Not long ago, Christian Brothers was an area and state volleyball power, winning five consecutive section titles and appearing in three state title matches.

After a going 17-18 last season while replacing a previously senior-laden team, the Falcons are flying high in 2011 and appear to have reclaimed that championship swagger.

Outside hitters Else Buchmiller and Julie Pfeifer, middle Nicole Jedrzynski and libero Tess Noble – all seniors – remember what it is like to trek through the Sac-Joaquin Section and state playoffs.

"We've been there – we know what it takes," Pfeifer said. "We know how hard we have to work."

The sixth-ranked Falcons (14-7) are an eclectic mixture of experience and young, promising players such as sophomore setter Jaymee-Lee Bulda, sophomore outside hitter Iris Anderson and freshman rightside hitter Natassja Bowman.

Bulda is the daughter of longtime area boys and girls coach Dina Bulda, now a Christian Brothers assistant.

"I think we have a good blend," Buchmiller said. "You never know who's going to step up, so that's been really exciting for us. … Could be anybody, any night."

Entering the past weekend, the Falcons were riding a 10-match winning streak with wins over seven ranked teams, including a sweep over No. 14 Bella Vista last Thursday to take early control of the Capital Valley Conference. Perhaps their biggest win to date came two days earlier in a four-game nonleague win over then-No. 5 Ponderosa.

"We kind of dug ourselves into a hole," Pfeifer said, "but we were able to come out of it and get a win."

The Falcons, depleted by injury and a player out taking the SAT, went 0-4 in their tournament Saturday, at one point playing with two seniors – Pfeifer and Noble – and a hodgepodge of freshmen and sophomores.

"I'm happy with what I saw," coach Diane Heine said. "We grew today."

League strengths released – The section last week released its league strength calculations, a key component in its playoff power rating seeding formula.

League strength is based on playoff performance of teams in each league over the past three years.

With a rating of 1.667, the strongest leagues are the Delta River League (home to perennial powers St. Francis (No. 3), Ponderosa (No. 8) and Oak Ridge (No. 10) and the San Joaquin Athletic Association, comprised mostly of Stockton-area schools

Tourney recap – Then-No. 4 St. Francis won the championship bracket of the Christian Brothers Great Eight tournament, defeating then-No. 3 Rocklin in three games in the final. Oak Ridge took the consolation bracket with a three-game win over Napa.

During the tournament, Oak Ridge coach Becky Potter, 29, in her fourth year at the school, earned her 100th career varsity coaching win – all with the Trojans.

Nightingale honored – Zoe Nightingale, the 2010 Bee Player of the Year, is starting in her freshman season at No. 2 UCLA (11-2).

Following a week in which the Bruins defeated previously top-ranked Cal in Westwood, Nightingale was voted the Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Week. Nightingale had four solo blocks against the Bears.

THE BEE'S TOP 20

PR – Previous ranking

School W-L PR

1. El Camino 17-1 1

2. Union Mine 13-2 2

3. St. Francis 17-5 4

4. Rocklin 21-6 3

5. Granite Bay 10-4 6

6. Christian Brothers 14-7 7

7. Del Oro 13-7 11

8. Ponderosa 17-6 5

9. Vista del Lago 11-7 8

10. Oak Ridge 12-9 9

11. Colfax 16-5 12

12. Rio Americano 16-7 10

13. Nevada Union 11-12 13

14. Bella Vista 13-4 14

15. Franklin 16-3 15

16. Placer 9-4 16

17. Elk Grove 8-6 17

18. Bear River 13-4 18

19. Whitney 10-7 19

20. Oakmont 14-9 –

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