Rocklin plays the 18th annual Stockton Classic on Saturday, October 10, at 29–5 and on a seven-match win streak. It is the first tournament since head coach Bret Almazan-Cezar reached 1,000 career wins. It also puts him back in the city where the count began.
Where the count began
Almazan-Cezar coached Lincoln High in Stockton from 1993 to 1999. Seven seasons there led to 20 at Archbishop Mitty, one at Granite Bay, and now a third at Rocklin. Lincoln is one of four host sites for the Classic, per 209 Volleyball, the event's organizer.
No. 1,000 came a week ago at the Carmichael Invitational. Rocklin swept Rio Americano 25–15, 25–18, then beat Nevada Union for the CiVT title. The Thunder went 5–0 that day without dropping a set. Sweeps of Oak Ridge and Granite Bay followed in league play, and he arrives in Stockton at 1,003.
The form coming in
The streak starts with a loss. Folsom swept Rocklin 25–14, 25–23, 25–13 at the Thunderdome on October 1, the widest loss of the Thunder's season. Rocklin has not lost a set since. Eighteen in a row, across seven matches and two weeks.
The league sweeps were not close. Oak Ridge scored 10 in the third set on Tuesday. Granite Bay pushed the opener to 25–23 on Thursday, then managed 18 in each of the next two.
Saturday is a tournament day, and tournament days have been Rocklin's strongest format. The Thunder are 19–3 in tournament matches this season. In those that went to a deciding set, they are 7–1, with the only loss coming to Marymount at Durango.
What Saturday is for
Rocklin sits 8–2 in the Sierra Foothill League with four matches left: Del Oro on October 13, at Davis on October 15, St. Francis on October 20 and at Whitney on October 22. The two league losses came to St. Francis and Folsom. The St. Francis rematch at home is the one with title weight.
Stockton is the last multi-match day before that stretch. The field reaches beyond the Valley. Archbishop Riordan of the WCAL lists the event on its 2026 schedule. Rocklin went 2–0 against WCAL programs at the Bay Area Classic, beating Sacred Heart Cathedral in three and St. Ignatius in two.
A title would be Rocklin's second in eight days. More useful is a full day of reps against unfamiliar systems, then four days to turn them into a plan for Del Oro.
Sources: Rocklin Volleyball, The Journey to 1,000; 209 Volleyball, 2026 Girls Stockton Classic; Archbishop Riordan 2026 schedule.