Rocklin girls volleyball ranked No. 9 in state

The Rocklin High School girls volleyball team has stormed out of the gates in Sierra Foothill League play. The Thunder opened the season with 15 straight wins before dropping their first match to nationally ranked Louisville-Assumption of Kentucky at the Durango Classic in Las Vegas on Saturday. Rocklin finished 3-3 at the tournament against some of the nation's best, vaulting the Thunder to No. 9 in the state in the latest MaxPreps rankings. Second-year coach Bret Almazan-Cezar believes his team is on the right track but stresses there is always room for improvement. "We're just trying to get better every day, and we're learning in every situation, whether it's against a top-10 team in the country or someone else," Almazan-Cezar said. Before arriving at Rocklin, Almazan-Cezar led Archbishop Mitty to 11 state championships and seven national titles. In his first year with the Thunder, Rocklin finished as Sac-Joaquin Section Division I runner-up before falling to his former school in the CIF NorCal Open Division semifinals. The Thunder are motivated to reach championship form once again and this time they want to be the last team standing. "All the experiences they've had playing together — whether from last year or even back when they were 5 years old — we can build on that and keep moving forward," Almazan-Cezar said. "We can always get better. We lost to Saint Francis this weekend, and that's one of the four teams we know we need to beat. That's the goal." The Thunder have been led by a senior group including Ava Pabalate, Devon Schweitzer, Addy Scheitlin, Gianna Bogan and Riley Heinz, who have combined for more than 100 wins in their high school careers. "They bring a lot of fire," Almazan-Cezar said, noting they set the tone for the younger players on the roster. Rocklin also features three freshmen who are finding their footing at the varsity level: Sidney Jones, Elli Williams and Iliya Little. Sophomores Kaleigh Morasci and Sophie Burns have also been key contributors. The Thunder are 19-3 overall and sit atop the SFL at 5-0. They have dominated league play, dropping just one set in five matches, including a sweep of second-place Folsom and a 3-1 win over third-place Oak Ridge. As the season progresses, Rocklin will look to maintain its hot start and secure the top seed in the Division I section playoffs.