PALO ALTO >> Chloe Goldman wanted to leave the bench and sprint out on to the volleyball court with her sister Shelby to treasure and celebrate a milestone moment.

Yet, being nine months pregnant, and due any day, the Salinas High coach decided to hold her ground and just soak it all in while players and her assistant coaches embraced another Central Coast Section title.

“It was more emotional, more tears,” Goldman said. “This is the first year my sister and I have coached together in 12 years. This might be my last week with the girls if we have a road match. So, yes there were a lot of emotions swirling around.”The Cowboys have extended their season into the Northern California tournament after defending their CCS Division I title Saturday, knocking off top seed Homestead 15-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-11 at Palo Alto High.

Goldman has been a part of three of the Cowboys’ four section titles, one as a player in 2004 and two as a coach, becoming just the third program in the county to win back-to-back section titles in volleyball.

Of course, she was also the coach when Salinas fell to Homestead in the section finals in 2018, when assistant coach Savanna Maker was a player.

“That just added to the moment,” said Goldman, a former libero at the University of Tennessee. “This match meant something to each one of us. It was nice for mom that she did not have to split time for my sister and I.”

Sitting just a game over .500 on Oct. 12, the Cowboys will go into the Northern California tournament riding a 13-game winning streak at 24-10.

Last year during the Cowboys’ run to a CCS Division I title, they ran off 12 straight wins before falling to Clovis in the Northern California Division II playoffs.

“I think after the loss to Carmel, we reconnected and figured out who we were,” Salinas hitter Bella Storelli said. “There was a lot of stress and pressure. Chloe talked some sense into us. It gave something to work toward, to aim for.”

During Salinas’ 13-game winning streak, it has swept 10 opponents. Yet, for the first time in the playoffs, it found itself down a game after falling 25-15 in the first set.

“I just said look, let it go,” Goldman said. “We’ve gone to four and five sets before. It happens all the time. Get focused. I could feel the nerves got to us. I had to pull out a fan I was so hot.”

With Storelli, Jenny Rivera and Makenzie O’Hara taking aim off of sets from Cadee Guzman, the Cowboys bounced back with a pair of wins, then bolted out to a 10-point lead in the fourth set.

“Their mindset completely changed,” Goldman said. “We started executing. I was trying not to get too anxious in the fourth set. But when we got up by 10, you could feel it. It was our night.”

A jubilant celebration signaled a reward for a program molding as one, where a different player seemed to rise to the occasion each night during Salinas’ 13-game run.

“It was intense,” said Storelli, who finished with 13 kills. “Everyone ran to the court and screamed. It was pretty cool. It felt almost better than last year. If felt like we all had a part to play in it. I’m looking forward to practicing Monday and getting better.”

Rivera finished with 16 kills, with O’Hara collecting 10 for Salinas, while Guzman produced a double-double with 43 assists and 12 digs.

The strength of Cowboys during their winning streak has been their defense, where Indy Aguilar solidified the back row upon her return 14 matches ago, finishing with 22 digs. Help came when Dylan Dominguez came off the bench and supplied 12 kills.

“We had to work hard as a staff this year and strategize,” Goldman said. “We had to have a game plan to make us a better team, to get these kids to believe. Getting to experience this with a past player and my sister, that rarely gets to happen.”

CCS girls water polo

Stevenson 13, Menlo 8 >> Bumped to the Open Division this fall, the two-time defending CCS Division II champion Pirates won their seventh straight section playoff match with a win over No. 6 Menlo in the quarterfinals.

The win ensures the No. 3 seeded Pirates (19-8) a spot in the Northern California playoffs, where they are the reigning Division II champions.

Emmerson Ferriera, the school’s all-time leader in goals, led a balanced attack for Stevenson with four goals.

Miranda Salinger tallied three goals, while Sienna Cimoli, Arielle Dale and Charlotte Morrow all compiling a pair.

Goalie Anna Mitchell produced seven saves between the pipes for the Pirates.

The Pirates will face Soquel on Tuesday in the semifinals at a site yet to be determined.

Whoever wins that match up will head to the finals.