After back-to-back playoff wins in the girls’ volleyball California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs, the Canyon Cowboys fell in a five-set thriller, 25-19, 18-25, 26-28, 25-18, 16-14, in the Division 5 quarterfinals to the Liberty Bison of Winchester on Wednesday.
“There’s got to be a winner and a loser, right? And it doesn’t get any closer than that,” Canyon coach Samantha Holcombe said. “I’m so proud of my kids and left it all on the court and couldn’t be prouder.”
With the loss, the Cowboys were eliminated from Division 5 playoffs and fell short of a berth into the CIF state playoffs as the team didn’t clinch their bid into the semifinals.
Although the team fell in five sets, Holcombe said her team showed resilience throughout all five sets and she was proud of the effort her team left on the court.
“They worked for every point and left it all out there,” Holcombe said. “I had nothing to say in our huddle other than how proud I am and how hard they worked all season especially in this game.”
In the first set, the Cowboys opened with an 18-12 lead over the Bison that was highlighted by a pair of timely blocks from sophomore Chloe Smith. The Cowboys won, 25-19, and looked to carry that momentum onto the later sets
But in the second and third sets, the Bison played cleanly and secured the wins and took a 2-1 set lead over Canyon.
After the game, Holcombe spoke on Liberty’s tenacity and ability to control momentum in the game.
“They had momentum and they had some scrappiness,” Holcombe said. “It’s a little discouraging for us to see those plays happen. But I feel like they did a good job turning it around in the fourth set and pushing it to the wire.”
The Cowboys bounced back for a fourth-set win and forced a fifth winner-takes-all set.
In the fifth set, the Cowboys opened with a 5-1 lead that prompted a Liberty timeout. But after the stoppage, the Bison stormed back and snagged the lead back, 11-9, which forced Holcombe to call a timeout of her own.
The Bison won the set, 16-14, and ended Canyon’s season on Wednesday at home.
The loss also meant the end for many seniors for the Cowboys who were with the team when Canyon finished the season as runner-up in the Southern Section Division 5 championship in 2024.
Holcombe said that for many of the underclassmen, the loss will provide valuable experience for her players that can motivate them to work hard throughout the offseason – a quality that she believes will pay off in future seasons.
“This senior group, a lot of them, was on that team that went to the championship in 2024. And I think that perspective for younger kids is so important,” Holcombe said. “Seeing the gym packed, and seeing all the things we can do here at Canyon is awesome.”
