This year’s Ferndale High volleyball team is going where no other Wildcats team has ever gone before.
On Saturday afternoon, the Ferndale girls defeated Mendocino in straight sets in their North Coast Section Division-6 playoff opener to secure a place in the upcoming state playoffs for the first time ever.
The Cats won 27-25, 25-22, 25-15.
The win sets up a semifinal showdown for the No. 3 seeds in the bracket at No 2 Anderson Valley on Wednesday night.
And according to head coach SK Montiel Clark, the hard work the players have been putting in is paying dividends.
“This team works extremely hard in practice to produce these kind of results in games,” the coach said. “A three-set win over a great team is an awesome achievement..”
After a very competitive opening set that was decided by the narrowest of margins, the Ferndale girls grew stronger as the game went on.
It was also a balanced team performance.
“We were tough on offense (on Saturday) and became more dominant as the sets went on,” the coach added.
Team captains Dalia Cantu-Mendez and Abagail Gossi each had a big say in the win, which came after a nine-day break between games after the Cats received an opening-round bye.
“As always, I have to give a shout out to my setter Dalia, who continues to exceed my expectations,” the Ferndale coach said. “She puts her hitters in the best possible position to score and keeps the team calm and collected.”
Abagail Gossi, a sophomore, and her older sister, senior Olivia Gossi, both helped set the tone from the service line.
“They always rack up points for our team with their strong serves,” Montiel Clark said.
Overall, it was a good team performance for a Cats program that appears to be peaking at the right time and has now won eight of its last nine games.
“I was so glad to be able to get my whole bench in on (Saturday’s) game, which really shows the depth of our team,” the coach added. “We will continue to work hard as we travel to Anderson Valley on Wednesday and hope for another win.”
CORRECTION
Contrary to a report on Humboldt Sports on Saturday, this is not the first time the Cats have qualified for a section semifinal in the sport, but according to the coaches it is the first time they have qualified for the NorCal postseason, regardless of what happens in the this week’s NCS semifinals or championship game.
The Cats were the first H-DNL team to win a NCS title back in 1976 and are one of just three league teams to ever win one, along with McKinleyville in 1986 and St. Bernard’s in 2023.
