NEWMAN, CA (MPG) - The Dixon girls varsity volleyball team’s 2022 season came to an end on Tuesday, October 25 with a loss at No. 8 seed Orestimba in the first round of the Division IV CIF Sac-Joaquin Girls Volleyball Playoffs.

The Rams (22-6, 10-2 Golden Empire League) were the No. 9 seed in the postseason tournament. Dixon entered the playoffs on a four-match winning streak and winners of eight of its last nine.

On Tuesday night, the Warriors (26-10, 11-3 Southern League) prevailed in a grueling five set match in which they had to comeback from a two-set deficit.

“It was amazing, there was great energy in the gym, it was super fun. The game could’ve went in either team’s direction,” Dixon coach Nikki Garcia told the Independent Voice. “They probably played the best match all season against Orestimba.”

The Rams won the first set by the slimmest of margins at 25-23. Dixon controlled the next set, winning by double-digits at 25-15. Orestimba stormed back to win the third set 25-21 to stay alive.

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“It was almost like we were playing against ourselves defensively,” Garcia recalled. “It was kind of cool to see that even level of competition in the rallies and how both teams fought for every single point.”

According to Garcia, Tuesday’s match shifted in the fourth set when Rams senior setter Casey Vaughn suffered a leg injury. Vaughn suffered the injury aggressively going for a dig, causing an emergency medical timeout. Vaughn was able to fight through tears and the pain to finish the match, although she became limited by the injury.

“She’s such a highly-skilled setter that you could just tell she couldn’t do what she normally does,” Garcia said. “Even though she was injured and crying, she was still playing so much higher than most athletes would. But you could just tell, and you could feel the shift.”

The Warriors forced the match into a decisive final set with a 25-19 game victory in the fourth set. Orestimba earned the comeback victory with a 15-12 fifth set win. The Warriors will play No. 1 seed Sonora on Thursday night in the quarterfinals.

Despite the first-round postseason exit, Rams fans have a lot to be proud of. Dixon won its league championship for the first time in over a decade this season, dating back to 2009.

“Our 2022 win is basically the result of four seasons of hard work from the freshmen class from when my husband and I took over the program,” Garcia said. “We pretty much came on and told them that the freshmen are the foundation and that any kind of league title we’re going to get is going to start with them.

“From day one, this group of girls, they bought into the program, and they’ve been working towards it ever since and it paid off.”

The Rams are co-champions of the GEL with Woodland and Pioneer, who also finished with a 10-2 record in league play, respectively. Dixon split its season series at one a piece with each team. However, the Rams did earn an extra win over Pioneer this year in a non-league, midseason tournament match on September 3.

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Over the course of the season, Dixon had a five-match winning streak and three four match win streaks. Nine of the team’s 14 players will not be returning next season as they will be graduating in the Class of 2023.

“This is a special group. It’s amazing to see what they accomplished,” Garcia said. “The hole that nine seniors is going to leave graduating this year, that’s a big chunk of your program that is moving on. I think that the way they played together, they showed by example for the underclassmen what it takes to win on and off the court.”

The Lady Rams’ quest for back-to-back league titles begins next August. In the meantime, the boys volleyball season starts in the spring. The gentlemen will also be defending their GEL title, beginning in March.