Volleyball Game Preview: Rancho San Juan Trailblazers vs. Palma Chieftains

Rancho San Juan is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Palma is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Trailblazers will host the Chieftains at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The last five games Rancho San Juan has played have been within one set, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Last Tuesday, it was close, but Rancho San Juan sidestepped Everett Alvarez for a 3-2 victory.

If you add up the scores from across all five sets (107-104) Rancho San Juan actually scored fewer points, but in the end it didn't matter. The final score came out to 22-25, 25-21, 26-24, 16-25, 15-12.

Austin Valdez

Digs (Career)

04/08/25 @ Everett Alvarez	47
04/03/25 vs North Salinas	21
03/20/25 @ Pacific Collegiate	16
03/13/25 @ Scotts Valley	16
03/06/25 @ Gilroy	16

Austin Valdez was nothing short of spectacular: he had 47 digs and one assist. Those 47 digs gave him a new career-high. Eli Francis also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assist of the season.

Meanwhile, Palma got the win against York on Tuesday by a conclusive 3-0.

Palma never let York on the board, but things got pretty close in the third set. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-12, 25-11, 26-24.

Palma is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season. As for Rancho San Juan, their win bumped their record up to 10-11.

Rancho San Juan took their victory against Palma when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 3-0 score. Will the Trailblazers repeat their success, or do the Chieftains have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.