In a five-set marathon match against Christian Brothers of Sacramento, the Escalon Lady Cougars claimed their third straight Section volleyball title on Saturday night, Nov. 5.

Going in to the Division 3 Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs as the top seed – moved up to D3 after taking two consecutive Division 4 titles, Escalon was pushed to the limit by the No. 3 seed Christian Brothers squad.

Game time was 7 p.m. at Modesto Junior College and it was just a little over two hours later when Escalon came away with the 15-11 decision in the fifth and deciding set against the Falcons. Escalon’s fans erupted in cheers as the final point was scored on a kill, securing the blue banner.

Christian Brothers, however, got the upper hand in the competition, taking the first set, while Escalon came back to get the second. But the top seed Lady Cougars lost the third and found themselves in a do or die situation in set four. They prevailed in that set, with all the games tightly contested.

In the fifth, it was again a matter of the teams trading points before Escalon was able to get the last couple of points on the board.

“This one feels so amazing,” team co-captain, senior Emily Vickers said of the marathon title event. “This meant so much just because we moved up to Division 3.”

Head coach Teresa Williamson said several players stepped up and the win was definitely a team effort, the squad proving they deserved that number one seed in the division.

Christian Brothers featured several underclassmen and gave the Lady Cougars their toughest match of the season.

Look for full game coverage, player reaction and comment from head coach Williamson – who is stepping down from that position – in the Nov. 9 issue of The Times.