In the Fresno Christian Eagles’ previous match against the Sierra Chieftains on Oct. 30, students were on the edge of their seats, watching both teams fight for a victorious moment. The conference match against Sierra was won by FC, 3-1, after four tight sets: 26-24 (Sierra), 26-24 (FC), 25-17 (FC), and 25-13 (FC).
The FC Eagles find themselves competing against Sierra Chieftains once again for the second-round playoff game in the Division IV bracket. This time the Eagles completed the match with a score of 3-0. Set scores of 26-24, 25-15, and 25-16 reflected the competitive first set, followed by two solid performances by Fresno Christian.
In that opening set, Sierra showed resilience and repeatedly fought back. But Fresno Christian countered with sophomore setter Tatum McQuown, with 17 assists and 5 digs. Once the first set concluded, the momentum began to favor the Eagles kindly. They imposed stronger serving pressure, including 4 aces completed by Petraeus Draper, ‘26, and their hitters began finding their rhythm, including hitter Jordyn Degroot, ‘26, who smashed 15 kills.
Steve Guglielmana has been the head coach for girls’ volleyball since 2021, where they have been deemed successful in Valley Championships every year upon his arrival. Guglielmana shares his excitement over this grand victory.
“I think the girls did an extremely good job of coming together as a team and they are playing at a very good level now,” says Coach Guglielmana. “They are very excited about the possibility of doing well in the playoffs.”
Their teamwork and determination have been key factors in maintaining the team’s winning streak this season. Each player has contributed to the group’s chemistry, both on and off the court, which has helped them advance further into playoffs.
Tatum McQuown, ’28, has been on varsity for FC girls volleyball since her freshman year.
“I felt that during the Sierra game we all surrendered our outcome to the Lord. Also we all had the same disciplined mindset.” McQuown says. “I’m excited to be going into round 3 of playoffs and to see if their is more volleyball planned for us after this game! Our focus has been on getting 1% better each day, and hopefully that will be shown in the game against Mammoth!”
For the Sierra Chieftains, the loss against the FC Eagles drops their season record to 32-12 and marks the end of their playoff season. Meanwhile, Fresno Christian advances to round three of the playoffs. Support the Eagles as they compete at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at Mammoth High School.
For more photos, visit the Media page.
To purchase photos, visit our SmugMug.
To read more from the feather, check out Fall sports heat up as playoffs near or Girls volleyball celebrates five seniors.
