PALO CEDRO, CA (MPG) – Given that it was a four-time defending champion entering last Saturday’s Northern Section Division V title match, the East Nicolaus volleyball team was certainly no stranger to playing in the big game.

However, it was a different experience for the Spartans in the sense that for the first time they were without two of their stalwarts in Jadyn Hoffman and Addie Tagala, who graduated last spring, in addition to having a pair of new coaches at the helm.

Yet, none of that seemed to matter once the team took the court at Foothill High School, albeit an hour behind schedule, as East Nicolaus swept Durham by scores of 25-20, 25-22, 25-18 to claim its fifth consecutive championship in what was the rubber match between the two squads.

Having suffered a 3-0 loss to the Trojans back in September, the Spartans turned the tables last month posting a 3-0 victory which heightened the tension in the final match.

East Nic’s Ashlynn Tagala makes a pass as Kendall Kocher looks on. Both Tagala and Kocher played import roles in the Spartans’ winning their fifth straight section title.

Still head coaches Keith and Jennifer Turner along with assistant coach Donald Takeuchi continued the winning tradition by employing a more diversified strategy.

And while the scores of the championship match appear somewhat close, it never seemed as though the Spartans chances of winning were in jeopardy as they methodically went about their business.

Kendall Kocher led the attack with 13 kills, while Lela DeCecco finished with nine kills and two blocks.

Shelby Scoggins handed out 26 assists and made 11 digs in the win.

In the back row Ashlynn Tagala had a team-high 13 digs.

Also playing an important role for East Nicolaus was Makinze Massey who contributed seven digs and six kills.

With the victory, the Spartans (34-5) now enter the CIF Division IV State Tournament where they are seeded No. 12 and made their way to Santa Cruz on Nov. 11 to play No. 5 Harbor with the winner advancing to take on either No. 4 Santa Cruz or No. 13 Durham on Nov. 13.

The Spartans’ Aubrie Williams (6) and Lela DeCecco (12) block a kill attempt in East Nicolaus’ win over Durham in the NSCIF D5 title match on Nov. 8.