College of San Mateo volleyball wins battle on the Hilltop

“I like it,” CSM sophomore Naomie Cremoux said of going the five-set distance. “I like it so much because you really have to put your foot on the gas, because there’s only 15 points. You have to get to 15 first. There’s no slow start … you can’t do that, or you lose.”

Cremoux was the Bulldogs’ catalyst, scoring a career-high 31 kills, with nine of them coming in a Game 3 extra-points marathon.

“Her all-around game has improved tremendously from last year,” CSM head coach Katie Goldhahn said. “I think more than just being a power hitter, she’s brought finesse into her game. She’s adding in shots, she’s adding in shot serves, she’s reading the defense, making great adjustments in midair. … So, I’m really proud of her growth and I’ll also say maturity. You can see that maturity on the court.”

The Bulldogs overcame a 17-12 deficit in the pivotal third set and faced four Fresno City set points. But Cremoux rotated into the front row to draw extra blockers, opening the floor for late kills from middle Grace Thayer and Valerie Bruk to flip the script. CSM ultimately scored match point when a scrappy Fresno City return erred into the antenna.

“I’m also proud of our middles for stepping up,” Goldhahn said. “Because as dominant as Naomie (is), you can have a triple-block on you. So, really our middles being able to run routes and get set, getting a little more open court, being open for themselves and then opening the court for [Naomie] is really important too.”

CSM is now 3-0 in five-set matches this season, previously battling Sept. 10 past American River, and Sept. 14 past Sierra. Cremoux averages 5.5 kills per set in those three wins.

Now, the Bulldogs are now sitting pretty in the California Community College Women’s Volleyball Coaches Association rankings. Entering play last week, CSM was ranked No. 4 in Northern California, with Fresno City at No. 5.

More pressingly, the Bulldogs are off to a promising start in conference play. CSM won Friday’s Coast Conference North opener, sweeping past Las Positas. In five previous seasons since joining the CCCAA in 2016 (there was no conference play in 2020) the class of the Coast North was always Cabrillo. But, this year, with the Seahawks off to a 4-5 start and facing a down season, the Bulldogs are thinking big.

“We haven’t really talked about … what this will do postseason,” Goldhahn said. “We’re very short-term memory. Obviously, we see the state rankings coming out weekly, and that I know is a big motivating force. But I think our big thing is winning conference, and that’s a really cool opportunity because we haven’t been in that situation with Cabrillo being a powerhouse for so long. So, that really is a reality.”

CSM is in the driver’s seat with a brand-new driver in sophomore setter Lina Estrada. Strictly a back-row player in 2021, Estrada has steered the 5-1 offense with aplomb this season. She was credited with 47 assists against Fresno City.

“She has composure and good court sense, making good decisions,” Goldhahn said. “And that’s improved throughout the season.”

But it was the Bulldogs’ steely-eyed performance late in Game 3 that won the day.

Trailing 17-12, CSM went on an 8-3 run to tie it on a block by Bruk, one of her three solo blocks in the match. The Bulldogs held a 23-22 advantage after Bruk blasted an overpass for one of her 11 match kills, but Fresno City seesawed ahead to force extra points.

“Definitely coming out with a lot of energy was a big thing for us,” Bruk said. “Because the bench was working along with the court, and we were encouraging back and forth. It came down to when we were tied, and we had to have a lot more confidence in ourselves. And I think we trusted each other on the court, which made the difference in those couple points.”

After dropping the fourth set, CSM responded in Game 5 by jumping ahead 5-2 in the race to 15. Fresno City fired back with a 5-1 run to take the lead when Karley Lake blocked a Cremoux mighty swing off the left side. Thayer then tied it 7-7 on a tip over the block. Cremoux later gave CSM the lead for good 9-8 with her final kill of the match.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be that close, to be honest,” Cremoux said. “I was expecting us to at least beat them in four. But we would just go on runs of being down, and then runs of being up, so it kind of worked for us.”

Jillian Penner led Fresno City (12-5) with 13 kills, while Druegan Davis added 11.

This is the second time CSM and Fresno City have met this season. The Bulldogs earned a four-set victory Sept. 9 when the two teams met at the Delta Classic.

“First off, Fresno is just a very polished team, and a polished program,” Goldhahn said. “So, there’s just a lot of happiness and pride in how we continued to compete today, and how we competed through five sets. We could have bowed out in that third set big time. … So, I think from just a team growth standpoint, what we’re doing week after week in terms of game preparation, adjusting mid-set, and closing is really important.”