STATE CHAMPIONS 2016, 2021
Road to State: swept #12 American River, won in 4 v. #4 Monterey Peninsula
Record v. Field: 1-3, W in sweep v. Long Beach, two Ls in 4 v. Feather River, L in sweep v. SD Mesa
Current Win Streak: 7 straight
Top Players: Third Team All-American/CVC North MVP MB Haiden Davis, All-CVC 1st Team pin Karina Rodriguez, pin-setter Kalani Soares
Fun Fact: Fresno has become a frequent visitor to the state tournament, making it to seven times in the last nine going back to its 2016 crown
S4 LONG BEACH CITY VIKINGS, 19-9 record
South Coast Conference South Division champions
Head Coach: Tyler Jackson
State Appearances: 8th, last in 2024
Highest Finish: 2nd three times, 1979, 1995, 2000
Road to State: won in four v. #19 Saddleback, #3 Orange Coast, #11 Palomar
Record v. Field: 0-4, L's in sweeps v. Feather River, Fresno, L in 4 v. Delta, L in 5 v. SD Mesa
Current Win Streak: 3 straight
Top Players: South Coast South MVP Ryleeh Tuaolo, SCC Freshman of the Year OH Kyla Jones, All-SCC 1st Team MB Marissa Krebs
Fun Fact: LBCC is the first team to ever start a season 0-6 and make the state tourney. In 2021, Canyons was 2-8 to begin that season and reached the tourney and the Vikings did the same this year.
Preview by CCCWVCA/3C2A Women's Volleyball State Tourney SID Robert Lewis