The California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association reports that, in a rematch of the 2023 final, Feather River College became the first team in 13 years to repeat as state champion in sweeping San Diego Mesa in the 3C2A women’s volleyball championship match Dec. 6. In the process, the Golden Eagles broke their own state record for most victories in a season with 37.
Feather River, which has made it to each of the last six state tournaments, is the first to win back-to-back titles from the North Region and the first to turn the feat since LA Pierce in 2010 to 2012.
The Golden Eagles ended the season on an 18-match win streak and stopped Mesa’s streak of 28 in a row. FRC is also responsible for both of Mesa’s losses against 31 victories by the Olympians.
“Hard work pays off,” said Chloe Albiez, a two-time winner of the state tourney MVP award at outside hitter. “Look, all there is in Quincy is one restaurant and that’s a Subway, so all we have is ourselves and playing volleyball. We’re a family and we were focused on playing hard for each other and we owe it all to how much our head coach Sarah Ritchie works even harder to prepare us to play at our best.”
Twenty-six teams have reached 30 victories in a season in state history, but this was the first year in which three different teams performed the feat: Feather River, San Diego Mesa and Taft, which lost in the quarterfinals.
FRC has the state record for most 30-win seasons with six, in 2012, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 and now 2025. LA Pierce and Fresno City have each done it four times. All three of the head coaches who directed those teams were at the state tourney: Ritchie, Fresno City coach Kieran Roblee (the Rams lost in the quarterfinals), and Nabil Mardini, who directed Pierce but guided LA Mission this year as it also lost in the quarterfinals.
Standout players
Albiez pounded 17 kills (hit .361) with 10 digs and finished the tourney with 56 kills, 29 digs, seven blocks and five aces over three tourney victories. She is this first player to win back-to-back MVP awards this century. Albiez has yet to decide on a university location, although she is getting interest from such schools as National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Nevada Reno, East Texas A&M, Northern Arizona and Montana State.
Also for Feather River, all-tournament selections included freshman outside hitter Carol Manu with 12 kills and four aces; sophomore right side Tiare Faupula with four kills and three blocks; second-year setter Teya Gibbs tallying 32 assists, eight digs and three blocks; and sophomore libero of the tourney winner Peyton Estes, playing with a broken right hand, making seven digs and playing strong all over the floor over three team wins.
Mesa has had an impressive recent stretch in which it has advanced to state in four of the last five seasons, including taking the title in 2023, a third place in 2024 and now a state runner-up second this season. It is the top finisher from the South Region in each of the last three Elite Eight tournaments.
The Olympians were led by Mia Lundberg with 10 kills as the all-tourney freshman outside hitter finished with a tourney-high 60 kills in three matches. Trina Nguyen added 11 digs, Charlotte Underwood five kills and four blocks, and Bella Town five kills and two stuffs.
The game
In the opening set, the teams traded six ties and four lead changes before FRC took over the game, outscoring Mesa 19-6 and doubling the score on the Olympians for a 1-0 lead. The duo of Albiez and Manu destroyed the ball with seven kills each as the Golden Eagles swung at a ridiculous .457 (17-for-35) rate. On one play, Avery Arment saved a ball going into the stands and it turned right into a Manu strike down the middle for a kill. Albiez closed out the set with a kill, then made a 7-0 serving run, including an ace as her squad took a 1-0 lead.
The second set was another run by FRC of 12-7 to take a 20-14 lead. Then the team used Manu’s swings for three kills to get to set point at 24-17. Mesa came back on a kill and block by Town, but a service error allowed Feather River to control things at 2-0.
The Olympians’ best set was the third as a kill by Maddie Connelly put them up 13-9. FRC bounced back to go ahead 15-14 on a kill by Manu, but Mesa countered with a run to go back up 19-15. Manu served consecutive aces as the Golden Eagles got closer to the title at 23-21. Mesa cut it to 23-22, but Albiez dropped in a lob kill and then ripped another kill off the block to fittingly complete match point.
“We came out today and just played clean volleyball, much better than our sloppy play versus Long Beach,” said FRC head coach Sarah Ritchie. “Our serving was so much better as we were hitting our spots.”
On winning two in a row, she said, “A player knows what they are signing up for when they come to Feather River and that’s to strive to win a state title. If they work hard, then I work hard for them. We recruit players who are mentally tough and that’s been a big reason why we’ve been so successful these last several years.”
“I think playing in such an emotional match versus Santa Monica took a lot out of us going into this final,” said San Diego Mesa head coach Bobbie Jo Stall-Vest. “Feather River did just about everything damn well perfect in the first two sets, but we should have taken that third set and let it slip away from us. Feather River has been the best team in the state all season and they deserved to win.”
FRC’s Estes said: “We have some of the best athletes in the state and players who would start anywhere else coming off the bench. Our conference isn’t that strong, so we have to do a lot of things in practice to keep us ready for these big matches. It’s all that work in practice that put us in a position to win.”
State rankings
With its win, Feather River College finished with the No. 1 ranking for the second straight year on the final CCCWVCA State Top 25.
San Diego Mesa, the class of the South again, took runner-up honors at state, finish rated No. 2 and setting a school record for wins with 31.
Cinderella story Long Beach City is No. 3 after winning four postseason matches, including upsets over previously undefeated Orange Coast in the regionals and a four-set win over final No. 5 San Joaquin Delta (third in the final regular season rankings) in the state quarterfinals. The Vikings raced up 14 spots and proved any team can have a chance at a state crown despite a 0-6 start and 2-8 record after 10 matches.
The rest of the Top 10 include No. 4 Santa Monica with its top finish in school history tied for third at state, then Delta, No. 6 Taft, No. 7 Fresno City and No. 8 LA Mission. Those four tied for fifth at the Elite Eight. Rounding out the Top 10 are Orange Coast at No. 9 and Mt. San Antonio in the No. 10 slot.
