MOORPARK, CA – The #24 Santa Barbara City College Women's Volleyball team upset #8 Moorpark once again, this time on the road, in another 5-set thriller on Wednesday night. The win means the Vaqueros are 6-1 in conference play, good for sole possession of first place with 3 huge matches remaining.
Santa Barbara defeated Moorpark on September 29 at home in a strikingly similar fashion, falling behind 2 sets to 1 before coming back to win the last 2 sets.
"I was so proud of our full team effort!" head coach Kat Niksto said emphatically. "It was a big match with first place in the conference on the line. We came out a bit slow and hesitant in set one, but kept pushing through until we found our rhythm.
"So many different players contributed in the match, really showcasing our team depth and why I believe we are a dangerous team late in the season."
SBCC did come out a bit slow, losing the first set 19-25.
In the second set, the Vaqueros held a 23-21 lead before Moorpark tied the score at 23-all. After SBCC won the next point, a service error meant the winner of the set would have to score 26 or more points. The Vaqueros were not shy in taking big swings, and won the next two points on a kill and an ace to win the set 26-24.
Following the huge set win, the match was still in high leverage for an equally crucial third set. Rightfully so, after consistently going back and forth, both teams were even at 20.
The Vaqueros won the next two points, taking a 22-20 lead, but Moorpark rattled off four-in-a-row to get to set point at 22-24. Evan Ybarra and Heidi Collins stayed aggressive, tying the set with back-to-back kills. A service error for SBCC and a block for Moorpark, though, mirrored the score of the prior set, this time 24-26 Moorpark.
Again, this was not unfamiliar territory for the Vaqueros, who came back to win the last 2 sets against Moorpark last time the two teams played.
In set four, the Vaqueros consistently had a lead, although some short-lived Moorpark runs made things interesting at certain points. SBCC held on, managing a 25-22 set win, and forcing another fifth set against Moorpark.
"Chaya Clemons and Sophie Ward came into the match midway through and provided a spark that gave us that extra push," Niksto said.
In the decisive fifth set, the Vaqueros came out swinging. Continuing to stay aggressive offensively, Nevaeh Tillet served 2 aces in a row to give SBCC an early 4-1 lead. Shortly after, Evan Ybarra had 2 kills in a row to extend the lead to 8-3.
Moorpark switched the momentum quickly, winning 4 straight points to diminish SBCC's lead to 8-7. Both teams traded points to 10-9 SBCC, before a Moorpark service error and another SBCC point gave the Vaqueros a 12-9 lead into a Moorpark timeout. Heidi Collins closed out match point with her team-leading 15th kill shortly after, and the Vaqueros had themselves a massively important upset win on the road over Moorpark. The last set ended 15-11.
"Heidi battled through not being 100% to take some big swings at key times," Niksto said.
"Evan [Ybarra] and Nevaeh [Tillet] played great on the outside, taking some big swings, and challenging Moorpark's tough block," Niksto added. Ybarra had 14 kills with 7 digs, and Tillet was all over the floor with 13 kills and 14 digs.
"It was a group effort in the middle led offensively by Alexis (Birdie) Zevenbergen, but both Carly Hanna and Bella Nassiri worked hard and provided solid defense throughout the match," Niksto continued. Zevenbergen had 12 kills, the fourth Vaquero to reach that mark on the night.
"Gabby Russell once again was all over the court defensively and had a strong serving night as well," Niksto concluded. The libero had 16 digs and 2 aces.
Natalie Lercari-Sullivan demolished her career high in assists set just last week (32), dishing out a whopping 39 assists against Moorpark. She also tallied 13 digs.
With three matches remaining, the Vaqueros are set up alone at the top of the conference with a 6-1 record.
The confidently-swinging Vaqueros are now winners of 7 of their last 8 and play next at LA Pierce on Wednesday. The last regular season home game of the year is a huge one against Ventura on Friday.
Ventura currently is 5-2 in conference play, with both losses coming against Moorpark. Moorpark is also 5-2 in conference play, with both losses coming against Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara's lone loss was against Ventura. A win against Ventura on Friday would be massive, giving the Vaqueros a superior record—regardless of the results of Wednesday's matches—with one match to go. Furthermore, SBCC now secured a head-to-head advantage over Moorpark, too, if it proves necessary. A loss to Ventura could mean a three-way tie for first place, as each of the three teams would have swept and gotten swept by each other.
Come out and support the Vaqueros in the biggest match of the year next Friday at 6:00 PM!
