ORANGE, Calif. – If the best things truly do come in pairs, then the Immanuel Eagles are all too happy to have another piece of championship hardware to put in their trophy case.
In a tightly-contested match between two eagles fighting for the same egg, #3 seed Immanuel swept #12 seed Capistrano Valley Christian (San Juan Capistrano) 3-0 (25-22, 25-13, 25-22) to claim the D-IV State Title in the 47th CIF State Girls Volleyball Championship Finals at Santiago Canyon College on Nov. 22.
“Obviously, we came off last year’s win, and anyone would love to do that again,” said Immanuel head coach Alyssa DenHartog.
Aside from the second set, Capistrano Valley served up their best game against Immanuel, keeping the play close and tight. But just like they’ve done the entire postseason, Immanuel stepped up their play and rose to the occasion, coming away with the points when they mattered the most.
“They were really good; they had a couple really phenomenal hitters — one middle, it was super fast, and hit really high above us,” said DenHartog. “So, it was fun to have a more competitive win for our final match.”
For Immanuel, this is now the second consecutive state title won in as many years. But unlike last season’s run to the D-V State Title, with a 3-0 victory against Bell Gardens, this playoff run tested the Eagles’ resilience and resolve a little more. For Capistrano Valley Christian, this game marked a return to the Ffnals for the first time since back-to-back victories in 1991-92.
“I think there were more quality wins this year than last year, for sure,” said DenHartog. “I’d say the games that we won in this state playoff were a lot tougher, and again, just a lot more rewarding.”
For Immanuel’s seniors, like Spencer Horn and Tori Visser — who have been the building blocks of this string of volleyball success and also experienced that glorious feeling last season — coming home as champs yet again caps off their brilliant careers.
“I know they’re excited again; they’ve worked really hard and put in a lot of time in and out of the season,” said DenHartog. “It’s been fun to see that pay off in success, and I’m proud of them for the culture and standard they’ve set.”
Overall, Immanuel finished the 2025 campaign on a walloping 12-game win streak. And since their first round loss to Dinuba in the 2023 Central Section D-IV Playoffs, the Eagles have won an astounding 17 of their last 18 playoff games, according to MaxPreps. The only loss came to Fresno Christian in the Central Section D-IV Championship last season.
Now that the Eagles are repeat champions, the celebrations can continue and the praises can be heaped on a squad that proved its worth and left it all on the court. And regardless of division or strength of schedule, Immanuel’s place among the elite volleyball programs deserves its due recognition.
“It’s kind of fun to grit it out and see their intensity in a different way than last year,” said DenHartog. “To have to scrap for it and work for it a little bit harder made the win that much more rewarding.”
