RIALTO — The winning point in the Rialto girls volleyball team’s championship win Thursday night was delivered fittingly by star middle blocker Kayjanai Gatlin. Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski, right and team crash to the court as they celebrate their CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s beach celebrate as the team wins the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Kayjanai Gatlin, left celebrates after her kill won the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski, left and her team celebrate their CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Kayjanai Gatlin hits over the St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Marianne Urena (22) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Marianne Urena (22) hits the ball past the block of Rialto’s Rialto’s Alanie Gutierrez during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) From left Rialto’s Kimora Richard, Priscilla Diaz and Evelin Garcia celebrate a point against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Kayjanai Gatlin hits over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Stephanie Zesati (21) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski talks with her team between games against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Priscilla Diaz pushes the ball past St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Marianne Urena (22) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Alanie Gutierrez tries to hit over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Olivia Haddad (14) and St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Stephanie Zesati (21) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Alanie Gutierrez hits over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Olivia Haddad (14) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Alanie Gutierrez celebrates a point against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Kimora Richard hits against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Marianne Urena (22) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto’s Marisol Alveraz hits over the block of St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy’s Olivia Haddad (14) during the CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship match in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski, center and team celebrate their CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski, right and team crash to the court as they celebrate their 3-0 CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 17Rialto head coach Carla Sittniewski, right and team crash to the court as they celebrate their CIF Southern Section Division 9 girls volleyball championship over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in Rialto on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) Expand It was the exclamation point on Rialto’s dominating 25-16, 25-9, 25-11 win over St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy in the CIF Southern Section Division 9 final. Then the celebration was on. The Knights turned the court into their private mosh pit, dancing and hugging and screaming. Then, after receiving their championship plaque, the Knights jumped and yelled some more. One couldn’t blame them. It was a long slog for a team that lost seven consecutive matches and nine out of 10 at one point in the season and only entered the playoffs with an 8-14 record. “Marvelous, exciting, nerve-wracking,” Rialto coach Carla Sittniewski said when asked how winning the title felt. “We usually go five games and we ended this in three. When you’re up (in a set) by 12 points, you actually feel like, ‘Hey, we got this.’” Rialto opened in 1992, and this is the school’s first section title in girls volleyball and sixth in any sport (one in baseball, two in girls basketball, one in traditional cheer and one in boys soccer). “We came into CIF with an 8-14 record, so it was kind of like, ‘Oh, just let us get past the first round’ – that was my goal,” Sittniewski said. “The girls were ready and locked in.” Gatlin (match-high 10 kills and two stuff blocks), freshman setter Priscilla Diaz, junior outside hitter Alanie Gutierrez, outside hitter Evelin Garcia, libero Myah Juarez, and defensive specialist Crystal Rocha and Marisol Alvarez led the way for the Knights “It feels really amazing,” Diaz said. “It’s unbelievable. As a freshman, it feels incredible to accomplish something like this with my team.” Said Gutierrez, “It feels really good. I knew from the beginning that we had it in us. We started very strong and we ended even stronger. I’ve been dreaming about this since my freshman year.” Ahead 9-6 in the first set, Rialto went on an 8-0 run with Rocha serving. Rocha had two aces during that span. Still ahead at 24-14, Alvarez ended it for Rialto with a kill. Rialto’s stellar serving also stood out in the second set. Ahead 7-3, Rialto went on an 8-0 run with Garcia smacking four aces. Safely up 24-9, Gutierrez closed out the set with a kill. The Knights sprinted to a 15-0 lead in set 3 to suck the suspense out of the proceedings. St. Pius X-St. Matthias rallied to within 19-8 behind inspired play by standouts such as Monica Boone, Olivia Haddad, Stephanie Zesati, Zoe Zamudio, and Samantha Bayardo. But Diaz’s winning dump shot put Rialto back in control at 20-8 and a Gutierrez kill set the stage for Gatlin’s final dagger through the heart of the Warrior defense. Then the party was on for the Knights. On the opposite side of the court, there was disappointment and some tears for the Warriors. St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy (16-18) was missing two key players, one for disciplinary reasons and starter Vera Vasquez who injured herself in warm-ups. “I feel like our serve receive really got us,” Boone said. “But I still think we’re a really good team no matter what. And we still have state (playoffs) to go. We worked really hard to get to this point.” Both teams will now enter the CIF State Southern California regional playoffs beginning Tuesday. “Tonight we started well, but then we just kind of let the match go,” Warriors coach Ariel Guzman-Avila said. “This is the first time we’ve made it this far. We’ve played teams as good as Rialto, but tonight it didn’t show.” Related Articles High School Sports | Beaumont’s Maleah Clark leads group of 7 Inland girls golfers advancing to state regional High School Sports | IE Varsity’s CIF Southern Section playoff scoreboard, Nov. 7 High School Sports | IE Varsity’s high school football stat leaders heading into the CIF Southern Section playoffs High School Sports | Unmasked trio looks to cap four-year Murrieta Valley girls volleyball journey with CIF-SS hardware High School Sports | IE Varsity’s previews of top CIF Southern Section football playoff openers