SANTA BARBARA – The No. 5 SBCC women's volleyball team saw its SoCal Regional Playoff run come to an end on Saturday against No. 13 Grossmont, as the Griffins came away with a four-set win, 21-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-15.
The loss ends the Vaqueros' run of five straight wins and four straight sweeps in the month of November in their first trip to the second round since 2016.
"Losing is never easy, but when a loss also ends your season, it's incredibly difficult – especially when you have such a special group of players!" head coach Kat Niksto said. "We played hard, got off to a great first set, but couldn't keep pace with the attack of Grossmonts' hitters."
Outside hitter Bella Johnson led the home side with 10 kills. Opposite Caroline McCarty added nine kills on a team-leading .207 hitting percentage.
Setter Emma Crabbe recorded her 12th double-double of the year with 22 assists to go along with Vaquero-highs of 17 digs and four aces. Libero Jacelin McKie added 13 digs.
"I am so proud of what our team accomplished this season. One year ago we were playing volleyball outside on the track, in small pods, sanitizing everything between touches, missing real volleyball so desperately," said Niksto. "Fast forward to now, we finished 23-5, tied for 9th in the state, the best season since 2015, it's been such a joy. For those players returning next season, we have tasted the playoffs, and we are hungry for more! The road to 2022 starts today."
While SBCC started from behind in every set of a three-game sweep over Golden West four nights prior, this time it was the Vaqueros who came out strong, taking leads of 4-0 and 8-2 out of the gates. The Vaqueros led by as many as eight points in the opening set, and it was Crabbe setting up Johnson for the winning point which went out off the block, 25-21. It was the first set Grossmont had dropped since Nov. 3, ending a run of 15 consecutive set wins.
Set two was a much closer affair early on. SBCC scored three straight to tie it at 11-11, which turned out to be the turning point of the match. Grossmont (19-4) reeled off eight unanswered, taking a 19-11 advantage all the way to a 25-16 win.
The Griffins evidently found their rhythm, as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead in set three. The Vaqueros would cut the deficit to just one at 7-6, but that's the closest they would get, as Grossmont held them off the rest of the way, 25-21.
Santa Barbara led 2-1 in game four, but the Griffins responded with a 10-0 run, getting the separation they needed to close the match out.
The Vaqueros end a very successful year which saw the team come together following the extended absence of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 23 wins were a 15-win improvement over their last season, and the most since 2015, as Niksto and her team brought the program back to the playoffs to claim their first postseason wins together.
SBCC led the Western State Conference in blocks (213) this year, recording its most in five years. They close out 2021 as the only team with over 200 blocks, led by middles Karoline Ruiz (72) and Paige Rudi (53). Ruiz also led the team in total points (244.5) and was fourth in the WSC in hitting percentage (.320).
McCarty (189 kills) and Johnson (185) were SBCC's leaders on the attack. They were setup for success all year by setter Emma Crabbe, whose 750 assists were the most of any Vaquero since 2017.
McKie was excellent at libero all year, crossing the 400-dig mark in the final match of the season. She ended her freshman campaign with 408 scoops.
