Greyhound girls volleyball squad wins first-ever CIF section title

By Mike Chaldu · Fri Nov 13 2026

AHS sweeps Bullard in Central Section Division II final, avenging semifinal loss from the year before

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero High girls volleyball team made history on Thursday, Nov. 5, when the Greyhounds swept Bullard High of Fresno 3-0 in the CIF Central Section Division III championship final to win the program's first-ever section title in the AHS gym. The scores were 25-14, 25-12, and 25-16. In winning the title match, head coach Christina Silva's top-seeded squad avenged a sweep by the Knights in last year's Central Section Division III semifinal. Bullard went on to win its second straight Division III title by beating Nipomo in the final.

According to Silva, the team picked the right time to hit its peak.

"That was the best game this team has ever played together," Silva said about the section final. "We excelled at every aspect. Someone asked me about picking an MVP for the match, and I couldn't do it. Everyone was great; it was a total team effort."

The No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with the visiting Knights was a familiar one for the Greyhounds: Bullard defeated Atascadero in last year's Division III semifinal, and this past September in the Madera Tournament.

"We played them in the tournament this year, but we weren't at 100 percent like we were in the final," Silva said. "But Bullard is a tough team, and we know we're in for a fight."

In the Division III final, the Greyhounds took control in the first game after the Knights closed to within 7-6, gradually building a wider lead until it clinched the first set with a score of 25-14. The second set was even more dominant as the Greyhounds scored the last 11 points for a 25-12 win in the second set. Finally, in the third set, AHS broke it open for a 25-16 win, with senior outside hitter Hadley Taylor with the decisive spike that clinched the match and the championship for the Greyhounds.

The championship-winning kill was the ninth for Taylor in the match. She was part of a balanced offensive attack with senior Naya Broadwater posting a team-high 11 kills, and junior Ezri Karp adding 10. Cara Howes continued her excellent setting with 34 assists on the night.

By making the Division III final, Atascadero earned a berth into the CIF State Division III playoffs, with teams from all CIF sections entering the bracket.

AHS, with the No. 7 seed, hosted 10th-seeded Westridge School, on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and in a hard-fought five-set match, the Greyhounds fell to the Tigers, 3-2, ending AHS's season with a 31-10 overall record.

The Greyhounds were off to a good start when they came back from an 18-11 deficit to take the first set 25-21. However, Westridge took the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-19. With its back against the wall, AHS took another 25-21 in the fourth set.

The deciding fifth set (which would only go to 15), was a tough one as the Hounds and the Tigers played nip-and-tuck, finding themselves tied at 13, until Westridge got the last two points to win the match.

The team was led on offense by Karp and Broadwater. Going into the Westridge game, Karp led the team with 321 kills this year (with a .421 hitting percentage), while Broadwater had just one less kill at 320. Jacey George (213) and Taylor (144) also reached triple figures in kills.

Howes was the team's main setter with 861 assists this season.

Other players on the AHS roster included Whitney Jeckell, Lilly McKim, Sydney Drexler, Natalie Becerra, Sequoia Trejo, McKenna Nichols, Renee Betts, Shelby St. John, Jaden Philbin, Alaska Agueda, and Zoe Lucero.

With the season over, Silva will be losing some players to graduation before next season, but returning players and those coming up from junior varsity should form a strong team again next year.

"We will be losing some important players, like Naya Broadwater, Jacey George, and Natalie Becerra, but I always have players coming up," she said. "But I'll have some players back like Ezri (Karp) and Cara (Howes), and Sequoia Trejo, who is a sophomore this year, has a lot of potential.

"It will be a different team next year, but never, never count us out."

Atascadero High Volleyball CIF Champs. Photos by Dwayne Burbach