Amador ends Mariposa’s playoff run after unbeaten league season

Mariposa County High School’s girls’ volleyball team saw its CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoff run end Tuesday evening, as visiting Amador defeated the Grizzlies in four sets. The score was 3–1, with set scores of 25–22, 24–26, 25–19 and 25–15.

Mariposa entered the postseason as the undefeated Southern League champion, bringing a 27–10 overall record and a 14–0 league mark into the home match.

Amador took the opening set 25–22 before Mariposa answered with a 26–24 second-set victory to even the match. The Buffaloes then won the third set 25–19 and closed out the fourth 25–15..

The playoff disappointment followed another exceptional league campaign. Mariposa captured its third consecutive Southern League championship and extended its league winning streak to 42 matches across three perfect seasons. The Grizzlies surrendered only three league sets this fall and finished their league schedule with four consecutive sweeps, including straight-set wins over Waterford, Le Grand and Stone Ridge Christian.

Before the playoffs, MaxPreps ranked Mariposa No. 6 in Sac-Joaquin Section Division V, No. 43 in the section overall and No. 422 statewide. Those were computer rankings, not a verified playoff seed. The pregame matchup listed Amador at 15–9 overall and 10–4 in league play, with a No. 11 Division V ranking.

Mariposa’s pre-playoff statistics reflected contributions across the lineup. Senior outside hitter Gillian Pioske led the attack with 320 kills and a .264 hitting percentage, while sophomore Kylie Williams supplied 312 kills. Senior setter Emma Pioske recorded 948 assists and 82 service aces. Junior libero Abby Beery collected 397 digs, and senior middle blocker Grace Beery led the team with 17 blocks. These are season totals reported before the Amador match, not individual statistics from Tuesday’s playoff contest.

Amador will now move on to a next-round match against Bret Harte at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29.

For Mariposa, the longer-term outlook is a question of sustaining its league success while developing the next lineup. Williams and Abby Beery offer potential continuity in attacking and back-row defense, based on their reported sophomore and junior classifications. The senior classifications of Gillian Pioske, Emma Pioske and Grace Beery point to potential turnover at outside hitter, setter and middle blocker. The big plus is the Grizzlies’ junior varsity team also went undefeated.