It is a sisterhood that has been forged through sweat, sideouts and lots of screams.

The senior starters on El Camino's volleyball team have achieved nearly all there is to achieve in three years together, winning tournament, league and section titles.

But until Tuesday night they had something missing from their impressive résumé: a victory in the CIF NorCal playoffs.

Senior middle blockers Nicole Hareland and Megan Lunger, outside hitter Natalie Riddering and libero Talia Kaczmarek – all teammates and key contributors the past three seasons – powered the fourth-seeded Eagles past No. 5 Maria Carrillo of Santa Rosa to a gutty 3-2 first-round win in Division II. The scores were 25-11, 21-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-7.

"This has been our challenge for the past three years," Riddering said. "The pressure has been building on us, and we've been thriving, ready to go out and get it."

Riddering scored every statistical way possible in the fifth set, notching seven of her match-high 24 kills in addition to two blocks and an ace.

The host Eagles (37-3), who swept through the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, appeared on their way to another easy victory after dominating the first set. But their serves then evaded them – they missed six serves in Sets 2 and 3 – and the Pumas (33-4) sprang to life.

"I told them we needed to settle down," El Camino coach Martin Soyama said of the huddle between Sets 3 and 4. "We were starting to panic a little bit."

With the fourth set 11-11, Riddering scored a thunderous kill, followed it with an ace, and then off another tough Riddering serve, Hareland put back an errant pass to give the Eagles momentum they would not relinquish.

"We really are best friends, one big family," Hareland said. "If not, we couldn't come together the way we do and win."

The seniors have been together six years. They attended Arcade Middle School, and the friendship has grown with each bump, set and spike – the latter of which is usually greeted with excited screams from all around.

"That just pumps us up even more," Hareland said. "We never get down on each other."

The Eagles' breakthrough came in 2009, Soyama's first year at the helm, as they won the Capital Athletic League and took the school's first section volleyball title as the No. 3 seed. Despite hosting a NorCal first-round match, they lost in four sets to Sir Francis Drake of San Anselmo.

Last season, El Camino repeated as CAL champion but lost the section D-II title match to Rocklin and was swept on the road by Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland in its NorCal playoff opener.

The Eagles' next challenge is Saturday at top-seeded St. Francis of Mountain View (31-7), which swept visiting Chico.

TUESDAY'S FIRST ROUND

(Local results only)

DIVISION I

• No. 2 St. Francis def. No. 7 Foothill-Pleasanton 25-12, 25-13, 25-16

DIVISION II

• No. 4 El Camino def. No. 5 Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa 25-11, 21-25, 22-25, 25-14, 15-7

• No. 6 Rocklin def. No. 3 Redwood-Larkspur 25-27, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19

DIVISION III

• No. 2 Vista del Lago def. No. 7 St. Ignatius-S.F. 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-27, 18-16

• No. 3 Albany def. No. 6 Christian Brothers 25-16, 25-18, 25-23

DIVISION IV

• No. 1 Union Mine def. No. 8 Yreka 25-4, 25-8, 25-15

• No. 3 Marin Catholic def. No. 6 Bear River 25-14, 23-25, 25-27, 25-13, 15-13

DIVISION V

• No. 2 Hamilton def. No. 7 Bradshaw Christian 25-15, 27-25, 25-17

SECOND ROUND

Saturday (All matches 7 p.m.)

DIVISION I

• Menlo-Atherton at St. Francis-Sacramento

DIVISION II

• El Camino at St. Francis-Mountain View

• Rocklin at Presentation-S.J.

DIVISION III

• Albany at Vista del Lago

DIVISION IV

• Sac. Heart Prep at Union Mine

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

John Parker can be reached at johnparker2008@gmail.com.

• Read more articles by John Parker