SBCC dominated the end of all three sets to the tune of 27-4 on Friday night, propelling the 17th-ranked Vaqueros to a 25-17, 25-20, 25-16 sweep of No. 16 Moorpark at the Sports Pavilion.
The Vaqueros have won four straight and 17 of the last 18. They're 19-5 overall and 5-1 in the WSC North. Moorpark, which beat SBCC 3-1 on Oct. 18, fell to 11-6 and 6-1.
In front of a loud and raucous crowd, the Vaqueros outscored the visitors 7-1 to finish the first set, 11-3 at the end of the second and 9-0 to wrap up the third.
Karissa Mertens, a sophomore from Dos Pueblos High, served the last nine points of the match to snap a 16-16 tie. Carolyn Andrulis ended it with a kill down the line.
Kaylene Ureno led SBCC with 10 kills, 14 digs and three straight aces late in the first set. Andrulis added 10 kills and nine digs. McKenzie Garrison had four blocks and Avery Mulvey had a team-high 16 digs.
"When we played at Moorpark, their crowd did the same thing to us," said Ureno. "It was nice to have the crowd behind us this time and it really helped our intensity.
"We played so well to beat them in three. I told the girls to trust each other but trust yourself too. We played as a team and we played our hearts out. Our defense was unstoppable."
The Vaqueros took control of the first set with leads of 11-6 and 17-10 before the Raiders rallied to within two at 18-16. A kill by Grace Trocki and three straight aces from Ureno stretched the lead to 23-16.
Moorpark's Miranda Poole (18 kills) was dominant in the first half of the second set with seven kills that helped the visitors take leads of 9-5, 13-10 and 17-13. Trailing 17-14, the Vaqueros put together an 8-1 run for a 22-18 advantage. Setter Kiana Pisula served aces on the 20th and 21st points and Ureno drilled a kill in the middle for the 22nd. A roll shot by Ureno capped the 25-20 triumph.
"It was a great atmosphere with great competition and both teams playing at a high level," said SBCC coach Ed Gover. "This is what makes playing college volleyball fun. It was a great, great environment. Our fans were the MVP tonight.
"We were steady, steady on offense, especially Carolyn and Kaylene. I loved their maturity, their composure and the way we had four sophomores (Ureno, Andrulis, Mertens and Pisula) running the show tonight."
The Vaqueros are in the driver's seat to earn a share of their sixth straight WSC championship. They have two road matches left next week – Wednesday at Hancock and Friday at Cuesta.
